Term paper- getting started and finishing it: hints

- tubulin folding pathway: complexity at its best

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Term paper/ tubulin/ Term paper/ tubulin/ etc.etc.: : Lecture 6Lecture 6

Patiently wait until the end of next week

You will have a better idea as to what you find

interesting

Pick out a topic that is broad (biogenesis, degradation or

related topic) then narrow down a subject by reading a review or

two

(I will suggest some reviews)

Narrow down subject even further, e.g., to a protein or a process

Search and read the

latest literature on

that topic

Think of interesting questions that need to

be addressed

Write 5-page Term paper according to

guidelines

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Term paperTerm paper

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Tubulin assemblyTubulin assembly

α tubulin β tubulin

αβ-heterodimer

assembledmicrotubule

http://cellbio.utmb.edu/cellbio/microtubule_structure.htm

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- archaeal FtsZ is the homologue of eukaryotic tubulin

- first tubulin to be crystallized; shows the power of crystallizing proteins from different sources

- structure of alpha-beta-tubulin heterodimer is now also known (TREMENDOUSLY difficult to obtain; used electron diffraction)

Lowe and Amos (1998) Crystal structure of the bacterial cell-division protein FtsZ. Nature 391, 203-6.

- same group also published structure of MreB, a bacterial protein that forms filaments and has a structure that resembles actinvan den Ent et al. (2001) Prokaryotic origin of the actin cytoskeleton. Nature 413, 39-44.

FtsZ crystal structureFtsZ crystal structure

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Tubulin folding pathwayTubulin folding pathway

Tian et al. (1997) J. Cell Biol. 138, 821-32.

- Rbl2p is the yeast homologue of cofactor A

- binds monomeric -tubulin

- suppresses deleterious effects of excess -tubulin in vivo

- competes with -tubulin in the -tubulin heterodimer (therefore binds near native state?)

- surface mostly hydrophilic; dimer interface has hydrophobic residues

- may act as a dimer

Crystal structure of Rbl2p, the cofactor A for -tubulin folding

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