This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) at Kanazawa University have discovered that tiny structural defects can trigger the breakdown of microtubules, the microscopic structures that help cells maintain their shape, transport materials and divide. Using high-speed atomic force microscopy, the team observed how these defects develop and sometimes cause microtubules to collapse, even in the presence of paclitaxel, a widely used cancer drug that stabilizes them.
The findings, published in ACS Nano, challenge the conventional view that microtubule breakdown begins primarily at their ends and offer new insights into the structural processes that may influence responses to cancer treatment. Inside almost every cell is a network of microscopic structures known as the cytoskeleton. An important part of this network consists of microtubules, long, hollow tubes assembled from proteins called tubulin.
These structures act as internal supports and tracks for transporting materials. They also play an essential role in cell division by helping separate chromosomes into two daughter cells. Microtubules are constantly changing.
They grow by adding tubulin molecules and shrink when these molecules are removed. Sometimes a growing microtubule suddenly begins to shorten rapidly, a process scientists call catastrophe. For many years, researchers have explained this behavior mainly through changes at the ends of microtubules.
In particular, the loss of a stabilizing molecular structure known as the GTP cap can cause the microtubule to begin breaking down. However, exactly how structural damage develops within the walls of microtubules, and whether such damage can initiate their collapse, has remained difficult to observe directly. Understanding these processes is particularly important in cancer research.
Paclitaxel, also known by the brand name Taxol, is used to treat several types of cancer, including breast and ovarian cancer. It works by stabilizing microtubules and interfering with the changes needed for normal cell division. However, not all cancer cells respond equally to the drug.
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