Inside cells, microtubules not only serve as a component of the cytoskeleton (cell skeleton) but also play a role in intracellular transport. In intracellular transport, microtubules act as rails for ...

Microtubules are active protein polymers critical to the structure and function of cells and the process of cell division. In a living cell their growing ends constantly elongate and retreat in a ...

For cells to function properly, they must produce the right amount of each protein. It is a delicate balance: Both too little ...

As organisms grow, live, and move through the world, they're subjected to an array of internal and external forces. Biological forms must be able to withstand the stresses of stretching and ...

Microtubules help to regulate cell structure throughout our bodies. A group of researchers have used cryo-electron microscopy to shed light on how a certain protein keeps microtubules stable, and ...

Almost all cell types exhibit some form of polarity; cell polarity refers to the spatial differences in shape, structure and function within a cell, which enables the cell to carry out specialized ...

Microtubules—cellular "highways" that deliver cargo to the cell membrane for secretion—have a surprising role in pancreatic beta cells. Instead of facilitating glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, ...

A joint research team from the LKS Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed) and the Faculty of Science at the University of Hong Kong has uncovered an unexpected interaction between chemotherapeutic agents and a ...

Direct evidence that microtubules function as mechano-sensors and regulate the intracellular transport of molecules has been reported, leading to new possibilities in the fields of biomechanics, ...