Hot +tips

Helder Maiato: Hot (+)TIPs on mitosis

A t the growing end of each micro-tubule fi ber sits a large and varied group of proteins called +TIPs. These proteins have diverse functions, ranging from promoting microtubule growth and stability to mediating interactions with other structures such as the cell cortex or kinetochores. Helder Maiato began studying +TIPs as a graduate student, focusing his early efforts on the importance of a p...

Hot +tips Guidance cues signal directly to microtubules

Plus end tracking proteins (+TIPS) bind to microtubules. Results reported by Lee et al. and Zhou et al. in this issue of Neuron demonstrate that, via intracellular pathways signaling to +TIPs, microtubules can be a direct target of guidance cues in steering growth cones and regulating axon elongation.

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Nanoindentation of compliant materials using Berkovich tips and flat tips

Nanoindentation testing of compliant materials has recently attracted substantial attention. However, nanoindentation is not readily applicable to softer materials, as numerous challenges remain to be overcome. One key concern is the significant effect of adhesion between the indenter tip and the sample, leading to larger contact areas and higher contact stiffness for a given applied force rela...