The microtubule cytoskeleton is crucial for the internal organization of eukaryotic cells. Several microtubule-associated proteins link microtubules to subcellular structures. A subclass of these proteins, the plus end-binding proteins (+TIPs), selectively binds to the growing plus ends of microtubules. Here, we reconstitute a vertebrate plus end tracking system composed of the most prominent +...

In mouse melanocytes, myosin Va is recruited onto the surface of melanosomes by a receptor complex containing Rab27a that is present in the melanosome membrane and melanophilin (Mlp), which links myosin Va to Rab27a. In this study, we show that Mlp is also a microtubule plus end-tracking protein or +TIP. Moreover, myosin Va tracks the plus end in a Mlp-dependent manner. Data showing that overex...

Microtubule plus ends are dynamic ends that interact with other cellular structures. Microtubule plus end tracking proteins are considered to play important roles in the regulation of microtubule plus ends. Recent studies revealed that EB1 is the central regulator for microtubule plus end tracking proteins by recruiting them to microtubule plus ends through direct interaction. Here we report th...

The microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton orchestrates the cellular plasticity and dynamics that underlie morphogenesis and cell division. Growing MT plus ends have emerged as dynamic regulatory machineries in which specialized proteins-called plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs)-bind to and control the plus-end dynamics that are essential for cell division and migration. However, the molecular mechanism...

Kinesin-13 motors are unusual in that they do not walk along microtubules, but instead diffuse to the ends, where they remove tubulin dimers, regulating microtubule dynamics. Here we show that Drosophila kinesin-13 klp10A regulates oocyte meiosis I spindle length and is haplo-insufficient - KLP10A, reduced by RNAi or a loss-of-function P element insertion mutant, results in elongated and mispos...

During embryonic development, the aristaless-type homeodomain protein Alx3 is expressed in the forehead mesenchyme and contributes to the regulation of craniofacial development. In the adult, Alx3 is expressed in pancreatic islets where it participates in the control of glucose homoeostasis. In the present study, we investigated the transcriptional regulation of Alx3 gene expression in these tw...

EB1 (end binding 1) proteins have emerged as central regulators of microtubule (MT) plus ends in all eukaryotes, but molecular mechanisms controlling the activity of these proteins are poorly understood. In this study, we show that the budding yeast EB1 protein Bim1p is regulated by Aurora B/Ipl1p-mediated multisite phosphorylation. Bim1p forms a stable complex with Ipl1p and is phosphorylated ...

Microtubules function in concert with associated proteins that modify microtubule behavior and/or transmit signals that effect changes in growth. To better understand how microtubules and their associated proteins influence growth, we analyzed one family of microtubule-associated proteins, the END BINDING1 (EB1) proteins, in Arabidopsis thaliana (EB1a, EB1b, and EB1c). We find that antibodies d...

Connexin 43 (Cx43) is the major protein component of gap junctions that electrically couple cardiomyocytes at the intercalated disc. Oxidant stress, reduced Cx43 expression, and altered subcellular localization are present in many forms of structural heart disease. These changes in Cx43 lead to alterations in electrical conduction in the ventricle and predispose to lethal cardiac arrhythmias. I...

The centrosomal protein, CDK5RAP2, is a microcephaly protein that regulates centrosomal maturation by recruitment of a γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC) onto centrosomes. In this report, we identified a novel human centrosomal protein, Cep169, as a binding partner of CDK5RAP2, a member of microtubule plus-end-tracking proteins (+TIPs). Cep169 interacts directly with CDK5RAP2 through CM1, an evolu...