Sandro Meier

All Publications

• Microtubule specialization by plus TIP networks: from mechanisms to functional implications TRENDS IN BIOCHEMICAL SCIENCES Meier, S. M., Steinmetz, M. O., Barral, Y. 2024; 49 (4): 318-332

  Abstract

  To fulfill their actual cellular role, individual microtubules become functionally specialized through a broad range of mechanisms. The 'search and capture' model posits that microtubule dynamics and functions are specified by cellular targets that they capture (i.e., a posteriori), independently of the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) they emerge from. However, work in budding yeast indicates that MTOCs may impart a functional identity to the microtubules they nucleate, a priori. Key effectors in this process are microtubule plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs), which track microtubule tips to regulate their dynamics and facilitate their targeted interactions. In this review, we discuss potential mechanisms of a priori microtubule specialization, focusing on recent findings indicating that +TIP networks may undergo liquid biomolecular condensation in different cell types.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.tibs.2024.01.005

  View details for Web of Science ID 001226246600001

  View details for PubMedID 38350804

• Multivalency ensures persistence of a plus TIP body at specialized microtubule ends NATURE CELL BIOLOGY Meier, S. M., Farcas, A., Kumar, A., Ijavi, M., Bill, R. T., Stelling, J., Dufresne, E. R., Steinmetz, M. O., Barral, Y. 2023; 25 (1): 56-67

  Abstract

  Microtubule plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs) control microtubule specialization and are as such essential for cell division and morphogenesis. Here we investigated interactions and functions of the budding yeast Kar9 network consisting of the core +TIP proteins Kar9 (functional homologue of APC, MACF and SLAIN), Bim1 (orthologous to EB1) and Bik1 (orthologous to CLIP-170). A multivalent web of redundant interactions links the three +TIPs together to form a '+TIP body' at the end of chosen microtubules. This body behaves as a liquid condensate that allows it to persist on both growing and shrinking microtubule ends, and to function as a mechanical coupling device between microtubules and actin cables. Our study identifies nanometre-scale condensates as effective cellular structures and underlines the power of dissecting the web of low-affinity interactions driving liquid-liquid phase separation in order to establish how condensation processes support cell function.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41556-022-01035-2

  View details for Web of Science ID 000900969400004

  View details for PubMedID 36536177

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9859758