Sandro Meier
Postdoctoral Scholar, Chemical and Systems Biology
All Publications
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Microtubule specialization by plus TIP networks: from mechanisms to functional implications
TRENDS IN BIOCHEMICAL SCIENCES
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
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Multivalency ensures persistence of a plus TIP body at specialized microtubule ends
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
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