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Selected Works of George M Langford
Article
Dynamic instability of native microtubules from squid axons is rare and independent of gliding and vesicle transport
Experimental Cell Research (1988)
  • D Seitz-Tutter
  • George M Langford, Syracuse University
  • D G Weiss
Abstract

Dynamic instability characterizes the steady-state behavior of microtubules in vitro whereby polymer mass remains constant, while individual microtubules in the population may either grow or shrink. Video-enhanced contrast light microscopy was used to directly observe dynamic length changes in native, MAP-containing microtubules from squid axoplasm. We wanted to determine whether dynamic instability characterizes the steady-state behavior of axoplasmic microtubules in vitro. The lengths of a representative population of over 400 microtubules were analyzed. "Dynamic" microtubules were found to represent about 2% of the population. This observation is different from that described for cultured cells or microtubules assembled from PC-purified tubulin where most microtubules were either growing or shrinking.

Keywords
  • Animals,
  • Axonal Transport,
  • Axons,
  • Decapodiformes,
  • Electrophoresis,
  • Polyacrylamide gel,
  • Microtubule-associated proteins,
  • microtubules,
  • Videotape recording
Disciplines
Publication Date
October, 1988
Publisher Statement
Seitz-Tutter, D., G. M. Langford, and D. G. Weiss. “Dynamic Instability of Native Microtubules from Squid Axons Is Rare and Independent of Gliding and Vesicle Transport.” Experimental Cell Research 178, no. 2 (October 1988): 504–12.
Citation Information
D Seitz-Tutter, George M Langford and D G Weiss. "Dynamic instability of native microtubules from squid axons is rare and independent of gliding and vesicle transport" Experimental Cell Research Vol. 178 Iss. 2 (1988)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/george_langford/75/