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Tubulin

A filamentally shaped protein that is able to self-associate or self assemble with other similar tubulin proteins to form a well known biochemical structure called a microtubule. Tubulin is specially configured such that multiple tubulin protein molecules can bond in a complementary way to one another. Tubulin’s molecular configuration and binding properties are such that when enough tubulin molecules are combined, a cylindrical structure will result – the microtubule.

Like all cellular proteins, tubulin protein molecules are produced ribosomally. Tubulin production is facilitated in the ribosome by GTP . The microtubule is incorporated into the eukaryotic cytoskeleton and is an essential part of the cilium - a hair like structure that, when energising adenosine triphosphate-ATP is provided to it, acts as a propulsion system for many cells.

Web Resources On Tubulin

ISCID News and Features: Do Centrioles Generate a Polar Ejection Force? by Jonathan Wells
ISCID News and Features - Structure of bacterial tubulin BtubA/B: Evidence for horizontal gene transfer by Daniel Schlieper, María A. Oliva, José M. Andreu and Jan Löwe

Book Resources On Tubulin

Darwin's Black Box by Michael J. Behe

Editor(s): B. Long

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