Microtubules are major dynamic structural components in cells. They are important in the development and maintenance of cell shape, in cell reproduction and division, in cell signaling, and in cellular movement. Microtubules are the target of a diverse group of anticancer drugs, most of which are derived from natural products. Microtubules are highly dynamic polymers of heterodimers of a and b tubulin, arranged parallel to a cylindrical axis to form tubes of 25 nm diameter that may be many mm long. Polymerization of microtubules occurs by a nucleation-elongation mechanism in which the formation of a short microtubule ‘nucleus‘ is followed by elongation of the microtubule at its ends by the reversible, noncovalent addition of tubulin dimers. Microtubules are not simple equilibrium polymers. They exhibit complex polymerization dynamics that use energy provided by the hydrolysis of GTP, and these dynamics are crucial to their cellular functions. A large number of chemically diverse substances bind to tubulin or microtubules and inhibit cell proliferation by acting on microtubules. Many of these have become drugs that are highly useful in the treatment of various forms of cancer or are currently in clinical trials.  Microtubules are the target of a diverse group of anticancer drugs, most of which are derived from natural products.

References

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