| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 646.47 KB | Adobe PDF |
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Microtubules are polymers of alpha/beta-tubulin participating in essential cell functions. A multistep process involving distinct molecular chaperones and cofactors produces new tubulin heterodimers competent to polymerise. In vitro cofactor A (TBCA) interacts with beta-tubulin in a quasi-native state behaving as a molecular chaperone. We have used siRNA to silence TBCA expression in HeLa and MCF-7 mammalian cell lines. TBCA is essential for cell viability and its knockdown produces a decrease in the amount of soluble tubulin, modifications in microtubules and G1 cell cycle arrest. In MCF-7 cells, cell death was preceded by a change in cell shape resembling differentiation.
Description
Keywords
Actin cytoskeleton Apoptosis Caspase 7 Cell cycle Gene silencing Microtubule-associated proteins Microtubules Molecular chaperones Phenotype RNA, Small interfering Tubulin β-Tubulin cofactor A Molecular chaperone
Citation
Nolasco S, Bellido J, Gonçalves J, Zabala JC, Soares H. Tubulin cofactor A gene silencing in mammalian cells induces changes in microtubule cytoskeleton, cell cycle arrest and cell death. FEBS Lett. 2005;579(17):3515-24.