Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Graduate Group

Visualizing “Unfurling” Microtubule Growth

Microtubule fibers are hollow rods made of much smaller tubulin subunits that spontaneously assemble at one end of the rod, but exactly how they do this inside the crowded environment of living cells has been a mystery. UC Davis researchers have uncovered the mechanism that puts these blocks in place, illustrated in a new animation.