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Kinesin-1 motors can increase the lifetime of taxol-stabilized microtubules

Nature Nanotechnology volume 11, pages 914–915 (2016)Cite this article

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To the Editor

The application of biological nanosystems has recently been explored for a variety of tasks. However, the success of these systems is crucially influenced by the lifetime of the involved biomolecules1. Dumont et al.2 recently studied whether wear occurred and contributed to the failure of a mechanical system at the nanoscale. Their in vitro model system consisted of taxol-stabilized microtubules (Tx-MTs) bound to or propelled across a surface coated with high and intermediate densities of kinesin-1 motor proteins. The shrinking rate of the Tx-MTs was then determined and used as a measure of their stability. Stationary Tx-MTs, immobilized to the motor proteins (surface density ≥300 μm−2) with the non-hydrolysable adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analogue adenylyl-imidodiphosphate (AMPPNP), were found to slowly shrink, despite taxol stabilization, at an average rate of 0.068 ± 0.013 nm s−1. This rate was found to be independent of the investigated kinesin-1 surface density. In contrast, for Tx-MTs gliding in the presence of ATP, the shrinking rate was shown to vary depending on the kinesin-1 surface density as well as on the gliding velocity (see Fig. 2 in ref. 2). Most importantly, the average shrinking rate of gliding Tx-MTs of 0.191 ± 0.007 nm s−1 was higher than the shrinking rate of stationary Tx-MTs. In addition, it was observed that the gliding Tx-MTs mainly lost material from their leading minus end. The difference in the shrinking rates of stationary and gliding Tx-MTs was attributed to molecular wear caused by stresses associated with individual kinesin-1 motors stepping on the microtubule lattice.

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Figure 1: The shrinkage of taxol-stabilized microtubules (Tx-MTs) depends on the kinesin-1 surface density.

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  1. Cordula Reuther and Alejandra Laguillo Diego: These authors contributed equally

Authors and Affiliations

  1. B CUBE — Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, 01069, Germany

    Cordula Reuther, Alejandra Laguillo Diego & Stefan Diez

  2. Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany

    Cordula Reuther, Alejandra Laguillo Diego & Stefan Diez

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  1. Cordula Reuther
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  2. Alejandra Laguillo Diego
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  3. Stefan Diez
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Correspondence to Stefan Diez.

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Reuther, C., Diego, A. & Diez, S. Kinesin-1 motors can increase the lifetime of taxol-stabilized microtubules. Nature Nanotech 11, 914–915 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2016.231

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