Kinetic model for colchicine inhibition of microtubule assembly

Journal Article · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980 · Biophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3495(80)84976-9· OSTI ID:6795913

Sternlicht, H; Ringel, I; Szasz, J

Colchicine is a potent drug used to probe microtubule dependent processes. We have recently shown that substoichiometric concentrations of colchicine-tubulin complex (CD), a 1:1 tight binding complex of drug with tubulin, copolymerizes with tubulin to form microtubule copolymers. The affinity of the microtubule ends for tublin decreased as the CD mole fraction in the microtubule increased. Mole fraction ratios as small as 1 CD to approx. 50 to 100 tubulins in the copolymers were accompanied by a significant change in binding affinities and polymerization rates. We have further extended our investigation of the CD-tubulin copolymerization reaction. A kinetic model was derived which relates the composition of the microtubule copolymer to the composition of the reaction mixture. This model allowed a predictive correlation to be made between copolymer composition and the extent of assembly inhibition.

• Research Organization: Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH
• OSTI ID: 6795913
• Journal Information: Biophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Biophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 32:1; ISSN BIOJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550200* -- Biochemistry
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AFFINITY
ALKALOIDS
ANTIMITOTIC DRUGS
BIOCHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
BIOLOGICAL MODELS
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
BIOSYNTHESIS
BODY
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COLCHICINE
COMPLEXES
COPOLYMERIZATION
DRUGS
INHIBITION
KIDNEYS
KINETICS
MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
POLYMERIZATION
PROTEINS
QUANTITY RATIO
REACTION KINETICS
STRUCTURAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
SYNTHESIS
TUBULES
ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHANGES