You have purified a protein, MT1, that binds only to GTP-bound tubulin. You proc

Question

You have purified a protein, MT1, that binds only to GTP-bound tubulin. You

proceed to fuse MT1 to GFP and find that the fusion of GFP to MT1 does not

disrupt MT1 function in any way (good news!). You use a different dye to label

the microtubules in red so that you can visualize MT1-GFP and the microtubules

at the same time. (Note that the red dye does not affect the microtubule’s

properties.)

A. If you were to polymerize some red-labeled microtubules in a dish, would

you expect MT1-GFP to be associated with one or both ends of a

microtubule, with the middle of the microtubule, or be evenly distributed

throughout the microtubule? Explain.

B. If you were to take time-lapse images in which you visualize only MT1-

GFP (and not microtubules), what would you expect to see? Describe what

you think would happen to MT1-GFP over time with respect to its

localization inside of this cell

Explanation / Answer

A. Microtubule polymerization takes place at the + end, and depolymerisation takes place at the – end. GTP bound alpha-beta-tubulin keep on binding to the + end, and depolymerisation takes place at the minus end when the GTP bound to the tubulin is hydrolysed. So, in the given experiment red-labelled microtubules are fond to be associated with the one end only.

B. If we take a time lapse images, then we will find a color spot that moves from one to the other.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse Y
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.