Online seminar: CKAP2 is the most potent microtubule growth factor in mitotic spindles

Cells tightly regulate microtubule dynamics throughout different stages of the cell cycle. During mitosis microtubule growth rates increase by 50%, while nucleation rates increase about 7-fold. This change of microtubule dynamics is essential for the formation and function of the mitotic spindle, and its misregulation can lead to aneuploidy and cancer. Using CRISPR knockout cells as well as in-vitro reconstitution assays we show that the mitotic spindle protein Cytoskeleton-Associated Protein 2 (CKAP2) has a strong effect on nucleation of microtubules by lowering the critical tubulin concentration 100-fold. CKAP2 increases the apparent rate constant ka of microtubule growth by 50-fold. Our results identify CKAP2 as the most potent microtubule growth factor to date. These finding help explain CKAP2s role as an important spindle protein, proliferation marker, and oncogene.

This seminar will be held online via Zoom.