New insights into the structural defects in spastin that arise from mutations identified in hereditary spastic paraplegia patients.
Mutagenesis reveals essential roles for these structural elements in the severing reaction. Peptide and antibody inhibition experiments further show that spastin may dismantle microtubules by recognizing specific features in the carboxy-terminal tail of tubulin. Collectively, our data support a model in which spastin pulls the C terminus of tubulin through its central pore, generating a mechanical force that destabilizes tubulin-tubulin interactions within the microtubule lattice.
Nature. 2008 Jan 17;451(7176):363-7.
Published Categorised as Research Highlights