Characterization and Reconstitution of Microtubule Assemblies by in vitro and in vivo Methods

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When cells divide, the DNA in form of chromosomes is pulled into the two new daughter cells. The machinery that exerts the force necessary for separating the chromosomes and is made out of tiny flexible tubes, which we call microtubules.Microtubules have to form and grow very quickly and precisely during cell division. They have to be very stable and very dynamic at the same time and constantly be replenished.To make these microtubules, help them grow, stabilize them and ultimately break them apart again, cells use an army of proteins, called MAPs (microtubule-associated proteins).While we know some MAPs, the large majority of these proteins is still not well characterized or completely unknown.I will identify new MAPs and determine how exactly MAPs interact with microtubules. I will uncover if these proteins help microtubules to form, grow, shrink or assist in any of the other properties that microtubules need to form the cell division machinery.In the future, I would like to understand the machinery so well, that I will be able to re-build it from its parts in a test tube and observe it under a microscope.Learning about MAPs and microtubules will help us understand how cells divide. Errors in cell division can result in diseases, for example cancer. Therefore, a complete understanding of the machine that drives cell division will be immensely useful.My work will also increase the knowledge about how MAPs work and help us to understand these proteins better. MAPs and microtubules are not only involved in cell division. These molecules play many important roles in every cell from the small baker's yeast to human brain cells.