STRUCTURAL BASIS FOR MICROTUBULE CROSSLINKING BY THE MAP65 PROTEIN FAMILY

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中的一个 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 保守的MAP 65蛋白家族的成员在几种基于微管的结构的形成中起关键作用，例如在动物胞质分裂期间组装中央纺锤体以及在植物和真菌中组装间期微管阵列。这些蛋白质被认为通过优先交联反平行方向的微管来稳定特定的微管结构。通过序列，该家族中的蛋白质表现出由二聚化结构域、微管结合区和调节结构域组成的模块化结构域组织。然而，我们缺乏一个明确的结构基础，这些蛋白质如何结合微管，以及如何实现方向特异性交联。为了解决这个问题，我们正在对人类PRC 1进行晶体学研究，PRC 1是Map 65家族中的一种蛋白质，是成功细胞分裂所必需的。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Members of the conserved MAP65 protein family play a key role in formation of several microtubule based structures such as assembling the central spindle during cytokinesis in animals and interphase microtubule arrays in plants and fungi. These proteins are thought to stabilize specific microtubule structures by preferentially crosslinking microtubules in an anti-parallel orientation. By sequence, proteins in this family exhibit a modular domain organization comprising of a dimerization domain, microtubule binding region and a regulatory domain. However, we lack a clear structural basis of how these proteins bind microtubules and how orientation-specific crosslinks are achieved. To address this, we are carrying out crystallographic studies on human PRC1, a protein in the Map65 family, required for the successful cell division.