Molecular Motors and Brakes Work Together in Cells: Interaction Sheds Light on How Cell's Inner 'Skeleton' Is Organized.

Byline: University of Pennsylvania Health System

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 1 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that microtubules - components responsible for shape, movement, and replication within cells - use proteins that act as molecular motors and brakes to organize into their correct structure. If microtubules are not formed properly such basic functions as cell division and transport can go wrong, which may have implications in such disease processes as cancer and dementia. The study, published in the January issue of Cell, is featured on the cover of that issue.

"Up until now motors and brakes were studied separately from microtubules," says senior author Phong Tran, PhD, …