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XB-ART-3626
Chem Biol 2004 Jan 01;111:135-46.
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Identification of a novel protein regulating microtubule stability through a chemical approach.

Wignall SM , Gray NS , Chang YT , Juarez L , Jacob R , Burlingame A , Schultz PG , Heald R .


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To identify novel proteins regulating the microtubule cytoskeleton, we screened a library of purine derivatives using mitotic spindle assembly in Xenopus egg extracts as an assay. Out of a collection of 1561 compounds, we identified 15 that destabilized microtubules without targeting tubulin directly, resulting in small spindles. Affinity chromatography with one compound, named diminutol, revealed a potential target as NQO1, an NADP-dependent oxidoreductase. A role for NQO1 in influencing microtubule polymerization was confirmed through inhibition studies using known inhibitors and immunodepletion. Therefore, this chemical approach has identified a novel factor required for microtubule morphogenesis and cell division.

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Species referenced: Xenopus
Genes referenced: nqo1

References :
Peters, New probes for microtubule dynamics. 2004, Pubmed