Challenges and opportunities in the high-resolution cryo-EM visualization of microtubules and their binding partners

摘要

Highlights?Technical progress leads to high-resolution cryo-EM structures of microtubules (MTs).?Atomic details of MT-binding proteins and antimitotic drugs bound to MTs.?Characterization of the MT seam: a possible target of MT stability regulation.?Plasticity of structural modules in the binding of MTs with their cellular partners.?Cryo-EM of MTs shows high potential for drug development and improvement.As non-crystallizable polymers, microtubules have been the target of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies since the technique was first established. Over the years, image processing strategies have been developed that take care of the unique, pseudo-helical symmetry of the microtubule. With recent progress in data quality and data processing, cryo-EM reconstructions are now reaching resolutions that allow the generation of atomic models of