Tubulin cofactor A gene silencing in mammalian cells induces changes in microtu...

• Autor(es): Nolasco, Sofia ; Bellido, Javier ; Gonçalves, João ; Zabala, Juan Carlos ; Soares, Helena
• Data: 2005
• Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/3045
• Origem: Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa
• Assunto(s): Actin cytoskeleton; Apoptosis; Caspase 7; Cell cycle; Gene silencing; Microtubule-associated proteins; Microtubules; Molecular chaperones; Phenotype; RNA, Small interfering; Tubulin; β-Tubulin cofactor A; Molecular chaperone
• Tipo de Documento: Artigo
• Idioma: Inglês

Descrição

Microtubules are polymers of alpha/beta-tubulin participating in essential cell functions. A multistep process involving distinct molecular chaperones and cofactors produces new tubulin heterodimers competent to polymerise. In vitro cofactor A (TBCA) interacts with beta-tubulin in a quasi-native state behaving as a molecular chaperone. We have used siRNA to silence TBCA expression in HeLa and MCF-7 mammalian cell lines. TBCA is essential for cell viability and its knockdown produces a decrease in the amount of soluble tubulin, modifications in microtubules and G1 cell cycle arrest. In MCF-7 cells, cell death was preceded by a change in cell shape resembling differentiation.