Electrostatic differences: A possible source for the functional differences between MCF7 and brain microtubules.

Recent studies suggested a link between diversity of beta tubulin isotypes in microtubule structures and the regulatory roles that they play not only on microtubules' intrinsic dynamic, but also on the translocation characteristics of some of the molecular motors along microtubules. Remarkably, unlike porcine brain microtubules, MCF7 microtubules are structured from a different beta tubulin distribution. These types of cancer microtubules show a relatively stable and slow dynamic. In addition, the translocation parameters of some molecular motors are distinctly different along MCF7 as compared to those parameters on brain microtubules. It is known that the diversity of beta tubulin isotypes differ predominantly in the specifications and the electric charge of their carboxy-terminal tails. A key question is to identify whether the negative electrostatic charge of tubulin isotypes and, consequently, microtubules, can potentially be considered as one of the sources of functional differences in MCF7 vs. brain microtubules. We tested this possibility experimentally by monitoring the electro-orientation of these two types of microtubules inside a uniform electric field. Through this evaluation, we quantified and compared the average normalized polarization coefficient of MCF7 vs. Porcine brain microtubules. The higher value obtained for the polarization of MCF7 microtubules, which is associated to the higher negative charge of these types of microtubules, is significant as it can further explain the slow intrinsic dynamic that has been recently reported for single MCF7 microtubules in vitro. Furthermore, it can be potentially considered as a factor that can directly impact the translocation parameters of some molecular motors along MCF7 microtubules, by altering the mutual electrostatic interactions between microtubules and molecular motors.

MCF7 microtubules: Cancer microtubules with relatively slow and stable dynamic in vitro.

There is known to be significant diversity of ß-tubulin isoforms in cells. However, whether the functions of microtubules that are polymerized from different distributions of beta isotypes become distinct from one another are still being explored. Of particular interest, recent studies have identified the role that different beta tubulin isotypes carry in regulating the functions of some of the molecular motors along MCF7, or breast cancer, microtubules. That being said, how the specific distribution of beta tubulin isotypes impacts the MCF7 microtubules' dynamic is not well understood. The current study was initiated to directly quantify the in vitro dynamic and polymerization parameters of single MCF7 microtubules and then compare them with those obtained from neuronal microtubules polymerized from porcine brain tubulin. Surprisingly, unlike porcine brain microtubules, this type of cancer microtubule showed a relatively stable and slow dynamic. The comparison between the subsequently fast and unstable dynamic of porcine brain microtubules with the significantly slow and relatively stable dynamic of MCF7 microtubules suggests that beta tubulin isotypes may not only influence the microtubule based functionalities of some molecular motors, but also may change the microtubule's intrinsic dynamic.