Investigating the Pattern of Microtubule Nucleation Individual Report- Case Project 1 Word Count- xxxx

Microtubules represent an important part of the cell microskeleton and microtubule dynamics are an vital aspect of cell morphogenesis and cell control. Recent research points to the role of Microtubules in maintaining a intrinsic cell length control. Although a model has been developed which describes the MT dynamics associated with cell length control, the spatial variability of MT nucleation yet to be elucidated. This Case Presentation investigated the dynamics associated with microtubule nucleation, in particular with reference to a HeLa cell without a visible centrosome which was videoed having aligned along a micropatterned fibronectin track. The Presentation also sought to quantitatively investigate the distribution of velocities and catastrophes within the cortical and non-cortical region of the cell and the spatial distribution of the resulting microtubule nucleations. The results showed that microtubule nucleation was concentrated in particular regions of the cell and could not be considered random. Additionally, the rate of nucleation slowed after the cell was treated with [drug] to remove cortical actin. Further analysis of the the lifetimes of microtubules between the case and control revealed that the slow rate of nucleation could be linked to a slower rate of microtubule catastrophe after the cell was treated with [drug]. Additionally, the rate of microtubule polymerisation slowed to roughly half after [drug] was added to the cell. Surprisingly there was little difference Abstract c between the velocity of microtubules in the cortical and non-cortical regions of the cell. Although the experimental results reveal some interested and unexpected results, it needs to be borne in mind that the analysis has been performed on a single cell. It does, however, reveal a method of analysing microtubule dynamics from such experiments which can further elucidate microtubule dynamics in HeLa cells