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An Investigation Into The Relationship Between The Activation Of Amp Kinase And The Acetylation Of Microtubules, Jessica Sarrantonio

Honors Theses

Microtubules, or cytoskeletal polymers composed of the protein tubulin, form long hollow tubes in the cell and are responsible for many critical roles. Previous research has shown that depletion of ATP causes microtubules to become stable, i.e. resistant to depolymerization. It has also been shown that enhanced stability of microtubules correlates with increased tubulin acetylation, a common microtubule posttranslation modification. ATP-depletion is a severe metabolic stressor, and as such, we expect that this treatment would activate AMP kinase, an enzyme deemed the “master regulator” of metabolism. When activated by a variety of stressors, this enzyme can initiate a program of …