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Abstract
Two opposing models have been proposed to explain how the γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC) induces microtubule nucleation. In the ‘protofilament’ model, the γTuRC induces nucleation as a partially or completely straightened protofilament that is incorporated longitudinally into the wall of the nascent microtubule, whereas the ‘template’ model proposes that the γTuRC acts as a helical template that constitutes the base of the newly-formed polymer. Here we appraise these two models, using high-resolution structural and immunolocalization methods. We show that components of the γTuRC localize to a narrow zone at the extreme minus end of the microtubule and that these ends terminate in a pointed cap. Together, these results strongly favour the template model of microtubule nucleation.Cite this article
Keating, T., Borisy, G. Immunostructural evidence for the template mechanism of microtubule nucleation . Nat Cell Biol 2, 352–357 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35014045 