Author: Jamie H. Bishop
Abstract Microtubules are a common target of toxic
small molecules produced by a large array of plants and fungi. Microtubule (MT)-targeted drugs have proven useful in the
treatment of cancer or infection by inhibiting cell proliferation. MT-targeted drugs stop cell proliferation by disrupting the mitotic spindle required for cell division. Rapid MT dynamics are required for chromosome movement during mitosis. Colchicine (CLC) is an archetypal MT-targeted drug that binds to the MT subunit tubulin and inhibits MT
polymerization. Several classes of compounds show competitive inhibition of CLC binding to tubulin and are thought to bind at or near the CLC-binding site. I have characterized…
