The stability and functionality of chemically crosslinked microtubules

A variety of bifunctional crosslinking agents have been explored for stabilizing microtubule shuttles used for the active transport of nanomaterials in artificial environments. Crosslinking agents that target amine residues form intertubulin crosslinks that produce crosslinked microtubules (CLMTs) with structural and functional lifetimes that can be up to four times as long as those achieved with taxol stabilization. Such CLMTs are stable at temperatures down to -10 degrees C, are resistant to depolymerization induced by metal ions such as Ca2+, and yet continue to be adsorbed and transported by self-assembled monolayers containing the motor protein kinesin. However, crosslinkers that target cysteine residues depolymerize the MTs, probably by interfering with the guanosine triphosphate binding site. The impact of crosslink attributes, including terminal group chemistry, chain length, crosslink density, and specific location on the tubulin surface, on microtubule stability and functionality are discussed.