A plus-end raft to control microtubule dynamics and function

Cells require a properly oriented and organised microtubule array to transmit positional information. Recent data have revealed a heterogeneous population of microtubule-binding proteins that accumulates mainly at distal ends of polymerising microtubules. Two mechanisms may account for this concentration: transient immobilisation, which involves association of proteins with growing ends, followed by release more proximally; and deposition at ends via a molecular motor. As with lipid rafts, protein concentration at distal ends may allow a cascade of interactions in the restricted area of a microtubule plus end. This may, in turn, control the dynamic behaviour of this cytoskeletal network and its anchoring to other structures.