Database of articles cited by EMDB/PDB/SASBDB data

Keywords
Structure methods	All X-ray diffraction NMR electron microscopy small angle scattering neutron diffraction fiber diffraction powder diffraction infrared spectroscopy EPR fluorescence transfer theoretical model Hybrid
Author
Journal
IF	>30 >20 >10 >5 all

Title	Microtubules in Asgard archaea.
Journal, issue, pages	Cell, Vol. 188, Issue 9, Page 2451-2464.e26, Year 2025
Publish date	May 1, 2025
Authors	Florian Wollweber / Jingwei Xu / Rafael I Ponce-Toledo / Florina Marxer / Thiago Rodrigues-Oliveira / Anja Pössnecker / Zhen-Hao Luo / Jessie James Limlingan Malit / Anastasiia Kokhanovska / Michal Wieczorek / Christa Schleper / Martin Pilhofer /
PubMed Abstract	Microtubules are a hallmark of eukaryotes. Archaeal and bacterial homologs of tubulins typically form homopolymers and non-tubular superstructures. The origin of heterodimeric tubulins assembling ...Microtubules are a hallmark of eukaryotes. Archaeal and bacterial homologs of tubulins typically form homopolymers and non-tubular superstructures. The origin of heterodimeric tubulins assembling into microtubules remains unclear. Here, we report the discovery of microtubule-forming tubulins in Asgard archaea, the closest known relatives of eukaryotes. These Asgard tubulins (AtubA/B) are closely related to eukaryotic α/β-tubulins and the enigmatic bacterial tubulins BtubA/B. Proteomics of Candidatus Lokiarchaeum ossiferum showed that AtubA/B were highly expressed. Cryoelectron microscopy structures demonstrate that AtubA/B form eukaryote-like heterodimers, which assembled into 5-protofilament bona fide microtubules in vitro. The additional paralog AtubB2 lacks a nucleotide-binding site and competitively displaced AtubB. These AtubA/B2 heterodimers polymerized into 7-protofilament non-canonical microtubules. In a sub-population of Ca. Lokiarchaeum ossiferum cells, cryo-tomography revealed tubular structures, while expansion microscopy identified AtubA/B cytoskeletal assemblies. Our findings suggest a pre-eukaryotic origin of microtubules and provide a framework for understanding the fundamental principles of microtubule assembly.
External links	Cell / PubMed:40120574
Methods	EM (single particle) / EM (helical sym.) / EM (tomography) / EM (subtomogram averaging)
Resolution	3.3 - 23.0 Å
Structure data	50239 9f6t EMDB-50239, PDB-9f6t: cryoEM structure of Asgard tubulin heterodimer AtubA/B with GTP Method: EM (single particle) / Resolution: 3.5 Å 50240 9f6u EMDB-50240, PDB-9f6u: cryoEM structure of Asgard tubulin heterodimer AtubA/B with GDP Method: EM (single particle) / Resolution: 3.6 Å 50241 9f6v EMDB-50241, PDB-9f6v: cryoEM structure of Asgard tubulin heterodimer AtubA/B2 with GTP Method: EM (single particle) / Resolution: 3.5 Å 52463 9hxc EMDB-52463, PDB-9hxc: CryoEM structure of Asgard AtubA/B2 microtubule Method: EM (helical sym.) / Resolution: 3.3 Å EMDB-52465: CryoEM structure of Asgard AtubA/B microtubule Method: EM (single particle) / Resolution: 3.7 Å EMDB-52466: Cryo-tomogram of Asgard AtubA/B microtubule Method: EM (tomography) EMDB-52467: Cryo-tomogram of Asgard AtubA/B2 microtubule Method: EM (tomography) EMDB-52469: Sub-tomogram average of Asgard AtubA/B microtubule Method: EM (subtomogram averaging) / Resolution: 18.0 Å EMDB-52470: Sub-tomogram average of Asgard AtubA/B2 microtubule Method: EM (subtomogram averaging) / Resolution: 23.0 Å EMDB-52471: Cryo-tomogram of Ca. L. ossiferum Method: EM (tomography) EMDB-52472: Cryo-tomogram of Ca. L. ossiferum Method: EM (tomography) EMDB-52473: Cryo-tomogram of Ca. L. ossiferum Method: EM (tomography)
Chemicals	ChemComp-GTP: GUANOSINE-5'-TRIPHOSPHATE / GTP, energy-carrying moleculeYM ChemComp-GDP: GUANOSINE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE / GDP, energy-carrying moleculeYM
Source	candidatus lokiarchaeum ossiferum (archaea)
Keywords	CYTOSOLIC PROTEIN / cryoEM / tubulin / Asgard archaea / microtubule / STRUCTURAL PROTEIN / cytomotive filaments / cytoskeleton