Project Summary
Microtubules carry out vital functions within our cells. They give cells shape and act as rails upon which cargo is transported. The ability of microtubules to assemble and disassemble allows them to form structures required temporarily by cells, such as the apparatus required to separate duplicate DNA when a cell divides. Disruption of microtubule dynamics is commonly used in disease treatments, particularly to inhibit cell division as a treatment for many types of cancer. This project will investigate the mechanism by which a novel molecule inhibits microtubule growth. The project will use techniques, such as fluorescence microscopy, to observe microtubules and the impact of variants of this novel molecule on microtubule growth. The work will generate knowledge that will potentially pave the way to a new field of cancer therapeutic.
Full Project Description
In this mini project you will use fluorescently labelled versions of a recently discovered microtubule inhibitory peptide to test the ability of this peptide to enter cells and disrupt the microtubule cytoskeleton. You will use fluorescence microscopy to evaluate the impact of the peptide on the microtubule network and the ability of cells to proliferate and migrate. Microtubules are targets for therapeutics in conditions such as cancer and neurodegeneration, and as anti-fungal and anti-parasitic drugs in both humans and livestock. This work will allow us to not only utilise the power of a recently discovered anti-microtubule peptide to understand the role of microtubule stability in cell division and cell motility, but also generate knowledge that could provide a pathway toward a new field of anti-microtubule therapeutics. This project will provide training in fundamental molecular biology and cell biology techniques and also advanced microscopy techniques which underpin biological sciences research, and which are vital skills that are widely applicable in the biological sciences.