Which compound stabilizes tubulin in microtubules and promotes polymerization?
Answers
Auxins (plural of auxin /ˈɔːksɪn/) are a class of plant hormones (or plant growth regulators) with some morphogen-like characteristics. Auxins have a cardinal role in coordination of many growth and behavioral processes in the plant's life cycle and are essential for plant body development. Auxins and their role in plant growth were first described by the Dutch biologist Frits Warmolt Went. Kenneth V. Thimann was the first to isolate one of these phytohormones and determine its chemical structure as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Went and Thimann co-authored a book on plant hormones, Phytohormones, in 1937.
Explanation:
Microtubule-stabilizing agents (MSAs) promote polymerization of tubulin and stabilize the polymer, preventing depolymerization. The microtubule stabilizer paclitaxel (Taxol) and its second-generation analogue docetaxel (Taxotere) are successfully used in the clinic for the treatment of various cancers2.