PubMed · 2025-09-23
Researchers propose that the tiny structural fibers inside cells (microtubules) don't just hold cells together — they actively sense what's happening around them and trigger responses, including survival and repair programs. This idea, originally floated for plant cells, is now being applied to animal cells, with implications for how certain drugs work.
Microtubules are sensitive to mechanical, chemical, and signaling inputs that shift the balance between assembled tubes and free-floating building blocks (tubulin).
Two specific molecular detectors — a protein called GEF-H1 and MARK family enzymes — translate microtubule changes into signals that alter gene expression and tissue behavior.
Anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drugs colchicine and plinabulin may work partly by mimicking a 'distress signal' that microtubules normally send, activating cell survival and repair programs.