Success in the development of a gamma-tubulin specific inhibitor
Microtubules, one component of a cell's skeleton, are hollow tubes formed from the polymerization of α- and β-tubulin, which are themselves important structural proteins of the mitotic spindle that equally separates chromosomes during cell division. As such, several α/β-tubulin inhibitory agents are used as therapeutic drugs against cancer cells, which are undergoing vigorous cell division. However, microtubules perform important work even outside of cell division, and normal cells not undergoing division can be harmed as well, so the side effects of such treatments have become problematic. A wide variety of research has shown that γ-tubulin activates during cell division and that it is overexpressed in a portion of cancer cells, so it holds potential as a target protein for new anticancer agents with few side effects. Despite this research, no specific inhibitors have thus far been discovered.