Close
Close

preLights is supported by…

Related posts

Related preLists

Uncoupling microtubule lifetime, stability and post-translational modifications

Tanguy Chocat, Benoit Vianay, Flora Silberzan, Jérémie Gaillard, Louise Bonnemay, Alexandre Schaeffer, Laurent Blanchoin, Manuel Théry

Posted on: 4 November 2026

Preprint posted on 15 September 2026

Lifetime ≠ Stability: The MT Misconception

Selected by Morgane Robert

Categories: cell biology

  • Background to the preprint.

Microtubules (MTs) are highly dynamic structures that continuously undergo cycles of growth and disassembly, resulting in a heterogeneous population of microtubules in most cells. It is generally thought that, as microtubules age, they progressively accumulate post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as acetylation and detyrosination, which may contribute to their stability and prolong their lifetime. Consistent with this hypothesis, microtubules that resist prolonged exposure to destabilizing agents such as nocodazole (NZ) have been shown to be enriched in PTMs. However, the precise relationships between microtubule age, tubulin modifications, and stability remain poorly understood. This study challenges the conventional view that older microtubules are necessarily more modified and more stable, suggesting that these relationships are more complex than previously assumed, particularly within the large and rapidly renewing fraction of the microtubule network.

  • Key findings of the preprint.

The authors of this study investigated microtubule (MT) turnover, stability, and tubulin post-translational modifications in immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). The researchers used a method that distinguishes between pre-existing (“old”) microtubules and newly assembled (“new”) microtubules. In this approach, “new” microtubules are those assembled between injection and fixation, whereas “old” microtubules are those already present at the time of injection that have not disappeared before fixation. This method does not determine the exact age of individual microtubules but instead classifies them according to whether their age is shorter or longer than the interval between injection and fixation.

Does cell cycle exit affect microtubule turnover?

The researchers first examined how cell cycle exit affects microtubule turnovers by studying two processes: reversible entry into quiescence and irreversible progression into senescence. Their results showed that cell cycle exit does not necessarily slow down microtubule dynamics. However, senescence leads to the accumulation of a larger subset of non-renewing microtubules.

Are tubulin modifications reliable indicators of microtubule age?

Next, they investigated the relationship between microtubule age and tubulin post-translational modifications, particularly acetylation and detyrosination. Surprisingly, these modifications were detected on microtubules only a few minutes old, indicating that they can occur rapidly. Moreover, their abundance did not increase with microtubule age. These findings suggest that tubulin modifications do not simply accumulate over time and therefore cannot be considered reliable indicators of microtubule age.

Figure 1: Figure 3 from the preprint. (A) Example of the segmentation of the pattern of acetylated tubulin. The top magnified inset shows the regions of interest (blue contours) around acetylated sections (yellow). These regions have been reported on channels corresponding to injected tubulins (magenta), ie MTs younger than 18 minutes, and shielded tubulins (green), ie MTs older than 18 minutes. Scale bar corresponds to 10 µm. (B) Graphs show the length of the « new » and « old » networks that were acetylated relative to the entire « new » and « old » network, depending on the delay after injection.

 

Does nocodazole resistance reflect microtubule age?

To assess microtubule stability, the researchers examined their resistance to disassembly following treatment with 10 µM nocodazole, which sequesters free tubulin and promotes microtubule depolymerization. Although some microtubules resisted this treatment, the resistant population was not exclusively composed of old, non-renewing microtubules. This indicates that nocodazole resistance also does not directly reflect microtubule age.

Do tubulin modifications determine microtubule resistance to disassembly?

The researchers then investigated whether tubulin modifications were associated with resistance to disassembly. Although acetylation and detyrosination are commonly used as indicators of microtubule stability, this assumption is largely based on earlier studies involving prolonged nocodazole treatments and the analysis of the few microtubules that survive. The present findings suggest that resistant microtubules may acquire modifications during treatment, when fewer microtubules remain available as substrates for modifying enzymes. Consequently, the increased density of tubulin modifications may be a consequence of resistance rather than its cause. Furthermore, although the most resistant microtubules tended to contain more modifications, the resistant segments were not fully modified. Thus, resistance to disassembly was not strictly associated with tubulin acetylation or detyrosination.

Overall, this study demonstrates that, in MEF cells, microtubule ageing is associated neither with an increase in tubulin modifications nor with greater resistance to tubulin sequestration.

 

  • What I like about the preprint

I like how this article challenges some common assumptions about microtubules. Many studies use the term “stable microtubules” to describe microtubules with a long lifespan, increased resistance to perturbations, or the presence of tubulin post-translational modifications (PTMs). This article helps clarify what microtubule stability actually means, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing the true definition of stability from these associated characteristics.

 

Read preprint (No Ratings Yet)

Author's response

Manuel Théry shared

–       If the authors were to repeat these experiments in another cell type, which one would be the most relevant to investigate, and why?

A cell type in which MT lifespan matters. If MT disappear every 5 minutes there is no much information you can write on them. But a long-lived MT can be a great notebook. So I would choose a primary differentiated cells, and possibly one in which there is a compartment the function of which depend on long-lived MTs.

 

–       Why do long-lived microtubules appear more curved than younger microtubules?

Long lived MTs have served as tracks for the transport of numerous cargoes. If cargoes push MT backward as they move forward, this can bend MTs. More cargoes more bending.

 

–       The study investigates only two tubulin post-translational modifications. Could other PTMs, such as polyglutamylation or polyglycylation, serve as more direct markers of microtubule age?

This is indeed a possibility. To be a marker of age, a modification needs to be irreversible. The less the demodifying enzyme can act on polymerized tubulin, the higher the ability to be a marker of age.

 

–       The results suggest that cellular senescence increases the proportion of non-renewing microtubules. What mechanisms could explain this phenomenon?

Since some microtubules are still dynamic, the specific protection can not be a result of the amount of tubulin itself. But it could come from the expression of a MAP. And for this MAP to protect some MTs and not others, this MAP needs to bind MT in a cooperative manner, ie the MAP should help to recruit more MAP. This positive feedback would completely cover some MTs rather than binding a bit to all of them.

 

 

Have your say

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sign up to customise the site to your preferences and to receive alerts

Register here

Also in the cell biology category:

ZEISS arivis Cloud: a cloud-based platform for deep learning model training and scalable bioimage analysis

Sreenivas Bhattiprolu, Manita Toor, Sebastian Soyer

Selected by 29 October 2026

Jawdat Sandakly

Bioinformatics

Mitochondrial morphology and function are tuned by microtubule association

Nida Ul Fatima, Gregory MI Redpath, Zeenat Jahan, et al.

Selected by 26 October 2026

Sharvari Pitke

Cell Biology

Centrosome Loss Alters Axonal and Muscle Development

Beatriz González, Júlia Sellés-Altés, Jèrica Pla-Parron, et al.

Selected by 20 October 2026

Jeny Jose

Developmental Biology

preLists in the cell biology category:

‘In preprints’ from Development 2026

A list of the preprints featured in Development's 'In preprints' articles, as part of the new Preprint Editors initiative

 



List by Clarisse Brunet Avalos et al.

Sainsbury Laboratory Symposium 2026

The Sainsbury Laboratory Symposium 2026, Shaping Life: Mechanisms of Morphogenesis, brought together researchers exploring the cellular, genetic and mechanical processes that shape plant form. This preList highlights preprints that were discussed or mentioned at the meeting. If you notice any missing preprints, please contact us at preLights@biologists.com

 



List by Ingrid Tsang

Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Meeting 2026

This preList brings together a selection of preprints discussed at the Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Meeting 2026, held at UC Santa Cruz with the theme “Biomedicine, Biomechanics, and the Biosphere.” Reflecting the meeting’s broad scientific scope, from development and regeneration to evolution, tissue mechanics, and emerging technologies, this curated collection showcases work that contributed to conversations throughout the meeting.

 



List by Ingrid Tsang

Developmental regulation: molecular and ecological niches

This conference was held at the Station Biologique de Roscoff (France) and brought together researchers exploring how diverse niche environments shape developmental processes across scales. Spanning topics from ecological and metabolic influences to signalling networks, mechanics and gene regulation, the meeting highlighted the interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic factors in controlling cell fate and tissue organisation. This preList gathers preprints discussed by speakers and poster presenters during the meeting. Please do get in touch at preLights@biologists.com if you notice any relevant preprints that we may have missed.

 



List by Ingrid Tsang

preLighters’ choice – Handpicked DevBio preprints

preLighters with expertise across developmental and stem cell biology have nominated a few developmental biology (and related) preprints they’re excited about and explain in a few paragraph why. Concise preprint highlights, prepared by the preLighter community – a quick way to spot upcoming trends, new methods and fresh ideas.

 



List by Theodora Stougiannou et al.

BSDB Spring Meeting: Molecules to Morphogenesis

The British Society for Developmental Biology (BSDB) Spring Meeting Molecules to Morphogenesis was held from 23–26 March 2026 at the University of Warwick (UK). This meeting brought together a vibrant community of researchers to discuss how molecular mechanisms are integrated across scales to drive morphogenesis, spanning diverse model systems and approaches. This preList contains preprints by presenters from the talk and poster sessions at the meeting. Please do get in touch at preLights@biologists.com if you notice any relevant preprints that we may have missed.

 



List by Ingrid Tsang

Keystone Symposium on Stem Cell Models in Embryology 2026

The Keystone Symposium on Stem Cell Models in Embryology, 2026, was organised by Jun Wu (UT Southwestern), Jianping Fu (University of Michigan) and Miki Ebisuya (TU Dresden) and held at Asilomar Conference Grounds in California (US). The meeting discussed recent advances made in establishing stem-cell-based embryo models, what fundamental insights into developmental processes have been gleaned from them, as well as how they are beginning to be applied more widely. This prelist contains preprints by presenters at the talk and poster sessions at the conference, which our Reviews Editor in attendance spotted. Please do reach out to preLights@biologists.com if you notice any that we’ve missed.

 



List by Ingrid Tsang

SciELO preprints – From 2025 onwards

SciELO has become a cornerstone of open, multilingual scholarly communication across Latin America. Its preprint server, SciELO preprints, is expanding the global reach of preprinted research from the region (for more information, see our interview with Carolina Tanigushi). This preList brings together biological, English language SciELO preprints to help readers discover emerging work from the Global South. By highlighting these preprints in one place, we aim to support visibility, encourage early feedback, and showcase the vibrant research communities contributing to SciELO’s open science ecosystem.

 



List by Carolina Tanigushi

November in preprints – DevBio & Stem cell biology

preLighters with expertise across developmental and stem cell biology have nominated a few developmental and stem cell biology (and related) preprints posted in November they’re excited about and explain in a single paragraph why. Concise preprint highlights, prepared by the preLighter community – a quick way to spot upcoming trends, new methods and fresh ideas.

 



List by Aline Grata et al.

October in preprints – DevBio & Stem cell biology

Each month, preLighters with expertise across developmental and stem cell biology nominate a few recent developmental and stem cell biology (and related) preprints they’re excited about and explain in a single paragraph why. Short, snappy picks from working scientists — a quick way to spot fresh ideas, bold methods and papers worth reading in full. These preprints can all be found in the October preprint list published on the Node.

 



List by Deevitha Balasubramanian et al.

October in preprints – Cell biology edition

Different preLighters, with expertise across cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading list for researchers with an interest in cell biology. This month, most picks fall under (1) Cell organelles and organisation, followed by (2) Mechanosignaling and mechanotransduction, (3) Cell cycle and division and (4) Cell migration

 



List by Matthew Davies et al.

September in preprints – Cell biology edition

A group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading list. This month, categories include: (1) Cell organelles and organisation, (2) Cell signalling and mechanosensing, (3) Cell metabolism, (4) Cell cycle and division, (5) Cell migration

 



List by Sristilekha Nath et al.

July in preprints – the CellBio edition

A group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading lists for researchers with an interest in cell biology. This month, categories include: (1) Cell Signalling and Mechanosensing (2) Cell Cycle and Division (3) Cell Migration and Cytoskeleton (4) Cancer Biology (5) Cell Organelles and Organisation

 



List by Girish Kale et al.

June in preprints – the CellBio edition

A group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading lists for researchers with an interest in cell biology. This month, categories include: (1) Cell organelles and organisation (2) Cell signaling and mechanosensation (3) Genetics/gene expression (4) Biochemistry (5) Cytoskeleton

 



List by Barbora Knotkova et al.

May in preprints – the CellBio edition

A group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading lists for researchers with an interest in cell biology. This month, categories include: 1) Biochemistry/metabolism 2) Cancer cell Biology 3) Cell adhesion, migration and cytoskeleton 4) Cell organelles and organisation 5) Cell signalling and 6) Genetics

 



List by Barbora Knotkova et al.

Keystone Symposium – Metabolic and Nutritional Control of Development and Cell Fate

This preList contains preprints discussed during the Metabolic and Nutritional Control of Development and Cell Fate Keystone Symposia. This conference was organized by Lydia Finley and Ralph J. DeBerardinis and held in the Wylie Center and Tupper Manor at Endicott College, Beverly, MA, United States from May 7th to 9th 2025. This meeting marked the first in-person gathering of leading researchers exploring how metabolism influences development, including processes like cell fate, tissue patterning, and organ function, through nutrient availability and metabolic regulation. By integrating modern metabolic tools with genetic and epidemiological insights across model organisms, this event highlighted key mechanisms and identified open questions to advance the emerging field of developmental metabolism.

 



List by Virginia Savy, Martin Estermann

April in preprints – the CellBio edition

A group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading lists for researchers with an interest in cell biology. This month, categories include: 1) biochemistry/metabolism 2) cell cycle and division 3) cell organelles and organisation 4) cell signalling and mechanosensing 5) (epi)genetics

 



List by Vibha SINGH et al.

March in preprints – the CellBio edition

A group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading lists for researchers with an interest in cell biology. This month, categories include: 1) cancer biology 2) cell migration 3) cell organelles and organisation 4) cell signalling and mechanosensing 5) genetics and genomics 6) other

 



List by Girish Kale et al.

Biologists @ 100 conference preList

This preList aims to capture all preprints being discussed at the Biologists @100 conference in Liverpool, UK, either as part of the poster sessions or the (flash/short/full-length) talks.

 



List by Reinier Prosee, Jonathan Townson

February in preprints – the CellBio edition

A group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading lists for researchers with an interest in cell biology. This month, categories include: 1) biochemistry and cell metabolism 2) cell organelles and organisation 3) cell signalling, migration and mechanosensing

 



List by Barbora Knotkova et al.

Community-driven preList – Immunology

In this community-driven preList, a group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of immunology have worked together to create this preprint reading list.

 



List by Felipe Del Valle Batalla et al.

January in preprints – the CellBio edition

A group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading lists for researchers with an interest in cell biology. This month, categories include: 1) biochemistry/metabolism 2) cell migration 3) cell organelles and organisation 4) cell signalling and mechanosensing 5) genetics/gene expression

 



List by Barbora Knotkova et al.

December in preprints – the CellBio edition

A group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading lists for researchers with an interest in cell biology. This month, categories include: 1) cell cycle and division 2) cell migration and cytoskeleton 3) cell organelles and organisation 4) cell signalling and mechanosensing 5) genetics/gene expression

 



List by Matthew Davies et al.

November in preprints – the CellBio edition

This is the first community-driven preList! A group of preLighters, with expertise in different areas of cell biology, have worked together to create this preprint reading lists for researchers with an interest in cell biology. Categories include: 1) cancer cell biology 2) cell cycle and division 3) cell migration and cytoskeleton 4) cell organelles and organisation 5) cell signalling and mechanosensing 6) genetics/gene expression

 



List by Felipe Del Valle Batalla et al.

BSCB-Biochemical Society 2024 Cell Migration meeting

This preList features preprints that were discussed and presented during the BSCB-Biochemical Society 2024 Cell Migration meeting in Birmingham, UK in April 2024. Kindly put together by Sara Morais da Silva, Reviews Editor at Journal of Cell Science.

 



List by Reinier Prosee

‘In preprints’ from Development 2022-2023

A list of the preprints featured in Development's 'In preprints' articles between 2022-2023

 



List by Alex Eve, Katherine Brown

preLights peer support – preprints of interest

This is a preprint repository to organise the preprints and preLights covered through the 'preLights peer support' initiative.

 



List by preLights peer support

The Society for Developmental Biology 82nd Annual Meeting

This preList is made up of the preprints discussed during the Society for Developmental Biology 82nd Annual Meeting that took place in Chicago in July 2023.

 



List by Joyce Yu, Katherine Brown

CSHL 87th Symposium: Stem Cells

Preprints mentioned by speakers at the #CSHLsymp23

 



List by Alex Eve

Journal of Cell Science meeting ‘Imaging Cell Dynamics’

This preList highlights the preprints discussed at the JCS meeting 'Imaging Cell Dynamics'. The meeting was held from 14 - 17 May 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal and was organised by Erika Holzbaur, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, Rob Parton and Michael Way.

 



List by Helen Zenner

9th International Symposium on the Biology of Vertebrate Sex Determination

This preList contains preprints discussed during the 9th International Symposium on the Biology of Vertebrate Sex Determination. This conference was held in Kona, Hawaii from April 17th to 21st 2023.

 



List by Martin Estermann

Alumni picks – preLights 5th Birthday

This preList contains preprints that were picked and highlighted by preLights Alumni - an initiative that was set up to mark preLights 5th birthday. More entries will follow throughout February and March 2023.

 



List by Sergio Menchero et al.

CellBio 2022 – An ASCB/EMBO Meeting

This preLists features preprints that were discussed and presented during the CellBio 2022 meeting in Washington, DC in December 2022.

 



List by Nadja Hümpfer et al.

Fibroblasts

The advances in fibroblast biology preList explores the recent discoveries and preprints of the fibroblast world. Get ready to immerse yourself with this list created for fibroblasts aficionados and lovers, and beyond. Here, my goal is to include preprints of fibroblast biology, heterogeneity, fate, extracellular matrix, behavior, topography, single-cell atlases, spatial transcriptomics, and their matrix!

 



List by Osvaldo Contreras

EMBL Synthetic Morphogenesis: From Gene Circuits to Tissue Architecture (2021)

A list of preprints mentioned at the #EESmorphoG virtual meeting in 2021.

 



List by Alex Eve

FENS 2020

A collection of preprints presented during the virtual meeting of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) in 2020

 



List by Ana Dorrego-Rivas

Planar Cell Polarity – PCP

This preList contains preprints about the latest findings on Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) in various model organisms at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels.

 



List by Ana Dorrego-Rivas

BioMalPar XVI: Biology and Pathology of the Malaria Parasite

[under construction] Preprints presented at the (fully virtual) EMBL BioMalPar XVI, 17-18 May 2020 #emblmalaria

 



List by Dey Lab, Samantha Seah

1

Cell Polarity

Recent research from the field of cell polarity is summarized in this list of preprints. It comprises of studies focusing on various forms of cell polarity ranging from epithelial polarity, planar cell polarity to front-to-rear polarity.

 



List by Yamini Ravichandran

TAGC 2020

Preprints recently presented at the virtual Allied Genetics Conference, April 22-26, 2020. #TAGC20

 



List by Maiko Kitaoka et al.

3D Gastruloids

A curated list of preprints related to Gastruloids (in vitro models of early development obtained by 3D aggregation of embryonic cells). Updated until July 2021.

 



List by Paul Gerald L. Sanchez and Stefano Vianello

ECFG15 – Fungal biology

Preprints presented at 15th European Conference on Fungal Genetics 17-20 February 2020 Rome

 



List by Hiral Shah

ASCB EMBO Annual Meeting 2019

A collection of preprints presented at the 2019 ASCB EMBO Meeting in Washington, DC (December 7-11)

 



List by Madhuja Samaddar et al.

EMBL Seeing is Believing – Imaging the Molecular Processes of Life

Preprints discussed at the 2019 edition of Seeing is Believing, at EMBL Heidelberg from the 9th-12th October 2019

 



List by Dey Lab

Autophagy

Preprints on autophagy and lysosomal degradation and its role in neurodegeneration and disease. Includes molecular mechanisms, upstream signalling and regulation as well as studies on pharmaceutical interventions to upregulate the process.

 



List by Sandra Malmgren Hill

Lung Disease and Regeneration

This preprint list compiles highlights from the field of lung biology.

 



List by Rob Hynds

Cellular metabolism

A curated list of preprints related to cellular metabolism at Biorxiv by Pablo Ranea Robles from the Prelights community. Special interest on lipid metabolism, peroxisomes and mitochondria.

 



List by Pablo Ranea Robles

BSCB/BSDB Annual Meeting 2019

Preprints presented at the BSCB/BSDB Annual Meeting 2019

 



List by Dey Lab

MitoList

This list of preprints is focused on work expanding our knowledge on mitochondria in any organism, tissue or cell type, from the normal biology to the pathology.

 



List by Sandra Franco Iborra

Biophysical Society Annual Meeting 2019

Few of the preprints that were discussed in the recent BPS annual meeting at Baltimore, USA

 



List by Joseph Jose Thottacherry

ASCB/EMBO Annual Meeting 2018

This list relates to preprints that were discussed at the recent ASCB conference.

 



List by Dey Lab, Amanda Haage