STRUCTURAL PLASTICITY ALLOWS DOUBLECORTIN AND DRUG-STABILIZED MICROTUBULES TO ACCOMMODATE EACH OTHER

DCX binds 15-protofilament Fchitax-3–stabilized microtubules, showing DCX is not a specific marker of 13-protofilament lattice architecture.

• Why it matters: Small-molecule taxanes reshape microtubule structure, but it is unclear how these drug-states interact with cellular regulators like DCX and whether lattice plasticity is preserved.
• What they did: The authors tested DCX binding to taxane-stabilized microtubules, including fluorescent Fchitax-3, using cryo-electron microscopy to map how Fchitax-3 inserts into lateral contacts and how DCX uses its N-terminal DC domain.
• The result: Fchitax-3 inserts into inter-protofilament contacts and induces longitudinal expansion, while DCX remodels its binding site toward a more compact configuration, unlike the comparatively rigid GMPCPP-stabilized lattice.

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