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Tubulin and microtubules as molecular targets for ttfield therapy

dc.contributor.authorKalra, Aarat P.
dc.contributor.authorPatel, Sahil D.
dc.contributor.authorBhuiyan, Asadullah
dc.contributor.authorRezania, Vahid
dc.contributor.authorLewis, John
dc.contributor.authorShankar, Karthik
dc.contributor.authorTuszynski, Jack A.
dc.date.accessioned2021-07-13
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-31T01:44:16Z
dc.date.available2022-05-31T01:44:16Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.description.abstractTTField (Tumor-treating field) therapy utilizes low intensity intermediate frequency AC electric fields to reduce the spread of cancer. While it has attained FDA approval for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, the exact molecular targets of TTField therapy are not well understood. Microtubules are pipe-like polymers of the highly charged (–31 e) and strongly dipolar (dipole moment 1666 D) protein, α, β- tubulin. Studies on the electrical properties of microtubules have recently gained interest, with them being modelled as molecular targets of TTFields. Here, we experimentally show that while tubulin polymerized into microtubules leads to an increase in solution capacitance, unpolymerized tubulin has no appreciable effect. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first experimental quantification of the capacitance of a 20 μm-long microtubule. Using these results, we calculate the resonant frequency of a microtubule meshwork in a cell-like environment to be in the TTField regime. Our results utilize high ionic strength solutions and cell-like concentrations of tubulin to show the potential of microtubules as the targets of TTField action and as intracellular charge-storage devices. We conclude with a hypothesis of an electrically-tunable cell, where the dielectric properties of the cytoskeleton alter local and global charge storage and transport.
dc.description.urihttps://library.macewan.ca/cgi-bin/SFX/url.pl/CJ0
dc.identifier.citationKalrat, A., Patel, S., Bhuiyan, A., Rezania, V., Lewis, J., Shankar, K., Tuszynski, J. A. (2019). Tubulin and microtubules as molecular targets for ttfield therapy, Neuro-oncology. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noz175.862
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noz175.862
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/2413
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved
dc.subjectcancer
dc.subjecttumor-treating fields therapy
dc.subjectneoplasms
dc.subjectribosomal
dc.subjectmicrotubules
dc.subjectrecombinant DNA
dc.titleTubulin and microtubules as molecular targets for ttfield therapyen
dc.typeArticle
dspace.entity.type

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