SUSTAINABILITY

The Scientist Team Led by Our Graduate Discovered Protein

2015 Master’s degree graduate of IZTECH Molecular Biology and Genetics Department, Dr. A team of scientists led by Caner Akin discovered a protein similar to eukaryotic tubulin in the genome of an archaea isolated from the hot spring waters of Yellowstone National Park. It was shown that this protein, which they named OdinTubulin , resembles both eukaryotic tubulins and prokaryotic FtsZ proteins. OdinTubulin may represent an evolutionary intermediate between FtsZ and eukaryotic microtube-forming tubulins.

“ Tubulin is a globular protein usually found in eukaryotic cells, playing a vital role in many important functions such as cell division. Alpha and beta forms of these proteins form the basic building blocks of microtubules, one of the main components of a cell’s cytoskeleton. These proteins were once thought to occur only in eukaryotic cells. However, in the 1950s it was discovered that prokaryotic cells, especially bacteria, have a protein called FtsZ that is homologous to the tubulin family of proteins. FtsZ is encoded by the ftsZ gene and is a component of the prokaryotic cytoskeleton and is involved in cell division. ”

The study published in the journal Science Advances , Structure and dynamics of Odinarchaeota tubulin and the implications for eukaryotic microtubule evolution (science.org), attracted great attention in the scientific world.

Because of this success, our graduate Dr. We congratulate Caner Akin and his team and wish them continued success.