Taxol^®: The First Microtubule Stabilizing Agent

Author： Yang Chia-Ping Huang Horwitz Susan Band

Publisher： MDPI

E-ISSN： 1422-0067|18|8|1733-1733

ISSN： 1422-0067

Source： International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol.18, Iss.8, 2017-08, pp. : 1733-1733

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Abstract

Taxol^®, an antitumor drug with significant activity, is the first microtubule stabilizing agent described in the literature. This short review of the mechanism of action of Taxol^® emphasizes the research done in the Horwitz’ laboratory. It discusses the contribution of photoaffinity labeled analogues of Taxol^® toward our understanding of the binding site of the drug on the microtubule. The importance of hydrogen/deuterium exchange experiments to further our insights into the stabilization of microtubules by Taxol^® is addressed. The development of drug resistance, a major problem that arises in the clinic, is discussed. Studies describing differential drug binding to distinct β-tubulin isotypes are presented. Looking forward, it is suggested that the β-tubulin isotype content of a tumor may influence its responses to Taxol^®.