The drug taxol, extracted from the bark of yew trees, has an opposite effect to the drug colchicine, an alkaloid from autumn crocus. Taxol binds tightly to microtubules and stabilizes them; when added to cells, it causes much of the free tubulin to assemble into microtubules. In contrast, colchicine prevents microtubule formation. Taxol is just as pernicious to dividing cells as colchicine, and both are used as anticancer drugs. based on your knowledge of microtubule dynamics, suggest why both drugs are toxic to dividing cells despite their opposite actions.

Biochemistry
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Author:Lubert Stryer, Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Gregory J. Gatto Jr.
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Chapter1: Biochemistry: An Evolving Science
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The drug taxol, extracted from the bark of yew trees, has an opposite effect to the drug colchicine, an alkaloid from autumn crocus. Taxol binds tightly to microtubules and stabilizes them; when added to cells, it causes much of the free tubulin to assemble into microtubules. In contrast, colchicine prevents microtubule formation. Taxol is just as pernicious to dividing cells as colchicine, and both are used as anticancer drugs. based on your knowledge of microtubule dynamics, suggest why both drugs are toxic to dividing cells despite their opposite actions.

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