The Effects of Ionic Strength in MAP65 Binding to Microtubules

Previously we have shown that, microtubules can form tactoids in the presence of antiparallel crosslinker, MAP65. In order to determine the relative binding strength of MAP65 to microtubules compared to MAP65 dimerization, we have performed single-molecule experiments on MAP65 binding to microtubules in the presence of altered ionic strength. Specifically we have used NaCl in buffer to determine the binding time and diffusion of single MAP65 on microtubules using total internal reflection (TIRF) microscopy.