Cytoskeleton-associated protein 5 is a microtubule-associated protein

Microtubule-associated protein

In cell biology, microtubule-associated proteins are proteins that interact with the microtubules of the cellular cytoskeleton.-Function:...

 that in humans is encoded by the CKAP5 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

. It is the homolog of the Xenopus

Xenopus

Xenopus is a genus of highly aquatic frogs native to Sub-Saharan Africa. There are 19 species in the Xenopus genus...

 protein XMAP215 and is also known as ch-Tog.

It has at least two distinct roles in spindle formation: it protects kinetochore

Kinetochore

The kinetochore is the protein structure on chromatids where the spindle fibers attach during cell division to pull sister chromatids apart....

 microtubule

Microtubule

Microtubules are a component of the cytoskeleton. These rope-like polymers of tubulin can grow as long as 25 micrometers and are highly dynamic. The outer diameter of microtubule is about 25 nm. Microtubules are important for maintaining cell structure, providing platforms for intracellular...

s from depolymerization by MCAK (KIF2C

KIF2C

Kinesin-like protein KIF2C is a protein that in humans is encoded by the KIF2C gene.-Further reading:...

), and ch-Tog plays an essential role in centrosomal

Centrosome

In cell biology, the centrosome is an organelle that serves as the main microtubule organizing center of the animal cell as well as a regulator of cell-cycle progression. It was discovered by Edouard Van Beneden in 1883...

microtubule assembly, a function independent of MCAK activity.

Further reading