tubulin

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A protein that makes long thin tubes inside cells that help cells keep their shape and divide

noun
/ˈtjuːbəlɪn/

Specialized

: tubulina

These results were further confirmed using lysed cells incubated with exogenous tubulin (Snyder and McIntosh 1975).
tubulin dimer
tubulin protein

Examples

But as we go through them, you can start to see the chromatin is red and the tubulin is green.
Well, there was a technique or method developed called speckled microscopy in which you add a tubulin subunit which is tagged with a fluorescent dye.
In the laboratory, researchers studied how tubulin forms the structural framework of microtubules in human cells.
The protein tubulin is essential for maintaining the shape of cells, as it provides the structural support necessary for microtubule formation.
The role of tubulin in cell division is crucial, as it helps form the spindles required for separating chromosomes.

Surface Forms

tubulin singular

tubulins plural

Morphology

tubulin = tubule (semi-transparent) = tubule + in

Formed from 'tubule' + the protein-naming suffix '-in'; the relation to a small tube is clear but '-in' as a protein marker is specialized.

Etymology

Tubulin comes from the root tube meaning 'tube' and the protein ending -in, so it means a protein of tiny tubes. That's why tubulin forms the long, tube-like parts inside cells that help them keep their shape and divide.