Microtubules are like the high-speed expressways for motor proteins, made up of a protein called tubulin. In our lab, especially during our stop-flow experiments, we need a lot of microtubules to study the motility of motor proteins and the dynamic of microtubule growth.
But here’s the crazy part – guess where we get our microtubule supply? Cow brains! Yep, the neuron cell in the brain has a lot of microtubules, and we need to extract the microtubules from those fresh brains right after the cow takes its final moo. It’s an adventure to head straight to the butcher to snatch up those precious cow brains for our scientific experiments.
Now, here’s our experimental protocol, starting with the most crucial step:
1. Call the butcher and figure out when they’re slaughtering cows again
The Hancock Lab knows how to get their hands on the good stuff!
left to right: Zach, Tzu-Chen, Maria
left to right: Zach, Daguan, Tzu-Chen, Maria 
back, left to right: Zach, Tzu-Chen, Maria
front:Crystal
