LAUSR

Microtubule stability and dynamics regulations are essential for vital cellular processes, such as microtubule‐dependent axonal transport. Dynamin is involved in many membrane fission events, such as clathrin‐mediated endocytosis. The ubiquitously expressed dynamin‐2 has been reported to regulate microtubule stability. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the roles of intrinsic properties of dynamin‐2 on microtubule regulation by rescue experiments. A heterozygous DNM2 mutation in HeLa cells was generated, and an increase in the level of stabilized microtubules in these heterozygous cells was observed. The expression of wild‐type dynamin‐2 in heterozygous cells reduced stabilized microtubules. Conversely, the expression of self‐assembly‐defective mutants of dynamin‐2 in the heterozygous cells failed to decrease stabilized microtubules. This indicated that the self‐assembling ability of dynamin‐2 is necessary for regulating microtubule stability. Moreover, the heterozygous cells expressing the GTPase‐defective dynamin‐2 mutant, K44A, reduced microtubule stabilization, similar to the cells expressing wild‐type dynamin‐2, suggesting that GTPase activity of dynamin‐2 is not essential for regulating microtubule stability. These results showed that the mechanism of microtubule regulation by dynamin‐2 is diverse from that of endocytosis.