Most cells construct highly organized microtubule systems. During both interphase and mitosis, ordered patterns of microtubule assembly and disassembly determine the dynamic organization of the cytoplasm and confer directionality to various aspects of cell motility. To build organized microtubule networks, cells must be able to suppress the inherent tendency of tubulin monomers to assemble spontaneously. On the other hand, they must be able to induce assembly at specific sites called microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) (Pickett-Heaps 1975). Indeed, in cells depleted of microtubules by nocodazole or Colcemid, new fibers appear to grow preferentially from the centrosome in interphase cells (Frankel 1976; Osborn and Weber 1976; Brinkley et al, 1980) and from the centrosomes and kinetochores in mitotic cells (De Brabander et al. 1980; Witt et al. 1980).
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Brabander et al. (1982) studied this question.