Interaction of tubulin with a new fluorescent analogue of vinblastine.

Vinblastine is an antimitotic agent that has been used extensively in cancer chemotherapy. The biological effects of the drug are believed to be the result of its interaction with tubulin, the major component of cellular microtubules. Fluorescence spectroscopy is a powerful and versatile technique for studying drug-tubulin interactions, but it rarely has been applied to studies involving vinca alkaloids.