Premium
Identification of multiple tubulins in taxol microtubules purified from carrot suspension cells
Author(s) -
Dawson P.J.,
Lloyd C.W.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb03955.x
Subject(s) - microtubule , tubulin , biology , cell culture , peptide , microtubule associated protein , microbiology and biotechnology , gel electrophoresis , biochemistry , genetics
Tubulin has been purified from carrot suspension cells by ionexchange chromatography and assembled into microtubules in the presence of 20 μM taxol. One‐dimensional SDS‐PAGE suggested that the α band migrated faster than the β band (as has been established for some lower eukaryotic tubulins) and this heterology with brain tubulins was confirmed by peptide mapping. When subjected to two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis, the plant tubulins could be separated into multiple α and β isotypes. Immunoblotting, using monoclonal antitubulins, confirmed that the tubulin isotypes identified in taxol microtubules represent all of the tubulins present in homogenates of unsynchronised log‐phase carrot suspension cells. All identified tubulins are therefore assembly‐competent under these conditions. Plant cells can contain four different microtubule arrays, but cells arrested in G 0 /G 1 contain only cortical microtubule arrays; such cells, however, exhibit the same tubulin profile as non‐synchronised cells, thereby showing no restriction in the number of subunits during this phase of the cell cycle.