Insights into the intracellular function of the invertebrate microtubule‐associated protein, PTL‐1

PTL‐1 (protein with tau‐like repeats) is a structural microtubule‐associated protein (MAP) that is expressed in the five mechanosensory neurons that form the basis of the touch‐sensation circuit in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans . Based upon sequence‐level comparisons of its microtubule‐binding motif (MBM) to those of mammalian MAPs such as MAP2 and tau, PTL‐1 is thought to bind the 15‐protofilament microtubules that line these “touch‐sensation” neurons, perhaps coupling them to the cuticle membrane or extracellular matrix. Additionally, the results of microtubule‐binding assays have shown PTL‐1 promotes microtubule assembly in‐vitro , thereby implicating it in the stabilization and maintenance of microtubule networks. Here we report the development and utilization of a polyclonal antibody that specifically targets an epitope within the MBM of PTL‐1. We conducted a combination of immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation and MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry assays aimed at examining the protein interactions of PTL‐1. Research supported by NIH‐AREA grant to K.R.‐S. 1R15NS057808‐01