To determine the spectrum of tubulin variants in cytoskeletons of Trypanosoma brucei carboxy-terminal fragments of alpha- and beta-tubulin were isolated and characterized by sequencing and mass spectrometry. All variants arise by posttranslational modifications. We confirm the presence of tyrosinated and detyrosinated alpha-tubulin. Unexpectedly, but in line with its sequence, beta-tubulin also...

In a search for mutations affecting embryonic muscle development in Drosophila we identified a mutation caused by the insertion of a P-element, which we called not enough muscles (nem). The phenotype of the P-element mutation of the nem gene suggests that it may be required for the development of the somatic musculature and the chordotonal organs of the PNS, while it is not involved in the deve...

We have examined the phosphorylation of cellular microtubule proteins during differentiation and neurite outgrowth in N115 mouse neuroblastoma cells. N115 differentiation, induced by serum withdrawal, is accompanied by a fourfold increase in phosphorylation of a 54,000-mol-wt protein identified as a specific isoform of beta-tubulin by SDS PAGE, two-dimensional isoelectric focusing/SDS PAGE, and...

ON THE INNER BACK COVER: NRK 49F (with endogenous Septin2‐GFP) cell was expanded and stained with antibodies against GFP, Septin7 Septin2 (cyan), alpha/beta‐tubulin (magenta). Credit: Nadja Hümpfer Helge Ewers, Freie Universität Berlin image

We describe a rare case of a subcutaneous infection by both Phaeoacremonium venezuelense and Plectophomella sp. in a Brazilian male. Sequencing of a beta-tubulin gene fragment allowed us to confirm the identification of the former. However, a similar procedure of sequencing rRNA gene fragments was not useful for the identification of the latter fungus.

The acidic carboxy-terminal regions of alpha- and beta-tubulin subunits are currently thought to be centrally involved in microtubule stability and in microtubule association with a variety of proteins (MAPs) such as MAP2 and tau proteins. Here, pure tubulin microtubules were exposed to subtilisin to produce polymers composed of cleaved tubulin subunits lacking carboxy termini. Polymer exposure...

Removal of the flagella of Chlamydomonas results in increases in both flagellar protein synthesis and tubulin messenger RNA accumulation. These observations led us to examine whether flagellar protein gene sequences are transcribed differentially in nuclei isolated before and after deflagellation. A nuclear isolation protocol was developed using the cell wall-less strain of Chlamydomonas, CW 15...

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a potent modulator of cell growth in many systems. In normal rat kidney (NRK) fibroblasts, TGF-beta synergizes with epidermal growth factor (EGF) to stimulate growth in soft agar, a characteristic of the transformed phenotype. Many biochemical effects of TGF-beta occur at the cell surface. Increased binding of EGF and synthesis of extracellular matr...

The microtubule-severing protein complex katanin is required for a variety of important microtubule-base morphological changes in both animals and plants. Caenorhabditis elegans katanin is encoded by the mei-1 and mei-2 genes and is required for oocyte meiotic spindle formation and must be inactivated before the first mitotic cleavage. We identified a mutation, sb26, in the tbb-2 beta-tubulin g...