The β isotypes of tubulin in neuronal differentiation

Isotypes of alpha-tubulin are differentially regulated during neuronal maturation

The mRNAs for two isotypes of alpha-tubulin, termed T alpha 1 and T26, are known to be expressed in the rat nervous system. We have compared the expression of these two alpha-tubulin mRNAs during neural development, using RNA blotting and in situ hybridization techniques with probes directed against unique sequences of each mRNA. T alpha 1 mRNA is highly enriched in the embryonic nervous system...

Specific α- and β-tubulin isotypes optimize the functions of sensory cilia in C. elegans

Distinct α- and β-tubulin isotypes are required for the positioning, differentiation and survival of neurons: new support for the ‘multi-tubulin’ hypothesis

Synopsis The many functions of the microtubule cytoskeleton are essential for shaping the development and maintaining the operation of the nervous system. With the recent discovery of congenital neurological disorders that result from mutations in genes that encode different αand β-tubulin isotypes (TUBA1A, TUBB2B, TUBA8 and TUBB3), scientists have a novel paradigm to assess how select perturba...

Alterations of β-tubulin isotypes in breast cancer cells resistant to docetaxel

Docetaxel is one of the most active drugs used to treat breast cancer. The cellular target of docetaxel is the microtubule, specifically the β-tubulin subunit, that comprises a series of isotypes and that can modulate function. This study has examined the role of alteration in βtubulin isotypes in vitro and has sequenced the β-tubulin gene to determine if there were mutations, both of which may...

2-(m-Azidobenzoyl)taxol binds differentially to distinct β-tubulin isotypes.

There are seven β-tubulin isotypes present in distinct quantities in mammalian cells of different origin. Altered expression of β-tubulin isotypes has been reported in cancer cell lines resistant to microtubule stabilizing agents (MSAs) and in human tumors resistant to Taxol. To study the relative binding affinities of MSAs, tubulin from different sources, with distinct β-tubulin isotype conten...