Mature unfertilized eggs of the sea urchin Lytechinus pictus contain multiple cu-tubulin mRNAs, which range in size from 1.75 to 4.8 kb, and two /3-tubulin mRNAs, 1.8 and 2.25 kb. These mRNAs were found at similar levels throughout the early cleavage stages. RNA gel blot hybridizations showed that prominent quantitative and qualitative changes in tubulin mRNAs occurred between the early blastul...

A genomic clone from Trypanosoma brucei, which contains a full length gamma-tubulin gene, was isolated using degenerate oligonucleotide primers. The sequence of this clone predicts a protein of 447 amino acids having a high degree of homology with gamma-tubulins from human and Xenopus laevis (67.2% amino acid identity) and only 57.7% identity with the Plasmodium falciparum gamma-tubulin. Northe...

Recent studies have emphasized the association between tubulin gene mutations and developmental abnormalities of the cortex. In this study, the authors identified a mutation in the tubulin-encoding class III β-tubulin (TUBB3) gene in a 4-year-old boy presenting with brain abnormalities and unilateral hypohidrosis. The patient showed a left internal strabismus, moderate developmental delay, and ...

An altered beta-tubulin gene that confers resistance to the fungicide benomyl was isolated from a genomic library of a UV-induced mutant of Cercospora kikuchii and used as a selectable marker for transformation. The level of benomyl resistance conferred to the transformants was at least 150-fold greater than the intrinsic resistance of the C. kikuchii recipient protoplasts. In the majority of c...

γ-Tubulin is the key protein for microtubule nucleation. Duplication of the γ-tubulin gene occurred several times during evolution, and in mammals γ-tubulin genes encode proteins which share ∼97% sequence identity. Previous analysis of Tubg1 and Tubg2 knock-out mice has suggested that γ-tubulins are not functionally equivalent. Tubg1 knock-out mice died at the blastocyst stage, whereas Tubg2 kn...

—Four members of the alpha-tubulin gene family were examined in Ceratopteris richardii. Genetic linkage mapping based on a population of nearly 500 Doubled Haploid Lines was able to position three or four members of this gene family on linkage groups 17, 24, and 28, respectively (two of the four observed polymorphic restriction fragments containing alpha-tubulin genes are either identical or ma...

Resistance to Taxol (paclitaxel) or the epothilones (Epo) occurs via the acquisition of point mutations in beta-tubulin residues important for drug-tubulin binding. We have isolated four drug-resistant clones selected with Taxol or Epo A, which harbor distinct beta-tubulin mutations. During the development of a stable drug-resistant phenotype, early clones expressing both wild-type (wt) and mut...

In fission yeast, gamma-tubulin (encoded by the gtb1+ gene), Alp4 (Spc97/GCP2), and Alp6 (Spc98/GCP3) are essential components of the gamma-tubulin complex. We isolated gtb1 mutants as allele-specific suppressors of temperature-sensitive alp4 mutations. Mutation sites in gtb1 mutants and in several alp4 alleles were determined. The majority of substituted amino acids were mapped to a small area...

Tubulin plays essential roles in vital cellular activities and is the target of a wide range proteins ligands. Here, using combined computational crystallographic fragment screening approach, we addressed question how many binding sites exist tubulin. We identified 27 distinct sites, which 11 have not been described previously, analyzed their relationship to known tubulin–protein tubulin–ligand...

microtubules are unique cytoskeletal structures that have structural subunits of αβ tubulin. taxol is a typical microtubule stabilizing drug. the epothilones are other natural products with similar mechanism of action totaxol. despite the highly conserved nature of β-tubulin, some organism like saccharomyces cerevesia is resistance to taxol, but sensitive to epothilones. in order to find differ...