title: Calcium binding to tubulin.
abstract: Using flow dialysis, we found two classes of calcium-binding sites on tubulin: high-affinity binding sites (1.56 +/- 0.38 per tubulin dimer) with a dissociation constant of (4.86 +/- 0.12).10(-6) M and low-affinity binding sites (5.82 +/- 0.50 per tubulin dimer) with a dissociation constant of (6.4 +/- 0.4).10(-5) M. In the presence of 6.10(-5) M MgSO4, we found 0.64 +/- 0.18 calcium-binding sites per tubulin dimer with a dissociation constant of (4.7 +/- 0.5).10(-6) M and 1.2 +/- 0.2 sites per dimer with a dissociation constant of (3.5 +/- 0.4).10(-5) M. Under controlled conditions, trypsin and chymotrypsin selectively cleaved alpha- and beta-subunits, respectively, forming major fragments of 35 kDa and 20 kDa from the alpha-subunit, and major fragments of 31 kDa and 22 kDa from the beta-subunit. The high-affinity calcium-binding sites were detected in the carboxyl-terminal region of each tubulin subunit. Computer analysis of the subunit amino-acid sequences suggested possible locations of the putative calcium-binding sites.
authors.affiliation: Chemistry of Behavior Program, Texas Christian University, Forth Worth 76129.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Babitch
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Anthony
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle; D002918:Chymotrypsin; D007700:Kinetics; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis; D011485:Protein Binding; D014357:Trypsin; D014404:Tubulin / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014404:Tubulin; D002918:Chymotrypsin; D014357:Trypsin; D002118:Calcium