title: Colchicine binding by the "isolated" beta-monomer of tubulin.
abstract: At mole ratios of lactoperoxidase to tubulin monomers of 3-4, bovine lactoperoxidase forms 1:1 adducts with both alpha- and beta-tubulin from rat brain, thereby separating the tubulin heterodimer into its monomers. This mixture binds colchicine normally, and we show here by direct photoaffinity labeling that the bulk of the [3H]colchicine becomes attached to beta-tubulin under these conditions. When the alpha-tubulin has been displaced by lactoperoxidase, the ratio of label in beta-tubulin to alpha-tubulin is increased. The amount of label in alpha-tubulin decreases with a corresponding appearance of label in lactoperoxidase. The rate of labeling of beta-tubulin remains slow. We conclude that alpha-tubulin is not necessary for colchicine binding and propose a model wherein the A and C rings of colchicine bind to beta-tubulin, while the B ring faces alpha-tubulin in the dimer.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Knipling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002417:Cattle; D003078:Colchicine / Q000378:metabolism*; D007784:Lactoperoxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014404:Tubulin; D007784:Lactoperoxidase; D003078:Colchicine