title: Class I and IVa beta-tubulin isotypes expressed in adult mouse brain are glutamylated.
abstract: Several types of post-translational modifications contribute to the high level of tubulin heterogeneity in the brain. An important modification is glutamylation of the major brain-specific isotypes, such as class Ia/b of alpha-tubulin and classes II and III of beta-tubulin. Here we describe experiments to determine if additional, minor tubulin isotypes, expressed in adult mouse brain, could also be glutamylated. Purified tubulin from adult mouse brain was cleaved with thermolysin. Proteolytically released carboxy-terminal peptides of both alpha- and beta-tubulin were isolated by sequential anion exchange and reverse-phase column-chromatography. Anionic peptides were then characterized by amino acid sequencing and mass spectrometry. We show that brain-specific class IVa and constitutive class I beta-tubulin isotypes can be glutamylated, at Glu434 and Glu441, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Institut Alfred Fessard, CNRS UPR 2212, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mary
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Redeker
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Le Caer
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Promé
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rossier
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014404:Tubulin / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014404:Tubulin; D018698:Glutamic Acid