title: OP18/stathmin binds near the C-terminus of tubulin and facilitates GTP binding.
abstract: It is has been previously suggested that the protein Op18/stathmin may interact with tubulin via the alpha-tubulin subunit [Larsson, N., Marklund, U., Melander Gradin, H., Brattsand, G. & Gullberg, M. (1997) Mol. Cell. Biol. 17, 5530-5539]. In this study we have used limited proteolysis and cross-linking analysis to localize further the stathmin-binding site on alpha-tubulin. Our results indicate that such a binding site is in a region close to the C-terminus of the molecule comprising residues 307 to the subtilisin-cleavage site on the alpha-tubulin subunit. Based on a recent model of the structure of tubulin [Nogales, E., Wolf, S.G. & Dowing, D.H. (1998) Nature (London) 391, 199-203], we found that this region contained the same areas that may be involved in longitudinal contacts of alpha-tubulin subunits within the microtubule. We also observed that the binding of stathmin to tubulin can modulate the binding of GTP to tubulin, as a consequence of a conformational change in the beta-tubulin subunit that occurs upon interaction of stathmin with tubulin.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular, Severo Ochoa, CSIC-UAM< Madrid, Spain. FMORENO@cbm.uam.es
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagnat
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Avila
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002417:Cattle; D008868:Microtubule Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D050777:Stathmin; D014404:Tubulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008868:Microtubule Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D050777:Stathmin; D014404:Tubulin; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate