The tau-like protein in silkworm (Bombyx mori) induces microtubule bundle formation.
Tau proteins are major microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), which promote polymerization of tubulin and determine spacings between microtubules in axons of both the central and peripheral nervous systems (CNS and PNS). Here, we cloned and identified a tau-like protein BmTau from silkworm, Bombyx mori (GenBank accession number FJ904935). The coding sequence of BmTau is 723 bases long and encodes an approximate 30 kDa protein. In the C-terminus of BmTau are contained four predicted microtubule-binding domains, which share strong sequence homology to its ortholog in Drosophila melanoganster. Relative real-time PCR analysis showed ubiquitous expression of BmTau in both neurons and non-neural cells, with its mRNA abundantly expressing in brain but significantly less detected in trachea, fat body, and silkgland. Furthermore, immunocytochemical studies in BmN cells transfected with EGFP-BmTau indicated that BmTau functioned as microtubule bundling protein as its orthologues.
The Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of Ministry of Education, The State Key Laboratory of Bio-membrane and Membrane Bio-engineering, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Qiao
Q
Wang
Li
L
Chen
Liang
L
Chen
Birong
B
Shen
Yingying
Y
Liu
Jianguo
J
Chen
Junlin
J
Teng
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D012831:Bombyx / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D016875:tau Proteins