Purification of tubulin from neuroblastoma cells: absence of covalently bound phosphate in tubulin from normal and morphologically differentiated cells

Changes in some cytoskeletal proteins during neuroblastoma cell differentiation

After in vitro microtubule assembly of mouse neuroblastoma crude extracts, six protein species migrate in the tubulin region of two-dimensional electrophoregrams. The evolution of these forms after morphological cell differentiation of the clone NIE115 shows two major modifications. Form 5 decreased drastically while form 6 increases during neurite formation. Peptide mapping analysis reveals that forms 5 and 6 are vimentin, a component of intermediate filaments, and beta-tubulin subunit, respectively. Sodium butyrate treatment of NIE115 cells or serum starvation of NIA103 cells, conditions blocking cell division and failing to induce morphological differentiation, prevent any modifications in the relative proportion of these proteins. It is concluded that the changes in the distribution of the tubulin isoforms and vimentin are directly related to neurite formation.

Proteins from disassembled microtubules characterized by oligospecific antisera

The immunochemical properties of in vitro reassembled microtubules were investigated by immunoelectrophoretic techniques. The tubulin dimer gave no measurable immunochemical response, but the tubulin oligomer, the tau-factor and an antigen of about 135 000 daltons all gave precipitating antibodies. Those four proteins were investigated in reassembled microtubules, in DEAE-cellulose purified tubulin, and after molecular sieve chromatography of disassembled and NaCl-dissociated microtubules. Reconstitution of tubulin oligomer from tubulin dimer and tau-factor was also performed. The presence of a unique antigenic structure on tubulin oligomer which was not found in the dissociated components and the role of this aggregate as a nucleation center or intermediate in the assembly of microtubules is discussed.