Isolation of a multigene family containing human α-tubulin sequences

Wilde, C. Deborah; Crowther, Carol; Cowan, NJ

doi:10.1016/0022-2836(82)90486-7

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Multiple copies of tubulin genes occur in most eucaryotes that have been investigated to date (1,7,8,12,13,19,23,26,27,29,33,34). The results presented here show that Leishmania parasites also contain multiple a-and 1-tubulin genes, despite the fact that digestion of genomic DNA with many restriction enzymes yields single hybridizing bands on Southern blots.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Heterogeneity within the sequence of tubulin genes or proteins has been observed in a number of species (7,8,12,18,19,23,26,27,33,34). One intriguing possibility is that this structural heterogeneity reflects a functional specialization among tubulin proteins (11).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most eucaryotic organisms whose tubulin genes have been studied possess multiple a-and ,-tubulin coding sequences (1,7,8,12,13,19,23,26,27,29,33,34), varying in number from about 4 in Drosophila spp. (7,12,26) to about 20 in human and sea urchin (7,8,33).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tandem arrangement of tubulin genes in the protozoan parasite Leishmania enriettii.

Landfear¹,

McMahon-Pratt²,

Wirth³

1983

Mol. Cell. Biol.

111

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The arrangement of developmentally regulated alpha- and beta-tubulin genes has been studied in the parasitic protozoan Leishmania enriettii by using Southern blot hybridization analysis. The alpha-tubulin genes occur in a tandem repeat whose monomeric unit may be represented by a 2-kilobase PstI fragment. Similarly, the beta-tubulin genes probably occur in a separate tandem repeat consisting of approximately 4-kilobase units unlinked to the alpha-tubulin repeats.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Tandem arrangement of tubulin genes in the protozoan parasite Leishmania enriettii.

Landfear¹,

McMahon-Pratt²,

Wirth³

1983

Mol. Cell. Biol.

111

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“…In an earlier report, we described the isolation of a subfamily of closely related human a-tubulin genes (31). The identification of these genes as representing of a related subfamily rested on restriction mapping data: whereas the majority of restriction sites were common to each gene, there were a large number of differences, primarily outside the coding regions, that could not be explained solely in terms of allelic differences.…”

Section: Ma4mentioning

confidence: 99%

Six mouse alpha-tubulin mRNAs encode five distinct isotypes: testis-specific expression of two sister genes.

Villasanté¹,

Wang²,

Dobner³

et al. 1986

Mol. Cell. Biol.

277

158

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Five mouse a-tubulin isotypes are described, each distinguished by the presence of unique amino acid substitutions within the coding region. Most, though not all of these isotype-specific amino acids, are clustered at the carboxy terminus. One of the a-tubulin isotypes described is expressed exclusively in testis and is encoded by two closely related genes (Ma3 and Ma7) which have homologous 3' untranslated regions but which differ at multiple third codon positions and in their 5' untranslated regions. We show that a subfamily of a-tubulin genes encoding the same testis-specific isotype also exists in humans. Thus, we conclude that (i) the duplication event leading to a pair of genes encoding a testis-specific ca-tubulin isotype predated the mammalian radiation, and (ii) both members of the duplicated sequence have been maintained since species divergence. A second ot-tubulin gene, Mca6, is expressed ubiquitously at a low level, whereas a third gene, MaL4, is unique in that it does not encode a carboxy-terminal tyrosine residue. This gene yields two transcripts: a 1.8-kilobase (kb) mRNA that is abundant in muscle and a 2.4-kb mRNA that is abundant in testis. Whereas the 1.8-kb mRNA encodes a distinct a-tubulin isotype, the 2.4-kb mRNA is defective in that the methionine residue required for translational initiation is missing. Patterns of developmental expression of the various at-tubulin isotypes are presented. Our data support the view that individual tubulin isotypes are capable of conferring functional specificity on different kinds of microtubules.Microtubules are assembled from heterodimers of a-and ,B-tubulin together with microtubule-associated proteins. They function in a wide variety of ways in eucaryotic cells; for example, they have specific functions in the mitotic and meiotic spindle, in the centriole, in the manchette and flagellar axoneme of spermatozoa, in axonal transport in neurons, and in the marginal bands of platelets. Clearly, associated proteins such as kinesin (28) play a crucial role in conferring these and other specific functions on microtubules. Additionally, a-and f-tubulin proteins themselves show significant heterogeneity, and the tubulin isotypes described to date vary in their patterns of expression in an evolutionarily conserved manner (16). This heterogeneity in a-and ,-tubulins offers the potential of contributing to diversity of microtubule function in eucaryotic cells, either through differential polymerization of the various tubulin subunits, or by virtue of unique interaction(s) with associated proteins.In mammals, a-and ,B-tubulins are encoded by large multigene families (5). A significant fraction of the genes in these families are pseudogenes (5, 13), a fact that makes it difficult to distinguish functional from nonfunctional genomic tubulin sequences. To circumvent this problem and to study the important question of the tubulin repertoire of mammals, we decided to study expressed mouse tubulin genes at the mRNA level by exhaustive screening of cDNA libraries. We re...

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“…All eukaryotic organisms analyzed so far carry more than one copy of both a-and ,-tubulin genes (15)(16)(17)(18)(19). The individual genes are unlinked and dispersed throughout the genome (20).…”

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confidence: 99%

Tubulin genes of Trypanosoma brucei: a tightly clustered family of alternating genes.

Seebeck¹,

Whittaker²,

Imboden³

et al. 1983

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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African trypanosomes are the causative agents of many medically and economically important diseases of man and domestic animals. The cell body of these blood-dwelling protozoa is enveloped with a dense layer of pellicular microtubules, which confer both motility and mechanical stability on these cells; microtubules are also important components of the flagellum. The major structural components of the microtubuli are two related proteins, a-and fl-tubulin. We have analyzed the genomic organization of a-and f-tubulin genes in Trypanosoma brucei. In this organism, the majority of these genes are arranged in a single, tightly packed cluster of alternating a-and j3-tubulin genes, with a basic repeat length together of 3.6 kilobase pairs. A genomic library of T. brucei was constructed by using the phage vector A 1059, and recombinant phages carrying tubulin genes were isolated by screening the library with heterologous chicken tubulin cDNA probes. The results of restriction endonuclease and hybridization analysis of DNA isolated from recombinant phages, and subcloned fragments thereof, were compatible with the restriction maps derived from digestion and Southern blot hybridization of genomic DNA.Several members of the protozoan genus of Trypanosoma are pathogenic parasites of a wide variety of species, including man. African trypanosomes are the causative agents of human sleeping sickness (1-3) as well as of various economically disastrous diseases of domestic animals (4). Animal trypanosomiasis presently restricts cattle production in infested areas of Africa to less than 15% of the carrying capacity of the land. Thus, the various forms of trypanosomiasis constitute a major obstacle to the economic and social development of much of sub-Saharan Africa.We are currently studying the microtubular system of trypanosomes in view of its potential as a target structure for chemotherapeutic attack. The cell body of trypanosomes is tightly enveloped by a regular array of pellicular microtubules (5), which confer both motility and mechanical stability on these cells. In addition, microtubules are prominently involved in the structure of the flagellum, where they are arranged in the canonical 9 + 2 pattern.The principal components of microtubules are two related but distinct polypeptides, a-and f3-tubulin. Microtubules are formed from these subunits by a reversible polymerization reaction of a/f3-tubulin heterodimers (6). The (8, 9) and tubulin genes (10-14) have confirmed a high degree of evolutionary conservation.All eukaryotic organisms analyzed so far carry more than one copy of both a-and ,-tubulin genes (15-19). The individual genes are unlinked and dispersed throughout the genome (20). In the human genome, several tubulin pseudogenes have been detected in addition to the families of functional tubulin genes (11,12).In this paper, we describe the organization of the tubulin genes in Trypanosoma brucei. In this organism, a-and ,B-tubulin genes are also present in multiple copies but, unlike the situation in most ...

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Isolation of a multigene family containing human α-tubulin sequences

Cited by 21 publications

References 17 publications

Tandem arrangement of tubulin genes in the protozoan parasite Leishmania enriettii.

Tandem arrangement of tubulin genes in the protozoan parasite Leishmania enriettii.

Six mouse alpha-tubulin mRNAs encode five distinct isotypes: testis-specific expression of two sister genes.

Tubulin genes of Trypanosoma brucei: a tightly clustered family of alternating genes.

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