Microtubules are cytoskeletal filaments composed of of alpha-/beta-tubulin heterodimers that self-assemble head-to-tail to form protofilaments and laterally to form a hollow tube. Various post-translational modifications (PTMs), including acetylation, polyglutamylation, polyglycylation, detyrosination, phosphorylation, and palmitoylation, can regulate the polymerization properties of tubulins and/or their interactions with microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) and motor proteins. A subset of cytoplasmic microtubules and microtubules in the spindle, axon, and cilia are known to contain alpha-tubulin acetylated via the epsilon-amino group of Lysine-40 (K40). The GNAT lysine acetyltransferase family member MEC-17 (or alpha-tubulin acetyltransferase/alphaTAT) catalyzes K40 acetylation, while HDAC6 and sirtuin2 (SIRT2) are known to catalyze tubulin deacetylation. Experimental evidences indicate that K40 acetylation primes alpha-tubulin for further PTM(s), which cannot be reversed by later deactylation of K40ac. Subsequently, the acetylated and deacetylated alpha-tubulin in native microtubules are structurally distinct from that of unacetylated alpha-tubulin (never before has its K40 acetylated).
Synonyms: Tubulin alpha-1 chain, acetyl-alpha tubulin
Application: Western Blotting Analysis: 4.0 µg/mL from a representative lot detected acetyl-alpha tubulin in 10 µg of mouse brain tissue lysate.Immunocytochemistry Analysis: A representative lot detected acetylated alpha-tubulin in cultured normal human kidney epithelial cells (Courtesy of Dr Christopher Ward, University of Kansas Medical Center).Western Blotting Analysis: A representative lot detected alpha-tubulin in sea urchin sperm axoneme lysates, but not in lysates from taxol-stabilized microtubules from sea urchin eggs (Piperno, G., and Fuller, M. (1985). J Cell Biol.101(6):2085-2094).Dot Blot Analysis: A representative lot detected alpha-tubulin in both the ionic detergent Sarkosyl-soluble and insoluble fractions from sea urchin spern axoneme extracts (Piperno, G., and Fuller, M. (1985). J Cell Biol.101(6):2085-2094).Immunocytochemistry Analysis: A representative lot detected acetylated and deacetylated, but not unacetylated alpha-tubulin in COS-7 green monkey kidney fibroblasts and Ptk2 rat kangaroo kidney epithelial cells by fluorescent immunocytochemistry (Soppina V., et al. (2012). PLoS One. 7(10):e48204).Electron Microscopy Analysis: The Fab fragment of clone 6-11B-1 has been shown to stain Taxol-stabilized microtubules polymerized in vitro from purified bovine brain tubulin with or without SIRT2-catalyzed deacetylation (Soppina V., et al. (2012). PLoS One. 7(10):e48204).
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Other Notes: Concentration: Please refer to lot specific datasheet.