ε-tubulin is essential in Tetrahymena thermophila for the assembly and stability of basal bodies.

ABSTRACT: Basal bodies and centrioles are conserved microtubule-based organelles the improper assembly of which leads to a number of diseases, including ciliopathies and cancer. Tubulin family members are conserved components of these structures that are integral to their proper formation and function. We have identified the ε-tubulin gene in Tetrahymena thermophila and detected the protein, through fluorescence of a tagged allele, to basal bodies. Immunoelectron microscopy has shown that ε-tubulin localizes primarily to the core microtubule scaffold. A complete genomic knockout of ε-tubulin has revealed that it is an essential gene required for the assembly and maintenance of the triplet microtubule blades of basal bodies. We have conducted site-directed mutagenesis of the ε-tubulin gene and shown

SUBMITTER: Ross I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3730247 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature