A fourth component of the fission yeast gamma-tubulin complex, Alp16, is required for cytoplasmic microtubule integrity and becomes indispensable when gamma-tubulin function is compromised.

ABSTRACT: gamma-Tubulin functions as a multiprotein complex, called the gamma-tubulin complex (gamma-TuC), and composes the microtubule organizing center (MTOC). Fission yeast Alp4 and Alp6 are homologues of two conserved gamma-TuC proteins, hGCP2 and hGCP3, respectively. We isolated a novel gene, alp16(+), as a multicopy suppressor of temperature-sensitive alp6-719 mutants. alp16(+) encodes a 759-amino-acid protein with two conserved regions found in all other members of gamma-TuC components. In addition, Alp16 contains an additional motif, which shows homology to hGCP6/Xgrip210. Gene disruption shows that alp16(+) is not essential for cell viability. However, alp16 deletion displays abnormally long cytoplasmic microtubules, which curve around the cell tip. Furthermore, alp16-deleted mutants are hy

SUBMITTER: Fujita A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC117319 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature