Axoneme beta-tubulin sequence determines attachment of outer dynein arms.

ABSTRACT: Axonemes of motile eukaryotic cilia and flagella have a conserved structure of nine doublet microtubules surrounding a central pair of microtubules. Outer and inner dynein arms on the doublets mediate axoneme motility [1]. Outer dynein arms (ODAs) attach to the doublets at specific interfaces [2-5]. However, the molecular contacts of ODA-associated proteins with tubulins of the doublet microtubules are not known. We report here that attachment of ODAs requires glycine 56 in the beta-tubulin internal variable region (IVR). We show that in Drosophila spermatogenesis, a single amino acid change at this position results in sperm axonemes markedly deficient in ODAs. Moreover, we found that axonemal beta-tubulins throughout the phylogeny have invariant glycine 56 and a strongly conserved IVR, wh

SUBMITTER: Raff EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2766918 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature