Biomaterial Database

Stable microtubules in starfish sperm flagellum: their structures and heterogeneity of tubulin. 1982

Y Kobayashi

Tubulin from either outer doublet microtubules or the central pair of microtubules in the starfish sperm flagellum was resolved into two alpha-subunits and one beta-subunit by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Further fractionation of the doublet microtubules into B-tubules, A-tubules, and 'partitions,' i.e. a part of the A-tubule wall shared with the B-tubule, revealed that all these fractions contained two alpha-subunits (alpha 1 and alpha 2) and one beta-subunit of tubulin, the ratios of alpha/beta being almost one. Both the B-tubule and the wall of the A-tubule exclusive of the partition consisted of alpha 1- and alpha 2-subunits in addition to beta-subunits, while the partition was much richer in the alpha 1-subunit than the alpha 2-subunit. Peptide mapping after limited proteolysis of tubulin subunits from the central pair, the wall of outer doublet microtubules except the partition, and the partition, indicated that alpha-subunits and beta-subunits from the former two sources were quite similar to each other, but distinguishable from the alpha-subunit (alpha 1') and beta-subunit of the partition. On the basis of these results, it can be said that at least three subspecies of alpha-subunit and two subspecies of beta-subunit exist in 'stable microtubules' found in the sperm flagellum. Under the electron microscope, the partition fraction contained ribbons consisting of two and three protofilaments. These results suggest that each of the two adjacent protofilaments constituting the partition is a thread of alpha 1' = beta dimers. In the partition, there were also five constitutive polypeptides in addition to tubulin.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008870	Microtubules	Slender, cylindrical filaments found in the cytoskeleton of plant and animal cells. They are composed of the protein TUBULIN and are influenced by TUBULIN MODULATORS.	Microtubule
D002621	Chemistry	A basic science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter; and the reactions that occur between substances and the associated energy exchange.
D004591	Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel	Electrophoresis in which a polyacrylamide gel is used as the diffusion medium.	Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis,SDS-PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-PAGE,Gel Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide,SDS PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-PAGEs
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013082	Sperm Tail	The posterior filiform portion of the spermatozoon (SPERMATOZOA) that provides sperm motility.	Sperm Flagellum,Flagellum, Sperm,Flagellums, Sperm,Sperm Flagellums,Sperm Tails,Tail, Sperm,Tails, Sperm
D013094	Spermatozoa	Mature male germ cells derived from SPERMATIDS. As spermatids move toward the lumen of the SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES, they undergo extensive structural changes including the loss of cytoplasm, condensation of CHROMATIN into the SPERM HEAD, formation of the ACROSOME cap, the SPERM MIDPIECE and the SPERM TAIL that provides motility.	Sperm,Spermatozoon,X-Bearing Sperm,X-Chromosome-Bearing Sperm,Y-Bearing Sperm,Y-Chromosome-Bearing Sperm,Sperm, X-Bearing,Sperm, X-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperm, Y-Bearing,Sperm, Y-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperms, X-Bearing,Sperms, X-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperms, Y-Bearing,Sperms, Y-Chromosome-Bearing,X Bearing Sperm,X Chromosome Bearing Sperm,X-Bearing Sperms,X-Chromosome-Bearing Sperms,Y Bearing Sperm,Y Chromosome Bearing Sperm,Y-Bearing Sperms,Y-Chromosome-Bearing Sperms
D013215	Starfish	Echinoderms having bodies of usually five radially disposed arms coalescing at the center.	Sea Star,Seastar,Starfishes,Sea Stars,Seastars
D014404	Tubulin	A microtubule subunit protein found in large quantities in mammalian brain. It has also been isolated from SPERM FLAGELLUM; CILIA; and other sources. Structurally, the protein is a dimer with a molecular weight of approximately 120,000 and a sedimentation coefficient of 5.8S. It binds to COLCHICINE; VINCRISTINE; and VINBLASTINE.	alpha-Tubulin,beta-Tubulin,delta-Tubulin,epsilon-Tubulin,gamma-Tubulin,alpha Tubulin,beta Tubulin,delta Tubulin,epsilon Tubulin,gamma Tubulin
D055598	Chemical Phenomena	The composition, structure, conformation, and properties of atoms and molecules, and their reaction and interaction processes.	Chemical Concepts,Chemical Processes,Physical Chemistry Concepts,Physical Chemistry Processes,Physicochemical Concepts,Physicochemical Phenomena,Physicochemical Processes,Chemical Phenomenon,Chemical Process,Physical Chemistry Phenomena,Physical Chemistry Process,Physicochemical Phenomenon,Physicochemical Process,Chemical Concept,Chemistry Process, Physical,Chemistry Processes, Physical,Concept, Chemical,Concept, Physical Chemistry,Concept, Physicochemical,Concepts, Chemical,Concepts, Physical Chemistry,Concepts, Physicochemical,Phenomena, Chemical,Phenomena, Physical Chemistry,Phenomena, Physicochemical,Phenomenon, Chemical,Phenomenon, Physicochemical,Physical Chemistry Concept,Physicochemical Concept,Process, Chemical,Process, Physical Chemistry,Process, Physicochemical,Processes, Chemical,Processes, Physical Chemistry,Processes, Physicochemical