Specific antibodies for tyrosinated and detyrosinated tubulin recognize retina tubulin subpopulations that do not participate in the posttranslational tyrosination/detyrosination cycle.

We have used the monoclonal YL 1/2 (Tyr antibody) and polyclonal (Glu antibody) antibodies, specific for tyrosinated and detyrosinated tubulin, respectively, to determine the levels and cellular distribution of these tubulin species in chick retina during development. At embryonic day 4, detyrosinated tubulin was restricted to the ganglion cells of the fundic region. As development progresses, immunofluorescence also appears, first, in the outermost zone of the retina and then in the plexiform layers. The Tyr antibody staining was found in the different layers and it was fairly homogeneous in distribution. Analysis by dot immunobinding showed that the ratios of tyrosinated to detyrosinated tubulin obtained at different ages do not agree with those obtained previously by an enzymatic method based on the incorporation of [14C]tyrosine. We found that the lack of coincidence is due to the fact that a fraction of the tubulin species determined by the Tyr and Glu antibodies does not participate in the posttranslational tyrosination/detyrosination cycle. This is a novel concept that should be considered in the interpretations of immunofluorescence studies concerning the cellular distribution of tyrosinated and detyrosinated tubulin.