Alpha-tubulin influences nucleotide binding to beta-tubulin: an assay using picomoles of unpurified protein.

Tubulin binds guanine nucleotides tightly within its beta subunit. Whether the alpha subunit influences binding to this site has been unknown. This question was addressed by comparing the nucleotide binding properties of the free beta subunit with those of the heterodimer. The free beta subunit was obtained from an in vitro expression system and its nucleotide binding properties were determined by an assay that requires approximately 100-fold less protein than conventional assays. This assay exploits the observation that the recovery of beta-tubulin from Mono Q anion-exchange columns is dependent on added nucleotide. Our results demonstrate that the newly synthesized beta subunit and the heterodimer bind nucleotides with similar specificity. We found that in the presence of magnesium the alpha subunit enhances GTP binding to the beta subunit approximately 4-fold. However, in the absence of magnesium the alpha subunit appears to specifically weaken GTP binding to the beta subunit. Thus, nucleotide binding to the E site in the heterodimer may not be solely defined by the beta subunit.