An isoenergetic exchange mechanism which accounts for tubulin-GDP stabilization of microtubules.

We have developed a coupled enzyme system composed of hexokinase, glucose, and nucleoside diphosphate kinase which is able to rapidly convert GTP at the exchangeable nucleotide binding site of tubulin to GDP. Using this method, we have studied the dynamic properties of microtubules and tubulin subunits in the presence of GDP. Conversion of GTP to GDP causes microtubules to change to a new, somewhat lower steady state level; dilution studies show that subunits disassemble from microtubules at steady state in the presence of GDP at a rate comparable to that in the presence of GTP; in reactions of existing microtubules with tubulin-GDP subunits it was found that tubulin-GDP subunits do not participate in net microtubule elongation. From these observations we conclude that in the presence of tubulin-GDP the microtubule steady state has an unusual property; in spite of the fact that the microtubule is continuously undergoing rapid subunit loss, but not subunit addition, a nearly constant steady state level of microtubule mass is maintained. This must mean that tubulin-GDP subunits, although unable to participate in a net addition, can participate in additions each of which compensates for the dissociation of a single subunit from the microtubule. This is equivalent to the existence of an isoenergetic exchange of a tubulin-GDP in solution for a subunit which had been lost from the end of a microtubule.