A centrosomal antigen localized on intermediate filaments and mitotic spindle poles

A monoclonal antibody (CTR2611) raised against centrosomes isolated from human lymphocytes (KE37) stains the pericentriolar material and intermediate filaments in the same cells. In MDCK cells, where most of the microtubules do not originate from the pericentriolar region during interphase, the antigen is distributed along intermediate filaments. At the onset of mitosis, a large fraction of the CTR2611 antigen associates with the minus-end domain of the microtubules of the mitotic spindle but not with the pericentriolar region itself. Treatment of mitotic MDCK cells with taxol leads to the assembly of many microtubule asters in the cytoplasm at the expense of the mitotic spindle. The CTR2611 antigen is present in the center of each of these asters. Similar asters can also be produced in vitro by adding taxol to concentrated Xenopus egg mitotic cytoplasm. Again, the antigen is found close to the center of the asters. These results suggest that CTR2611 antigen is associated with a material involved in microtubule nucleation or microtubule minus-end stabilization. The monoclonal antibody recognizes a 74 x 10(3) Mr polypeptide and other polypeptides at 120 x 10(3) Mr and 170 x 10(3) Mr. The 74 x 10(3) Mr polypeptide is found in all species examined so far, suggesting that it contains a highly conserved epitope.