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Genetically separable functions of the MEC-17 tubulin acetyltransferase affect microtubule organization

Irini Topalidou1, Charles Keller, Nereo Kalebic

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.

Current Biology : CB
|June 5, 2012
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

The enzyme MEC-17 (α-tubulin acetyltransferase) produces 15-protofilament microtubules in touch neurons. While essential for microtubule structure, its enzymatic activity isn't required for touch sensation.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Cytoskeleton Dynamics

Background:

  • Microtubules (MTs) are crucial cellular structures assembled from tubulin dimers.
  • Most cells utilize 13-protofilament (13-p) MTs, but the mechanisms determining protofilament number remain unclear.
  • Protofilament number may be influenced by the specific types of α- and β-tubulins present.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Caenorhabditis elegans α-tubulin acetyltransferase (α-TAT) MEC-17 in microtubule formation.
  • To determine the necessity of MEC-17's enzymatic activity for microtubule structure and function in touch receptor neurons (TRNs).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized genetic manipulation to study the effects of MEC-17 loss-of-function and enzymatic inactivation in C. elegans.
  • Examined microtubule protofilament number, organization, and TRN axonal morphology.
  • Assessed touch sensitivity and process outgrowth in relation to MEC-17 function.

Main Results:

  • MEC-17's enzymatic activity is essential for producing 15-protofilament MTs in TRNs; without it, MTs with 11-15 protofilaments form.
  • Loss of MEC-17 enzymatic activity alters TRN microtubule organization and axonal morphology.
  • Enzymatically inactive MEC-17 supports touch sensitivity and axon outgrowth, indicating these functions are independent of its MT-structuring role.

Conclusions:

  • α-TAT (MEC-17) plays a specific role in microtubule assembly and the formation of higher-order microtubule structures.
  • MEC-17 possesses distinct functions: one dependent on its acetyltransferase activity (determining protofilament number) and others independent of it (e.g., maintaining internal MT structures).
  • The abundance of 15-protofilament MTs in TRNs is not essential for mechanosensation.

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