Alpha-tubulin tails regulate axoneme differentiation

The tubulin tail is a key element for microtubule (MT) functionality, but the functional redundancy of tubulin genes complicates the genetic determination of their physiological functions. Here, we removed the C-terminal tail of five alpha- and four beta-tubulin genes in the C. elegans genome. Sensory cilia typically exhibit an axoneme that longitudinally differentiates into a middle segment with doublet MTs and a distal segment with singlet MTs. However, the excision of the alpha-tubulin tail, but not the beta-tubulin tail, resulted in the ectopic formation of doublet MTs in the distal segments. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the alpha-tubulin tail could prevent the B-tubule from docking on the surface of A-tubule. Using recombinant tubulins, we demonstrated that removing the alpha-tubulin tail efficiently promoted doublet MTs formation in vitro. These results reveal the vital and unique contributions of tubulin tails to the structural integrity and accuracy of axoneme MT organization.