Inhibition of microtubule assembly by phosphorylation of microtubule-associated proteins

32P labeling of microtubular protein by endogenous protein kinase activity is shown to result from a net increase in protein-bound phosphate and is not the result of a phosphate exchange reaction between ATP and phosphoprotein. Protein phosphorylation is maximal in the presence of 0.5 mM Mg2+ and 0.25 mM ATP, resulting in approximately 2.8 nmol of phosphate/mg of protein. However, phosphorylation can be increased two-to threefold by cAMP. The protein substrates for phosphorylation either the absence or presence of cAMP are the microtubule-associated proteins which copurify with tubulin and promote microtubule assembly. Phosphorylation of microtubule-associated proteins inhibits both the rate and extent of microtubule assembly when the protein is exposed to conditions which result in dissociation of rings. These results are taken to indicate that phosphorylation modifies MAPs so that they have a reduced ability to form an assembly-competent complex with tubulin.