Different stability of posttranslationally modified brain microtubules isolated from cold-temperate fish

Microtubule proteins were isolated by a temperature-dependent assembly-disassembly method from brain tissue of for cold-temperature fish; one fresh water fish (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and three marine fish (Labrus berggylta, Zoarces viviparus and Gadus morhua). The alpha-tubulins from all four fish species were acetylated. The alpha-tubulins from the marine fish were composed of a mixture of tyrosinated and detyrosinated tubulin, while the fresh water fish tubulin only reacted with an antibody against detyrosinated tubulin. The isolated microtubules had a similar MAP composition. A 400 kD protein and a MAP2-like protein were found, but MAP1 was missing. All microtubules disassembled upon cooling to 0 degrees C. In spite of these common characteristics, the assembly of microtubules from Labrus berggylta was inhibited by colchicine and calcium, in contrast to the assembly of microtubules from Oncorhynchus mykiss and Zoarces viviparus. For the latter, colchicine was not completely inhibitory even at a concentration as high as 1 mM, and calcium induced the formation of both loosely and densely coiled ribbons. The effects of calcium and colchicine on microtubules from Oncorhynchus mykiss and Zoarces viviparus were modulated by either fish or cow MAPs, indicating that the effects are due to intrinsic properties of the fish tubulins and not the MAPs. In view of these findings, our results suggest that there is no correlation between colchicine sensitivity, inability of calcium to inhibit microtubule assembly, and acetylation and detyrosination.