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Tektins as structural determinants in basal bodies

R E Stephens¹, N A Lemieux

¹Department of Physiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts 02118, USA. rstephen@bu.edu

Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton

|August 26, 1998

Summary

Tektins, essential microtubule proteins, are identified in basal bodies and centrioles, not just cilia and flagella. This study reveals tektins

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Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Microtubule Structure
Protein Biochemistry

Background:

Tektins are highly insoluble protein components forming protofilaments in cilia and flagella outer doublet microtubules.
Their presence and function in other microtubule structures like centrioles and basal bodies remain largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify and quantify tektins in compound microtubules beyond cilia and flagella, specifically centrioles and basal bodies.
To investigate the distribution and relative abundance of tektins in different microtubule-based organelles.

Main Methods:

Generation and affinity purification of a rabbit antiserum against tektin filaments from surf clam sperm flagella.
Immunoblotting and immunofluorescence microscopy to detect and localize tektins in various cell preparations (axonemes, basal bodies, cilia).
Quantitative immunoblotting to determine tektin to tubulin ratios in outer doublets and basal bodies.

Main Results:

The developed antibodies recognized analogous tektins across diverse organisms, from ctenophores to vertebrates.
Tektins were detected in basal body-enriched preparations and localized to individual basal bodies.
Basal bodies showed a higher tektin to tubulin ratio (approx. 1:13) compared to outer doublets (1:17) and exhibited distinct tektin solubility classes.

Conclusions:

Tektins are integral components of basal bodies, suggesting a broader role in microtubule organization beyond cilia and flagella.
The differential tektin to tubulin ratio and solubility in basal bodies imply distinct structural roles, potentially at the B-C junction of triplet microtubules.

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