Detyrosination is a form of posttranslational modification that occurs on alpha-tubulin. It consists of the removal of the C-terminal tyrosine to expose a glutamate at the newly formed C-terminus. Tubulin polymers, called microtubules, that contain detyrosinated alpha-tubulin are usually referred to as Glu-microtubules while unmodified polymers are called Tyr-microtubules.
Janke C, Bulinski JC (2011). “Post-translational regulation of the microtubule cytoskeleton: mechanisms and functions”. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 12 (12): 773–86. doi:10.1038/nrm3227. PMID 22086369.
The detyrosynating activity was first identified in the late 1970s. It is a slow acting enzyme that uses polymeric tubulin as a substrate. As a result, only stabilized microtubules accumulate this particular modification. Tubulin detyrosination is reversed by the tubulin-tyrosine ligase, which acts only on alpha-tubulin monomer. Since the majority of microtubules are very dynamic, they do not contain much detyrosinated tubulin.
Hallak ME, Rodriguez JA, Barra HS, Caputto R (1977). “Release of tyrosine from tyrosinated tubulin. Some common factors that affect this process and the assembly of tubulin”. FEBS Lett. 73 (2): 147–50. doi:10.1016/0014-5793(77)80968-x. PMID 838053. Ersfeld K, Wehland J, Plessmann U, Dodemont H, Gerke V, Weber K (1993). “Characterization of the tubulin-tyrosine ligase”. J Cell Biol. 120 (3): 725–32. doi:10.1083/jcb.120.3.725. PMC 2119537. PMID 8093886
In enzymology, a tubulin—tyrosine ligase (EC 6.3.2.25) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
ATP + detyrosinated α-tubulin + L-tyrosine 
The 3 substrates of this enzyme are ATP, detyrosinated alpha-tubulin, and L-tyrosine, whereas its 3 products are alpha-tubulin, ADP, and phosphate. This enzyme belongs to the family of ligases, specifically those forming carbon-nitrogen bonds as acid-D-amino-acid ligases (peptide synthases). The systematic name of this enzyme class is alpha-tubulin:L-tyrosine ligase (ADP-forming).
Wehland J, Schroder HC, Weber K (1986). “Isolation and purification of tubulin tyrosine ligase”. Methods Enzymol. 134: 170–9. doi:10.1016/0076-6879(86)34086-2. PMID 3821560. Rudiger M, Wehland J, Weber K (1994). “The carboxy-terminal peptide of detyrosinated alpha tubulin provides a minimal system to study the substrate specificity of tubulin-tyrosine ligase”. Eur. J. Biochem. 220 (2): 309–20. doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1994.tb18627.x. PMID 7510228.
See also
References
- Vasohibins/SVBP are tubulin carboxypeptidases (TCPs) that regulate neuron differentiation. Aillaud C, Bosc C, Peris L, Bosson A, Heemeryck P, Van Dijk J, Le Friec J, Boulan B, Vossier F, Sanman LE, Syed S, Amara N, Couté Y, Lafanechère L, Denarier E, Delphin C, Pelletier L, Humbert S, Bogyo M, Andrieux A, Rogowski K, Moutin MJ. Science. 2017 Dec 15;358(6369):1448-1453. doi: 10.1126/science.aao4165. Epub 2017 Nov 16. PMID: 29146868
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