High impact information on TUA5

• Here, Arabidopsis hypocotyl microtubules wershee labelled with AtEB1a-GFP (Arabidopsis microtubule end-binding protein 1a) or GFP-TUA6 (Arabidopsis alpha-tubulin 6) to record long cycles of reorientation [1].
• The small genome of Arabidopsis contains at least six expressed alpha-tubulin genes [2].
• In contrast to the alpha-tubulin (TUA) genes with their divergent intron patterns, all nine TUB genes contain 2 introns at conserved positions [3].
• A comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of the A. thaliana alpha-tubulin with the predicted amino acid sequences of alpha-tubulins of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Stylonychia lemnae, and Homo spaiens reveals a high degree of homology; 90%, 87%, and 83% identity, respectively [4].
• Microtubular involvement is further suspected from the finding that some helical mutants are caused by single amino acid substitutions in alpha-tubulin and because of the sensitivity of the growth pattern to anti-microtubule drugs [5].

Biological context of TUA5

• Several independent transgenic lines that showed a moderate but clear reduction of alpha-tubulin gene expression (TUA6/AS lines) were obtained and phenotypically characterized [6].
• Reduced expression of alpha-tubulin genes in Arabidopsis thaliana specifically affects root growth and morphology, root hair development and root gravitropism [6].
• Maize alpha-tubulin genes are expressed according to specific patterns of cell differentiation [7].
• The DNA sequence analysis of coding and non-coding regions from the clones showed that they can be classified into three different alpha-tubulin gene subfamilies [8].
• We propose that the N-terminal appendage introduced into alpha-tubulin inhibits GTP hydrolysis, thus producing polymerization-prone microtubules with an extended GTP cap [9].

Anatomical context of TUA5

• The analysis of the changes in gene expression by hypergravity treatment in Arabidopsis hypocotyls by the differential display method showed that a gene encoding alpha-tubulin, which is a component of microtubules, was up-regulated by hypergravity [10].

Associations of TUA5 with chemical compounds

• Moreover, a dinitroaniline-resistant biotype of goosegrass (Eleusine indica (L) Gaertn) with a point mutation in alpha-tubulin showed cross-resistance against CA1 and CA2 [11].

Other interactions of TUA5

• The expression levels of all six alpha-tubulin genes, TUA1-TUA6, were increased by increasing gravity, although the extent was variable among genes [10].

References