We have isolated and analysed an α-tubulin-encoding gene (atub1) in an early-diverging eukaryote, Trichomonas vaginalis. The complete atub1 open reading frame included 1,356 bp encoding a polypeptide of 452 amino-acyl residues. A second α-tubulin gene (atub2) was amplified by PCR using primers derived from consensus α-tubulin amino acid sequences. Both T. vaginalis α-tubulin sequences showed high identity to those described in other parabasalids (94.4%–97.3%), and exhibited a high degree of similarity to sequences from Metazoa (such as pig brain) and diplomonads (such as Giardia). Despite large evolutionary distances previously observed between trichomonads and mammals, the three-dimensional model of the T. vaginalis tubulin dimer was very similar to that of pig brain. Possible correlations between α-tubulin sequences and posttranslational modifications (PTMs) were examined. Our observations corroborated previous data obtained in T. vaginalis using specific anti-PTMs antibodies. As described in the related species Tritrichomonas mobilensis, microtubules are likely acetylated, non-tyrosinated, glutamylated, and non-glycylated in T. vaginalis. Evolutionary considerations concerning the time of appearance of these tubulin PTMs are also discussed since trichomonads are potentially one of the earliest diverging eukaryotic lineages.
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1 November 2001
Tubulins in Trichomonas vaginalis: Molecular Characterization of α-Tubulin Genes, Posttranslational Modifications, and Homology Modeling of the Tubulin Dimer
CHRISTOPHE NOËL,
DELPHINE GERBOD,
NAOMI. M. FAST,
RENÉ WINTJENS,
PILAR DELGADO-VISCOGLIOSI,
W. FORD DOOLITTLE,
ERIC VISCOGLIOSI
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The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology
Vol. 48 • No. 6
November 2001
Vol. 48 • No. 6
November 2001
eukaryotic evolution
trichomonad
tri-dimensional structure
tubulin posttranslational modifications
α-tubulin sequences