Possible control for tubulin synthesis during early development of an insect
✍ Scribed by Jäckle, Herbert
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1980
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 717 KB
- Volume
- 214
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-104X
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
Tubulin represents a major protein component synthesized during early embryogenesis of the chironomid midge Smittia spec. Both α‐ and β‐tubulin were identified by immunoprecipitation and subsequent analysis by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis using purified Drosophila microtubule proteins as a marker. The synthesis of tubulin in Smittia embryos was not localized within regions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The messenger RNA for both α‐ and β‐tubulin appeared to be maternal in origin (maternal mRNA). The in vivo ratio of [^35^S]‐methionine incorporation into α‐tubulin relative to β‐tubulin was 1:2.1, and constant at least until the end of blastoderm stage. In a rabbit reticulocyte lysate, tubulin synthesis was directed by total RNA, poly(A)‐containing RNA, and nonpoly(A)‐containing RNA extracted from eggs immediately after deposition. However, the in vitro ratio of [^35^S]‐methionine incorporation into α‐ and β‐tubulin was 1:1. The results suggest that tubulin is synthesized in the early embryo using maternal mRNA. Therefore, posttranscriptional rather than transcriptional processess seem to regulate the synthesis of α‐tubulin relative to β‐tubulin.