Anti-alpha Tubulin antibody [DM1A] (HRP) (ab40742)

Relevance

Microtubules are involved in a wide variety of cellular activities ranging from mitosis and transport events to cell movement and the maintenance of cell shape. Tubulin itself is a globular protein which consists of two polypeptides (alpha and beta tubulin). Alpha and beta tubulin dimers are assembled to 13 protofilaments that form a microtubule of 22 nm diameter. Tyrosine ligase adds a C-terminal tyrosin to monomeric alpha tubulin. Assembled microtubules can again be detyrosinated by a cytoskeleton associated carboxypeptidase. Detyrosinated alpha tubulin is referred to as Glu-tubulin. Another post-translational modification of detyrosinated alpha tubulin is C-terminal polyglutamylation which is characteristic for microtubules in neuronal cells and the mitotic spindle. Alpha tubulin is not suitable as a loading control in adipose tissue as expression of tubulin in adipose tissue is very low ( Spiegelman and Farmer, Cell, 1982, 29(1): 53-60, "in cells undergoing adipose differentiation actin synthesis decreases by 90%").

Cellular localization

Major constituent of Microtubules

Alternative names

Database links