Expression of unphosphorylated class III beta-tubulin isotype in neuroepithelial cells demonstrates neuroblast commitment and differentiation.

Neuronal microtubules have unique stability properties achieved through developmental regulation at the expression and posttranslational levels on tubulins and microtubule associated proteins. One of the most specialized tubulins specific for neurons is class-III beta-tubulin (also known as beta6-tubulin). Both the upregulation and the post-translational processing of class-III beta-tubulin are believed to be essential throughout neuronal differentiation. The present investigation documents the temporal and spatial patterns of class-III beta-tubulin expression throughout neurogenesis. For this study a novel polyclonal antiserum named U-beta6, specific to unphosphorylated class-III beta-tubulin has been developed, characterized and compared with its commercial homologue TuJ-1. Our experiments indicate that the two antibodies recognize different forms of class-III beta-tubulin both in vitro and in vivo. Biochemical data revealed that U-beta6 bound unphosphorylated soluble class-III beta-tubulin specifically, while TuJ-1 recognized both the phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of the denatured protein. In vivo U-beta6 was associated with neurogenesis and labelled newly committed CNS and PNS neuroblasts expressing neuroepithelial cytoskeletal (nestin and vimentin) and surface markers (the anti-ganglioside supernatant, A2B5 and the polysialic acid neural adhesion molecule, PSA-NCAM), as well as differentiating neurons. These studies with U-beta6 illustrate three main developmental steps in the neuronal lineage: the commitment of neuroepithelial cells to the lineage (U-beta6 +ve/TuJ-1-ve cells); a differentiation stage (U-beta6 +ve/TuJ-1 +ve cells); and, finally, neuronal maturation correlating with a drop in unphosphorylated class-III beta-tubulin immunostaining levels. These investigations also conclude that U-beta6 is an earlier marker than TuJ-1 for the neuronal lineage in vivo, and it is thus the earliest neuronal lineage marker known so far.