Isolation of a subpellicular microtubule protein from Trypanosoma brucei that mediates crosslinking of microtubules.

The cell body of Trypanosomatidae is enclosed in densely packed, crosslinked, subpellicular microtubules closely underlying the plasma membrane. We isolated the subpellicular microtubules from bloodstream Trypanosoma brucei parasites by use of a zwitterion detergent. These cold stable structures were solubilized by a high ionic strength salt solution, and the soluble proteins that contained tubulin along with several other proteins were further fractionated by Mono S cation exchange column chromatography. Two distinct peaks were eluted containing one protein each, which had an apparent molecular weight of 52 kDa and 53 kDa. (Mr was determined by SDS-gel electrophoresis). Only the 52 kDa protein showed specific tubulin binding properties, which were demonstrated by exposure of nitrocellulose-bound trypanosome proteins to brain tubulin. When this protein was added to brain tubulin in the presence of taxol and GTP, microtubule bundles were formed with regular crosslinks between the parallel closely packed microtubules. The crosslinks were about 7.2 nm apart (center to center). Under the same conditions, but with the 53 kDA protein or without trypanosome derived proteins, brain tubulin polymerized to single microtubules. It is thus suggested that the unique structural organization of the subpellicular microtubules is dictated by specific parasite proteins and is not an inherent property of the polymerizing tubulin. The in vitro reconstituted microtubule bundles are strikingly similar to the subpellicular microtubule network of the parasite.