Johnson-Schlitz, D. M. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2021

Acetylated α-tubulin residue K394 regulates microtubule stability to shape the growth of axon terminals

Microtubules are essential to neuron shape and function. Therefore, the stability of the microtubule cytoskeleton must be carefully regulated. Acetylation of tubulin has the potential to directly tune microtubule stability, and proteomic studies have identified several acetylation sites in -tubulin. This includes the highly conserved residue lysine 394 (K394), which is located at the {beta}-tubulin dimer interface. Using a fly model, we show that -tubulin K394 is acetylated in the nervous system and is an essential residue. We found that an acetylation-blocking mutation in endogenous -tubulin, K394R, perturbs the synaptic morphogenesis of motoneurons by reducing microtubule stability. Intriguingly, the K394R mutation has opposite effects on the growth of two functionally and morphologically distinct motoneurons, revealing neuron-type-specific responses when microtubule stability is altered. Eliminating the deacetylase HDAC6 increases K394 acetylation, and the over-expression of HDAC6 reduces microtubule stability similar to the K394 mutant. Thus, our findings implicate -tubulin K394 and its acetylation in the regulation of microtubule stability and suggest that HDAC6 regulates K394 acetylation during synaptic morphogenesis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2017

Effects of mutating α-tubulin lysine 40 on sensory dendrite development

Microtubules are essential to neuronal structure and function. Axonal and dendritic microtubules are enriched in post-translational modifications that impact microtubule dynamics, transport, and microtubule-associated proteins. Acetylation of -tubulin lysine 40 (K40) is a prominent, conserved modification of neuronal microtubules. However, the cellular role of microtubule acetylation remains controversial. To resolve how microtubule acetylation might affect neuronal morphogenesis we mutated endogenous -tubulin in vivo using a new fly strain that facilitates the rapid knock-in of designer -tubulin alleles. Leveraging our new strain, we found that microtubule acetylation, as well as polyglutamylation and (de)tyrosination, is not essential for survival. However, we found that dendrite branch refinement in sensory neurons relies on -tubulin K40. Mutagenesis of K40 reveals moderate yet significant changes in dendritic lysosome transport, microtubule polymerization, and Futsch distribution in dendrites but not axons. Our studies point to an unappreciated role for -tubulin K40 and acetylation in dendrite morphogenesis. While our results are consistent with the idea that microtubule acetylation patterns microtubule function within neurons, they also suggest there may be a structural requirement for -tubulin K40.\n\nSummary StatementNeurons are enriched in post-translationally modified microtubules. Targeted mutagenesis of endogenous -tubulin in flies reveals that dendrite branch refinement is altered by acetylation-blocking mutations.

cell biology↗