Polyglutamylase activity of tubulin tyrosine ligase-like 4 is negatively regulated by the never in mitosis gene A family kinase never in mitosis gene A-related kinase 5

BACKGROUND Tubulins,building blocks of microtubules,are modified substrates of diverse post-translational modifications including phosphorylation,polyglycylation and polyglutamylation.Polyglutamylation of microtubules,catalyzed by enzymes from the tubulin tyrosine ligase-like(TTLL)family,can regulate interactions with molecular motors and other proteins.Due to the diversity and functional importance of microtubule modifications,strict control of the TTLL enzymes has been suggested.AIM To characterize the interaction between never in mitosis gene A-related kinase 5(NEK5)and TTLL4 proteins and the effects of TTLL4 phosphorylation.METHODS The interaction between NEK5 and TTLL4 was identified by yeast two-hybrid screening using the C-terminus of NEK5(a.a.260–708)as bait and confirmed by immunoprecipitation.The phosphorylation sites of TTLL4 were identified by mass spectrometry and point mutations were introduced.RESULTS Here,we show that NEK5 interacts with TTLL4 and regulates its polyglutamylation activity.We further show that NEK5 can also interact with TTLL5 and TTLL7.The silencing of NEK5 increases the levels of polyglutamylation of proteins by increasing the activity of TTLL4.The same effects were observed after the expression of the catalytically inactive form of NEK5.This regulation of TTLL4 activity involves its phosphorylation at Y815 and S1136 amino acid residues.CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate,for the first time,the regulation of TTLL activity through phosphorylation,pointing to NEK5 as a potential effector kinase.We also suggest a general control of tubulin polyglutamylation through NEK family members in human cells.

A rice tubulin tyrosine ligase-like 12 protein affects the dynamic and orientation of microtubules

The detyrosination/retyrosination cycle is the most common post-translational modification of α-tubulin.Removal of the conserved C-terminal tyrosine of α-tubulin by a still elusive tubulin tyrosine carboxypeptidase, and religation of this tyrosine by a tubulin tyrosine ligase(TTL), are probably common to all eukaryotes. Interestingly, for plants, the only candidates qualifying as potential TTL homologs are the tubulin tyrosine ligase-like 12 proteins. To get insight into the biological functions of these potential TTL homologs, we cloned the rice TTL-like 12 protein(Os TTLL12)andgeneratedoverexpression Os TTLL12-RFP lines in both rice and tobacco BY-2 cells. We found, unexpectedly, that overexpression of this Os TTLL12-RFP increased the relative abundance of detyrosinated α-tubulin in both coleoptile and seminal root, correlated with more stable microtubules. This was independent of the respective orientation of cortical microtubule, and followed by correspondingly changing growth of coleoptiles and seminal roots. A perturbed organization of phragmoplast microtubules and disoriented cell walls were further characteristics of this phenotype. Thus, the elevated tubulin detyrosination in consequence of Os TTLL12 overexpression affects structural and dynamic features of microtubules, followed by changes in the axiality of cell plate deposition and, consequently, plant growth.