Membrane-associated tubulin in the rat anterior pituitary and GH3 cells

• Published in: Neuroreport Vol. 5; no. 13; p. 1653
• Main Authors: Ravindra, R, Nagele, R G, Patel, S A, Freeman, T A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 15-08-1994
• Subjects: Animals; Cell Membrane - enzymology; Cell Membrane - metabolism; Cells, Cultured; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; GTP-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Ouabain - pharmacology; Pituitary Gland, Anterior - cytology; Pituitary Gland, Anterior - enzymology; Pituitary Gland, Anterior - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Signal Transduction - physiology; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase - metabolism; Tubulin - metabolism
• ISSN: 0959-4965
• DOI: 10.1097/00001756-199408150-00028

Plasma membranes from anterior pituitary lobes of rats and GH3 cells were exposed to monoclonal anti-beta tubulin antibodies or normal mouse IgG, and treated with FITC-labeled anti-mouse IgG. Specimens were visualized with a microscope equipped with epifluorescence optics. Tubulin-specific fluorescence was very prominent in membranes incubated with tubulin antibody and was negligible in membranes incubated with normal mouse IgG or FITC-labeled anti-mouse IgG alone. Two dimensional electrophoresis revealed that 27% of the rat pituitary tubulin is beta-tubulin and 73% is alpha-tubulin; 17% of the GH3 cell tubulin is beta-tubulin and 83% is alpha-tubulin. These results suggest that tubulin is a component of plasma membranes of the rat pituitary and GH3 cells.