And High-Molecular-Weight Forms of MAP2 in the Developing Cerebellum
The Journal of Neuroscience, December 1999, 8(12): 4503-4512 The Sequential Appearance of Low- and High-Molecular-Weight Forms of MAP2 in the Developing Cerebellum R. P. Tucker,’ L. I. Binder,’ C. Viereck,’ B. A. Hemmings,’ and A. I. Matus’ ‘Friedrich Miescher Institute, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland, and *Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294 Mammalian microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAPS) exists shown that a number of MAPS promote the assemblyof tubulin in high-molecular-weight (M, -280,000) and low-molecular- into microtubulesand stabilize the resulting microtubulesagainst weight (M, -70,000) forms, with the latter protein being more the depolymerizing effects of cold and various pharmacological abundant in embryonic brain homogenates than in prepa- agents(Olmsted, 1986; Matus, 1988). The most abundant MAP rations from mature brain (Riederer and Matus, 1985). In the in the mammalian CNS, MAP2, displays each of these char- current study, we have shown that avian MAP2 also exists acteristics: (1) There are 2 closely related high-molecular-weight as both high- (M, -260,000) and low-molecular-weight (M, (HMW) forms of MAP2, MAP2a, and MAP2b, which change -65,000) forms whose relative abundance changes during in relative abundanceduring development (Binder et al., 1984; brain maturation, indicating a conserved function for these Burgoyne and Cummings, 1984);(2) MAP2 is found in dendrites proteins during vertebrate neuronal morphogenesis. Using and only rarely in axons (e.g., Cacereset al., 1984; DeCamilli indirect immunohistochemistry, we have determined the cel- et al., 1984; Huber and Matus, 1984b); and (3) MAP2 stabilizes lular distribution of the high- and low-molecular-weight forms and promotes the assembly of microtubules in vitro (Murphy of MAP2 in the developing avian cerebellum.
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