OP18/stathmin binds near the C-terminus of tubulin and facilitates GTP binding

It is has been previously suggested that the protein Op18/stathmin may inte ract with tubulin via the alpha-tubulin subunit [Larsson, N., Marklund, U., Melander Gradin, H., Brattsand, G. & Gullberg, M. (1997) Mel. Cell. Biol. 17, 5530-5539]. In this study we have used limited proteolysis and cross-li nking analysis to localize further the stathmin-binding site on a-tubulin. Our results indicate that such a binding site is in a region close to the C -terminus of the molecule comprising residues 307 to the subtilisin-cleavag e site on the ol-tubulin subunit. Based on a recent model of the structure of tubulin [Nogales, E., Wolf, S.G. & Dowing, D.H. (1998) Nature (London) 3 91, 199-203], we found that this region contained the same areas that may b e involved in longitudinal contacts of alpha-tubulin subunits within the mi crotubule. We also observed that the binding of stathmin to tubulin can mod ulate the binding of GTP to tubulin, as a consequence of a conformational c hange in the beta-tubulin subunit that occurs upon interaction of stathmin with tubulin.