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Table 2 Insect alpha tubulin sequence features.

From: Tubulin evolution in insects: gene duplication and subfunctionalization provide specialized isoforms in a functionally constrained gene family

Isoform

Function

Average and maximum pairwise distances

-COOH terminus sequence

Post-translational modification sites/Conserved sequence features

  

Drosophila

Mosquito

All Insects

  

α1

Major isoform

α1a: Somatic and Testis function in Dm , somatic only in Bm

α1b: low level somatic in Dm

0.000 +/- 0.000

(n = 17)

0.004 +/- 0.002

(n = 4)

Average

0.010 +/- 0.003 (n = 9)

Maximum 0.086

(n = 18)

Ha α1a DLAALEKDY EEVGVDSADA EGEEEGEEY

Ha α1b DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSADG EDIEGGDEY

Ha α1c DLATLEKDY EEVGIDTADG EDDEEANDY

Dm α1a DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSGDG EGEGAEEY

Dm α1b DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSGDG EGEGAEEY

Ae α1a DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSGEG EGEGAEEY

Ae α1b DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSGEG EGEGAEEY

Ag α1a DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSGEG EGEGAEEY

Ag α1b DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSGDG EGEGAEEY

Bm α1 DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSAEG EGEGAEEY

Tc c1 DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSGEG EGEGGEEY

Am α1a DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSAEG EGEGAEEY

Am α1b DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSAEG EGEGAEEY

Nv α1a DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSVEG EGEGAEEY

Nv α1b DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSTEG EGEGAEEY

Nv α1c DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSTEG EGEGAEEY

Ap α1a DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSVEG EGEGGEEY

Ap α1b DLAALEKDY EEVGLDSVEG QFDEGVEDF

Ap α1c DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSTEG DGEAGEEEI

Ph α1a DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSVEG EGEGGDEY

PTM sites

Polyglutamylation -- yes, except Apα1a

Polyglycylation - yes, except Apα1a

Acetylation -- yes, except Tcα1

Detyrosination -- yes, except

Apα1a, Apα1c, Phα1a

Phosphorylation - no

Palmitoylation - yes

α2

Minor isoform often co-expressed with β3 in variety of pre-adult mesodermal and neural domains in Dm and Bm

0.014 +/- 0.004

(n = 10)

Absent in Dp and Du

-

Average

0.069 +/- 0.008

(n = 6)

Maximum 0.170

(n = 6)

Dm α2 DLAALEKDY EEVGIDSTTE LGEDEEY

Ae α2 DLAALEKDY EEVGVDSTEE VGEGDEY

Bm α2 DLAALEKDY EEVGVDSTEG ELDEENEY

Tc α2 DLAALEKDY EEVAVDSIEG EGDEGDEY

Am α2 DLAALELDY REVQEDATNT DDEEEY

Ph α2 DLAALEKDY EEVGIDSVEE VGEGDEY

PTM sites Polyglutamylation - ?

Polyglycylation - ?

Acetylation - yes

Detyrosination - yes

Phosphorylation - no

Palmitoylation - yes

α3

Testis-specific isoform in Bm , absent in Dm

-

-

Average 0.231 +/- 0.003

(n = 2)

Maximum 0.231

(n = 2)

Bm α3 DLAALERDY DEVAIETSDM QPGADDEL

Tc α3 DLAMLEKDY EEVSIDDIE

PTM sites

Polyglutamylation - ?

Polyglycylation - ?

Acetylation - no

Detyrosination - no

Phosphorylation - no

Palmitoylation -- yes Tcα3, no Bmα3

α4

Ovary-specific isoform in Dm, a bsent in Bm

0.087 +/- 0.009

(n = 12)

0.650 +/- 0.043

(n = 2)

Average 0.560 +/- 0.028

(n = 4)

Maximum 0.707

(n = 5)

Dm α4 NIAVLERDF EEVGLDN AE E GGDEDFDEF

Ag α4a DLACLERDY EEVAGDTVAS GEEYYDDDEY

Ag α4b NIRTLIKDY EEI

Tc α4 DLTALVLDY KEVDSD

Am α4 DMMTLINDY KEIEK

Ph α4 DLAALEKDY EEVGMDSVEG EGEGGEEM

PTM sites

Polyglutamylation -?

Polyglycylation -?

Acetylation - no

Detyrosination -- yes, except

Agα4a, Agα4b, Dyα4, Dvα4,

Dsα4, Doα4, Dmα4, Dgα4,

Deα4, Daα4, Tcα4, Am c4,

Ph c4

Phosphorylation -- yes except Tcα4

Palmitoylation -- yes except

Tcα4, Amα4

  1. Features of the four alpha tubulin isoforms identified in insects are presented. The function and/or expression domain of each sequence in D. melanogaster [16, 17] and B. mori [35], the two insects in which tubulin expression and function have been studied, are presented in Column 2. Average and maximum pairwise distance calculations in Column 3 refer to the average # amino acid differences/site among conserved isoforms, and the maximum pairwise distance between any two orthologs, including divergent duplication products, respectively. For "all insects", the only Drosophila species included is Dm, to avoid a Dipteran skew in the results. CTT sequences are presented in Column 4, for purposes of inspection as they constitute ~50% of the differences among tubulins. Tubulin post-translational modifications (PTMs) occur on sequence motifs whose presence and absence are presented in the Column 5. Polyglutamylation and polyglycylation sequence motifs are degenerate, the "?" indicates that a potentially modifiable, but experimentally uncharacterized residue(s) is present for these PTMs. Unusual sequence features or motifs known to mediate specific tubulin functional specializations are also noted. The full-length sequences for Nvβ1, Phβ3, Dpβ3, Dsβ3 were not available. Key: Pediculus humanus corporisPh, Acyrthosiphon pisum Ap, Apis millifera Am, Nasonia vitripennis Nv, Tribolium castenatum Tc, Bombyx mori Bm, Aedes aegypti Ae, Anopheles gambiae Ag, Drosophila melanogaster Dm, D. sechellia Dc, D. yakuba Dy, D. erecta De, D. simulans Ds, D. mojavensis Do, D. grimshawi Dg, D. ananassae Da, D. persimilis Dp, D. psuedoobscura Du, D. virilis Dv, D. willistoni Dw).
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BMC Ecology and Evolution

ISSN: 2730-7182

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