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. 1971 Feb 1;48(2):324–339. doi: 10.1083/jcb.48.2.324

SELECTIVE EXTRACTION OF ISOLATED MITOTIC APPARATUS

Evidence That Typical Microtubule Protein Is Extracted by Organic Mercurial

Thomas Bibring 1, Jane Baxandall 1
PMCID: PMC2108184  PMID: 5543404

Abstract

Mitotic apparatus isolated from sea urchin eggs has been treated with meralluride sodium under conditions otherwise resembling those of its isolation. The treatment causes a selective morphological disappearance of microtubules while extracting a major protein fraction, probably consisting of two closely related proteins, which constitutes about 10% of mitotic apparatus protein. Extraction of other cell particulates under similar conditions yields much less of this protein. The extracted protein closely resembles outer doublet microtubule protein from sea urchin sperm tail in properties considered typical of microtubule proteins: precipitation by calcium ion and vinblastine, electrophoretic mobility in both acid and basic polyacrylamide gels, sedimentation coefficient, molecular weight, and, according to a preliminary determination, amino acid composition. An antiserum against a preparation of sperm tail outer doublet microtubules cross-reacts with the extract from mitotic apparatus. On the basis of these findings it appears that microtubule protein is selectively extracted from isolated mitotic apparatus by treatment with meralluride, and is a typical microtubule protein.

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Selected References

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