Figure 2.

The occurrence of tubulin polyglutamylation in mammalian cells. (A) Schematic representation of microtubule (MT) species that are modified by polyglutamylation. In proliferating cells, cytoplasmic MTs are polyglutamylated at low levels in interphase. During cell division, polyglutamylation is locally increased on the mitotic spindle and the midbody. Polyglutamylation is also enriched in neurons, as well as on specialized MT structures such as centrioles and axonemes. (B) Parameters of polyglutamylation patterns observed on different MT species in mammals. Values can differ in more distant species. Asterisks indicate that conflicting results about the final length of the side chains have been obtained, probably owing to the methods applied.