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MICROTUBULES

Cytoskeletal cryptography: structure and mechanism of an eraser

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 26, pages 532–534 (2019)Cite this article

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The ‘tubulin code’, a set of post-translational modifications to the microtubule cytoskeleton that include removal of the C-terminal Tyr of α-tubulin, regulates the biological function of the polymer. Three studies now report structures of VASH1–SVBP and VASH2–SVBP heterodimers and provide insights into how these proteases recognize and cleave the terminal Tyr of α-tubulin.

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Fig. 1: The proteases VASH1–SVBP and VASH2–SVBP erase the ultimate Tyr from α-tubulin.
Fig. 2: Comparative view of active sites of complexes of VASH1–SVBP and VASH2–SVBP plus inhibitor or α-tubulin.

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  1. Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Kevin C. Slep

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  1. Kevin C. Slep
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Correspondence to Kevin C. Slep.

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Slep, K.C. Cytoskeletal cryptography: structure and mechanism of an eraser. Nat Struct Mol Biol 26, 532–534 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-019-0266-2

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