What is the molecular weight of acetyl-α-tubulin?

The molecular weight of acetylated tubulin is 52 kD.

Where does the acetylation of Lys 40 occur?

This acetylation occurs inside the microtubule lumen by the α-tubulin acetyltransferase 1 (αTAT1) (PMID: 29207274).

How can acetylation be reversed?

Acetylation of Lys 40 can be reversed by deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), which is mostly cytoplasmic that also deacetylates Hsp90, and sirtuin 2 (SIRT2), which also mainly cytoplasmic and uses NAD as a coenzyme. Unlike HDAC6, SIRT uses both polymerized and soluble tubulin as substrates. Deacetylases are believed to be more active on soluble tubulin, while acetylases function preferentially on stable polymers (PMIDs: 29207274, 30079247, 19185337).

What is the function of acetylation?

Acetylation is a conserved post-translational modification of alpha tubulin at Lys 40 during tubulin assembly, and it correlates to increased microtubule stability and intracellular transport (PMIDs: 29207274, 30079247, 20940043).

Is acetylation of α-tubulin strictly associated with stable microtubules?

Not necessarily, as acetylation can have other effects on microtubule subpopulations (PMID 20940043).

Is ac-tubulin found only in cilia?

Acetylated-α-tubulin is located in cytoplasmic tubulin as well as in cilia; therefore, it is not strictly region-specific (PMID: 30079247).

What are the cellular effects of tubulin acetylation?

Microtubule acetylation seems to provide a critical role in neuronal development and function, and while its effect on cancer cells remains unclear, it has been shown that decreased acetylated α-tubulin impairs neuronal cell line migration. The post-translational modification may also help regulate organelle-independent signalling throughout the cell, supporting the notion of a microtubule network serving as a coordinator of cellular signaling (PMIDs: 29207274, 25503560, 20940043, 19185337).