Interactions of tubulin with potent natural and synthetic analogs of the antimitotic agent combretastatin: a structure-activity study

Combretastatin, an antineoplastic and antimitotic agent, was isolated from the bark of Combretum caffrum [Can. J. Chem. 60: 1374-1376 (1982); Biochem. Pharmacol. 32:3864-3867 (1983)]. Structurally, combretastatin consists of two substituted benzene rings linked by a saturated, hydroxy-substituted two-carbon bridge. A large number of combretastatin analogs have now been synthesized or obtained from C. caffrum. These vary in substituents on the phenyl rings or bridge carbons, bridge length, unsaturation of the bridge (i.e., stilbene derivatives, with the two phenyl rings oriented either cis or trans), and in precise ring structure (two major variants, with the bridge incorporated into a third six-member ring to form a phenanthrene structure or a methyl group eliminated from vicinal methoxy substituents to form a benzodioxole ring). Available analogs (17 natural products and 22 synthetic agents) were examined for antimitotic and cytotoxic activity and for effects on tubulin polymerization and colchicine binding. Nineteen compounds inhibited cell growth by 50% or more at concentrations of 1 microM or less, and 14 inhibited tubulin polymerization by at least 50% at stoichiometric drug concentrations. The most potent cytotoxic agents generally strongly inhibited both tubulin polymerization and the binding of colchicine to tubulin. The most promising compound is the (cis)-stilbene derivative (cis)-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-2-(3'-hydroxy-4'-methoxyphenyl)ethene, which has been named combretastatin A-4. This compound inhibited cell growth by 50% at 7 nM, inhibited tubulin polymerization by 50% at 2.5 microM (1/4 molar equivalent), and competitively inhibited colchicine binding with an apparent Ki of 0.14 microM.

Cornigerine, a potent antimitotic Colchicum alkaloid of unusual structure. Interactions with tubulin

Cornigerine is a natural product analog of colchicine produced by Colchicum cornigerum in which the vicinal 2- and 3-methoxy groups are condensed into a methylenedioxy bridge. This produces a fourth ring and a structure which resembles a hybrid of colchicine, podophyllotoxin, and steganacin. Cornigerine was somewhat more toxic than colchicine with L1210 murine leukemia cells and caused them to accumulate in metaphase arrest. Cornigerine resembled colchicine in its interactions with tubulin in vitro, and it was also somewhat more potent than colchicine in these drug-tubulin interactions. Cornigerine inhibited tubulin polymerization both with and without microtubule-associated proteins, inhibited the binding of radiolabeled colchicine to tubulin, and stimulated tubulin-dependent GTP hydrolysis. Indirect evidence suggested that the binding of cornigerine to tubulin is relatively slow and temperature-dependent, like the binding of colchicine to the protein.

Rainbow trout has two genes for growth hormone

We report the primary structures of two mRNA species (GH1 and GH2), each predicted from the cloned cDNA and genomic gene sequences, that encode growth hormone in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). Both GH1 and GH2 mRNA contain open reading frames comprising 630 nucleotides and encode 210 amino acid residues, of which 11 are variant. The translated regions of mRNA are flanked by a short 5'-untranslated sequence, which is highly conserved, and a relatively long 3'-untranslated sequence, which is highly divergent. The differences at the 3'-untranslated regions suggest that the GH1 and GH2 mRNA originate from different loci. RNA blot analysis of trout pituitary RNA using an oligonucleotide probe specific for the GH2 sequence indicates that the cloned gene is expressed. The GH1 and GH2 mRNA likely are transcribed from two distinct loci, which were duplicated during tetraploidization of the salmonid genome between 50 and 100 million years ago.

Interrelationships of tubulin-GDP and tubulin-GTP in microtubule assembly

We previously reported that direct incorporation of GDP (i.e., without an initial hydrolysis of GTP) into microtubules occurs throughout an assembly cycle in a constant proportion. The exact proportion varied with reaction conditions, becoming greater under all conditions in which tubulin-GDP increased relative to tubulin-GTP (low Mg2+ and GTP concentrations, high tubulin concentrations, and in the presence of exogenous GDP). These findings led us to explore further interrelationships of tubulin-GDP and tubulin-GTP in microtubule assembly. We have now determined the minimum amount of tubulin-GTP required for the initiation of microtubule assembly and the relative efficiency with which tubulin-GDP participates in microtubule elongation. When GTP, GDP, and tubulin concentrations were varied at a constant Mg2+ concentration (0.2 mM), initiation of assembly required that 35% of the nucleotide-bearing tubulin be in the form of tubulin-GTP, and incorporation of tubulin-GDP into microtubules during elongation was only 60% as efficient as would be predicted on the basis of its proportional concentration in the reaction mixtures. Very different results were obtained when the Mg2+ concentration was varied. Even though Mg2+ enhances the binding of GTP to tubulin (the equilibrium constant for the exchange of GTP for GDP was 0.2 in the absence of exogenous Mg2+, 3 with 0.2 mM Mg2+, 5 with 0.5 mM Mg2+, and 11 with 2 and 4 mM Mg2+), as Mg2+ was increased the proportion of tubulin-GTP required for the initiation of microtubule assembly rose greatly, and the direct incorporation of tubulin-GDP into microtubules during elongation became progressively more efficient. In the absence of exogenous Mg2+, only 20% tubulin-GTP was required for initiation, and tubulin-GDP was directly incorporated into microtubules half as efficiently as would be predicted on the basis of its concentration in the reaction mixture. At the highest Mg2+ concentration examined (4 mM), 80% tubulin-GTP was required for initiation of assembly, and tubulin-GDP was incorporated into microtubules as efficiently as tubulin-GTP.

Nucleotide interconversions in microtubule protein preparations, a significant complication for accurate measurement of GTP hydrolysis in the presence of adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imidotriphosphate)

Pursuing the observation of Carlier and Pantaloni [Carlier, M.-F., & Pantaloni, D. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 1215-1224] that adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imidotriphosphate) (pNHppA) strongly inhibited tubulin-independent phosphatases in microtubule protein preparations, we observed with a number of commercial preparations of pNHppA that a major proportion of the terminal phosphate of [gamma-32P]GTP added to microtubule protein preparations was rapidly converted into ATP. Initially postulating degradation of pNHppA to AMP followed by stepwise conversion of AMP to ATP, we isolated two nucleoside monophosphate kinase activities from microtubule protein capable of generating ATP from AMP + GTP. The amounts of these enzymes in microtubule protein preparations, however, are probably too low to account for rapid ATP formation. Instead, ATP formation most likely is caused by nucleoside diphosphate kinase acting on ADP contaminating commercial pNHppA preparations. Such ADP contamination was demonstrated by high-performance liquid chromatography, with the amount of ATP formed with different pNHppA preparations proportional to the amount of ADP contamination. Repurification of commercial pNHppA until it was free of contaminating ADP also resulted in the elimination of ATP formation. The repurified pNHppA potently inhibited GTP hydrolysis in microtubule protein preparations. In addition, especially when supplemented with equimolar Mg2+, the repurified pNHppA strongly inhibited GTP hydrolysis and microtubule assembly in reaction mixtures containing purified tubulin and heat-treated microtubule-associated proteins (which contain negligible amounts of tubulin-independent phosphatase activity). We conclude that studies of microtubule-dependent GTP hydrolysis which make use of pNHppA must be interpreted with extreme caution.

Direct incorporation of guanosine 5'-diphosphate into microtubules without guanosine 5'-triphosphate hydrolysis

Using highly purified calf brain tubulin bearing [8-14C]guanosine 5'-diphosphate (GDP) in the exchangeable nucleotide site and heat-treated microtubule-associated proteins (both components containing negligible amounts of nucleoside diphosphate kinase and nonspecific phosphatase activities), we have found that a significant proportion of exchangeable-site GDP in microtubules can be incorporated directly during guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP) dependent polymerization of tubulin, without an initial exchange of GDP for GTP and subsequent GTP hydrolysis during assembly. The precise amount of GDP incorporated directly into microtubules is highly dependent on specific reaction conditions, being favored by high tubulin concentrations, low GTP and Mg2+ concentrations, and exogenous GDP in the reaction mixture. Minimum effects were observed with changes in reaction pH or temperature, changes in concentration of microtubule-associated proteins, alteration of the sulfonate buffer, or the presence of a calcium chelator in the reaction mixture. Under conditions most favorable for direct GDP incorporation, about one-third of the GDP in microtubules is incorporated directly (without GTP hydrolysis) and two-thirds is incorporated hydrolytically (as a consequence of GTP hydrolysis). Direct incorporation of GDP occurs in a constant proportion throughout elongation, and the amount of direct incorporation probably reflects the rapid equilibration of GDP and GTP at the exchangeable site that occurs before the onset of assembly.

Anticonvulsant activity of 2- and 3-aminobenzanilides

A series of 2- and 3-aminobenzanilides derived from ring-alkylated anilines were prepared and evaluated for anticonvulsant activity. These benzanilides were prepared in the course of studies designed to determine the relationship between the benzamide structure and anticonvulsant effects. The compounds were tested in mice against seizures induced by maximal electroshock (MES) and pentylenetetrazole and in the rotorod assay for neurologic deficit. The 3-aminobenzanilide derived from 2,6-dimethylaniline, 21, was the most potent anti-MES compound, with an ED50 of 13.48 mg/kg and a protective index of 21.11 (PI = TD50/ED50). The activity profile for 21 compares favorably with that for phenobarbital and phenytoin.

Tubulin polymerization with ATP is mediated through the exchangeable GTP site

Glycerol-induced tubulin polymerization supported by non-guanine nucleotides was examined. The electrophoretically homogeneous tubulin was devoid of nucleoside diphosphate kinase activity and 95% saturated with exchangeable GDP and nonexchangeable GTP. All purine ribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates were active but no polymerization occurred with CTP or UTP. All polymerization reactions, as a function of nucleotide concentration, were similar: above a minimum (threshold) concentration, as the amount of nucleotide increased the reaction became progressively more rapid and extensive with a progressively shorter nucleation period. Threshold concentrations of ATP, XTP, ITP and GTP were 0.6 mM, 0.3 mM, 30 microM and 7 microM, respectively. Most ribose- and polyphosphate-modified ATP analogs also supported polymerization at high concentrations, but the activity of these analogs relative to ATP was very similar to the activity of cognate GTP analogs relative to GTP. Polymerization with ATP was associated with an ATPase reaction. ATP hydrolysis was potently inhibited by GDP and GTP and altered by antimitotic drugs in parallel with the effects of these agents on GTP hydrolysis. Substantial amounts of [8-14C]GDP bound in the exchangeable site of tubulin were displaced during polymerization with GTP or ATP, but much higher concentrations of ATP were required for equivalent displacement of the tubulin-bound GDP. Polymerization with GTP or ATP was inhibited in a qualitatively similar manner by GDP, with increasing concentrations of GDP causing a progressive prolongation of the nucleation period and reduction in reaction rate and extent. However, complete inhibition of polymerization required that GDP:GTP much greater than 1, but that GDP:ATP much less than 1. Inhibition appeared to be primarily competitive, since with higher triphosphate concentrations higher GDP concentrations were required for comparable inhibition. We conclude that ATP effects on tubulin polymerization are mediated through a feeble interaction at the exchangeable GTP site.

Nicotiana chloroplast genome: X. Correlation between the DNA sequences and the isoelectric focusing patterns of the LS of Rubisco

Comparison of the DNA sequences of the rbcL gene from three Nicotiana species reveals a high degree of homology among the 1431 bp in the coding region. Only eight base pair differences are observed between N. otophora and N. tabacum, and between N. otophora and N. acuminata. Four base pair differences are observed between N. acuminata and N. tabacum. Most changes are in the third position of the codon resulting in only two amino acid alterations when N. otophora and N. acuminata are compared with N. tabacum. Evidence is presented demonstrating that the amino acid compositions of the LS derived from the DNA sequence are related to the IEF cluster pattern. A single charged residue is responsible for the difference in cluster pattern.

Effects of pH on tubulin-nucleotide interactions

Significant GTP-independent, temperature-dependent turbidity development occurs with purified tubulin stored in the absence of unbound nucleotide, and this can be minimized with a higher reaction pH. Since microtubule assembly is optimal at lower pH values, we examined pH effects on tubulin-nucleotide interactions. While the lowest concentration of GTP required for assembly changed little, GDP was more inhibitory at higher pH values. The amounts of exogenous GTP bound to tubulin at all pH values were similar, but the amounts of exogenous GDP bound and endogenous GDP (i.e., GDP originally bound in the exchangeable site) retained by tubulin rose as reaction pH increased. Endogenous GDP was more efficiently displaced by exogenous GTP than GDP at all pH values, but displacement by GTP was 10-15% greater at pH 6 than at pH 7. Dissociation constants for GDP and GTP were about 1.0 microM at pH 6 and 0.02 microM at pH 7. A small increase in the affinity of GDP relative to that of GTP occurs at pH 7 as compared to pH 6, together with a 50-fold absolute increase in the affinity of both nucleotides for tubulin at pH 7. The time courses of microtubule assembly and GTP hydrolysis were compared at pH 6 and pH 7. At pH 6, the two reactions were simultaneous in onset and initially stoichiometric. At pH 7, although the reactions began simultaneously, hydrolysis seemed to lag substantially behind assembly. Unhydrolyzed radiolabeled GTP was not incorporated into microtubules, however, indicating that GTP hydrolysis is actually closely coupled to assembly. The apparent lag in hydrolysis probably results from a methodological artifact rather than incorporation of GTP into the microtubule with delayed hydrolysis.

Chloroplast promoters from higher plants

This survey compiles 60 chloroplast promoter sequences from higher plants published to date and compares them with these sequences from procaryotic systems. The current evidence demonstrates that structurally defined chloroplast promoters are, in most cases, functionally active in initiating gene expression in chloroplasts.

Differential effects of magnesium on tubulin-nucleotide interactions

Magnesium-depleted 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonate (Mes), glutamate, tubulin and microtubule-associated proteins were prepared and used to study the effects of exogenously added MgCl2 on tubulin-nucleotide interactions in 0.1 M Mes with microtubule-associated proteins and in 1.0 M glutamate. Endogenous levels of Mg2+ in the systems studied were approximately stoichiometric with the tubulin concentrations and largely derived from the tubulin. We examined the effects of added Mg2+ on tubulin polymerization, GDP inhibition of polymerization, binding of GDP and GTP to tubulin, and GTP hydrolysis. Exogenously added Mg2+ had markedly different effects on these reactions. The order of their sensitivity for a requirement for added Mg2+ was as follows: GTP binding greater than GTP hydrolysis greater than polymerization greater than GDP binding. Inhibition of polymerization by GDP varied inversely with the Mg2+ concentration and was greatest in the absence of the cation. These results indicate that GDP and GDP-Mg2+ interact with similar affinity at the exchangeable site, while GTP-Mg2+ has a higher affinity for tubulin than does free GTP. Nevertheless, under appropriate conditions, free GTP can interact sufficiently well with tubulin to permit both nucleation and elongation reactions.

Anticonvulsant activity of some 4-aminobenzanilides

A series of 4-aminobenzanilides derived from ring-alkylated anilines were prepared and evaluated for anticonvulsant activity. These benzanilides were prepared in the course of studies designed to determine the relationship between the benzamide structure and anticonvulsant effects. The compounds were tested in mice against seizures induced by electroshock and metrazole (pentylenetetrazole) and in the rotorod assay for neurologic deficit. All of the 4-aminobenzanilides showed activity at doses of 300 mg/kg against maximal electroshock seizures (MES). The 4-aminobenzanilide derived from 2,6-dimethylaniline (8) was the most potent anti-MES compound with an ED50 of 2.60 mg/kg and a protective index of 5.77 (PI = TD50/ED50). The activity profile for 8 compares quite favorably with that for phenobarbital and phenytoin in the same assays.

Maytansine inhibits nucleotide binding at the exchangeable site of tubulin

The antineoplastic drug maytansine inhibits the binding of exogenously added radiolabeled GDP and GTP to tubulin (50% inhibition at 9-10 microM drug at 0 degrees). Vinblastine was 1/10-th as inhibitory. Neither maytansine nor vinblastine displaced GDP from tubulin, and both drugs virtually eliminated dissociation of radiolabeled GDP from the exchangeable site. Maytansine also inhibits binding of nucleotides to a vacant exchangeable site. Maytansine thus prevents nucleotide exit and entry at the exchangeable site because of a direct physical obstruction or a conformational change in the tubulin molecule.

Deoxyguanosine nucleotide analogues: potent stimulators of microtubule nucleation with reduced affinity for the exchangeable nucleotide site of tubulin

Four analogues of guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP) (dGTP, 3'-deoxy-GTP, arabinosyl-GTP, and 2',3'-dideoxy-GTP), which support more rapid and extensive microtubule assembly than GTP, were hydrolyzed more rapidly than GTP in reaction mixtures containing tubulin plus microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). As with GTP, hydrolysis of the four analogues was initially closely coupled to the onset of polymerization and continued at a slower rate at the turbidity plateau. Relative to GTP, however, these analogues (and the cognate GDP analogues), particularly 3'-deoxy-GTP and 2',3'-dideoxy-GTP, bound poorly to tubulin and had a reduced ability to displace bound radiolabeled GDP under nonpolymerizing reaction conditions. Despite their reduced binding to the tubulin dimer, if polymerization occurred, all four analogues were incorporated into microtubules (as the diphosphates) in stoichiometric amounts comparable to the incorporation of GTP (in the form of GDP) with displacement of the GDP initially present in the exchangeable site. Microtubule nucleation was specifically enhanced in the presence of the analogues. With MAPs the analogues initiated microtubule assembly at temperatures 10-15 degrees C below that required by the GTP-supported reaction, and the average microtubule length was significantly reduced. In addition, MAP-independent polymerization occurred only with 2',3'-dideoxy-GTP with tubulin at 1.0 mg/mL, with the other three analogues at 2.0 mg/mL, and with GTP at 5.0 mg/mL. GTP inhibited analogue-supported polymerization at 20 degrees C with MAPs and at 37 degrees C without MAPs (tubulin, 3.5 mg/mL). Both 3'-deoxy-GTP and 2',3'-dideoxy-GTP were poor inhibitors of GTP binding and hydrolysis, but GTP potently inhibited the more vigorous hydrolysis of these analogues. We conclude that alteration of the ribose moiety reduces the affinity of a guanine nucleotide for the exchangeable site of tubulin but that a nucleotide's affinity for this site is not the major factor in its ability to support the nucleation of tubulin polymerization.

Guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate), a potent nucleotide inhibitor of microtubule assembly

Guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) and the two diastereoisomers of guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiotriphosphate) (GTP beta S) were prepared enzymatically, and their interactions with tubulin and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) in 0.1 M 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonate, 0.5 mM MgCl2 were examined. GTP gamma S did not support microtubule assembly but instead inhibited the reaction. This analog was 1.5-2 times more potent than GDP in inhibiting both tubulin polymerization and GTP hydrolysis under conditions in which these reactions were dependent on MAPs. In contrast to the analog's inhibitory effects on polymerization and hydrolysis, however, radiolabeled GTP gamma S was only feebly bound by purified tubulin at 0 degrees C relative to the binding of GDP and GTP. There was a marked increase in the amount of GTP gamma S bound when the reaction temperature was raised to 37 degrees C or when MAPs were included in the reaction mixture. Only when both MAPs were present and the higher reaction temperature was used did the binding of GTP gamma S exceed that of GDP. Since substitution of sulfur for oxygen in a molecule should decrease its hydrophilic properties, these findings suggest that the exchangeable nucleotide binding site of tubulin becomes more hydrophobic at higher temperatures and in the presence of MAPs. The two isomers of GTP beta S were able to support MAP-dependent polymerization, although a 50-100-fold higher concentration of the analogs as compared to GTP was required. Neither isomer of GTP beta S had a significant inhibitory effect on GTP hydrolysis dependent on tubulin + MAPs.

Separation of active tubulin and microtubule-associated proteins by ultracentrifugation and isolation of a component causing the formation of microtubule bundles

A new method for separating microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) and tubulin, appropriate for relatively large-scale preparations, was developed. Most of the active tubulin was separated from the MAPs by centrifugation after selective polymerization of the tubulin was induced with 1.6 M 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonate (Mes) and GTP. The MAPs-enriched supernatant was concentrated and subsequently clarified by prolonged centrifugation. The supernatant (total soluble MAPs) contained almost no tubulin, most of the nucleosidediphosphate kinase activity of the microtubule protein, good activity in promoting microtubule assembly in 0.1 M Mes, and proteins with the electrophoretic mobility of MAP-1, MAP-2, and tau factor. The pellet, inactive in supporting microtubule assembly, contained denatured tubulin, most of the ATPase activity of the microtubule protein, and significant amounts of protein with the electrophoretic mobility of MAP-2. Insoluble material at this and all previous stages, including the preparation of the microtubule protein, could be heat extracted to yield soluble protein active in promoting microtubule assembly and containing MAP-2 as a major constituent. The total soluble MAPs were further purified by DEAE-cellulose chromatography into bound and unbound components, both of which induced microtubule assembly. The bound component (DEAE-MAPs) contained proteins with the electrophoretic mobility of MAP-1, MAP-2, and tau factor. The polymerization reaction induced by the unbound component (flow-through MAPs) produced very high turbidity readings. This was caused by the formation of bundles of microtubules. Although the flow-through MAPs contained significantly more ATPase, tubulin-independent GTPase, and, especially, nucleosidediphosphate kinase activity than the DEAE-MAPs, preparation of a MAPs fraction without these enzymes required heat treatment.

Nicotiana chloroplast genome : 8. Localization of genes for subunits of ATP synthase, the cytochrome b-f complex and the 32 kD protein

Using the existing restriction map and probes from wheat and pea ct-DNA, seven protein genes have been localized in the chloroplast genome of N. tabacum. On the clock-like map, the location of each gene is indicated by its time zone: the 15.2 kD polypeptide of the cytochrome b/f complex at 3∶15, cytochrome f at 4∶30, LS of RuBPCase at 4∶50, both β and ɛ subunits of ATP synthase at or near 5∶00, proton-translocating subunit of ATP synthase at 8∶20, α subunit of ATP synthase at 8∶40 and the 32 kD protein at 9∶30. The genome organization of Nicotiana chloroplast DNA is similar to spinach.

Stability of tubulin polymers formed with dideoxyguanosine nucleotides in the presence and absence of microtubule-associated proteins

We have examined the effects of dilution, Ca2+, reduced temperature, and triphosphate depletion on microtubules formed from purified tubulin, heat-treated microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), and either GTP, 2',3'-dideoxyguanosine 5'-diphosphate (ddGDP), or 2',3'-dideoxyguanosine 5'-triphosphate (ddGTP). The stability of the polymer formed with tubulin plus ddGTP without MAPs was also examined. In all cases dilution resulted in rapid depolymerization of polymer until a new turbidity plateau was established. These experiments yielded estimates of the critical concentration of tubulin of 0.09 mg/ml with GTP plus MAPs, 0.04 mg/ml with either ddGDP or ddGTP plus MAPs, and 0.07 mg/ml with ddGTP minus MAPs. Addition of CaCl2 to polymer resulted in depolymerization of microtubules formed with either GTP or ddGDP plus MAPs; but both with and without MAPs the polymer formed with ddGTP was stable to Ca2+. The polymer formed with ddGTP minus MAPs was the most cold-labile, major depolymerization occurring at 25 degrees C. With MAPs, microtubules were progressively less cold-labile when formed with GTP, ddGDP, or ddGTP. Depolymerization with GTP was virtually complete at 15 degrees C, with ddGDP at 5 degrees C, and with ddGTP at 0 degrees C. Rapid triphosphate depletion was achieved with phosphofructokinase. GTP-formed tubules were rapidly and completely depolymerized at all GTP concentrations after the enzyme was added to the reaction mixture. Both with and without MAPs polymer formed with ddGTP was progressively more stable upon enzyme addition the higher the initial ddGTP concentration. At specific ddGTP concentrations, however, less depolymerization was observed following enzyme addition if MAPs were present. Microtubules formed with ddGDP plus MAPs were unaffected by phosphofructokinase addition. This comparison of the properties of microtubules formed with MAPs and either ddGDP or ddGTP demonstrates that their stability is enhanced rather than reduced following nucleotide hydrolysis. The greater stability of microtubules formed with ddGTP plus MAPs than of the polymer formed with ddGTP minus MAPs similarly implies substantial enhancement of microtubule stability by the MAPs.