Tubulin domain explained

Symbol:	Tubulin
Tubulin
Pfam:	PF00091
Pfam Clan:	CL0442
Interpro:	IPR003008
Prosite:	PDOC00201
Scop:	1tub

Symbol:	Tubulin
Tubulin
Pfam:	PF00091
Pfam Clan:	CL0442
Interpro:	IPR003008
Prosite:	PDOC00201
Scop:	1tub

Tubulin/FtsZ family, GTPase domain is an evolutionary conserved protein domain.

This domain is found in all tubulin chains,^[1] as well as the bacterial FtsZ family of proteins.^[2] These proteins are involved in polymer formation. Tubulin is the major component of microtubules, while FtsZ is the polymer-forming protein of bacterial cell division, it is part of a ring in the middle of the dividing cell that is required for constriction of cell membrane and cell envelope to yield two daughter cells. FtsZ and tubulin are GTPases,^[3] this entry is the GTPase domain. FtsZ can polymerise into tubes, sheets, and rings in vitro and is ubiquitous in bacteria and archaea.

Notes and References

1. Nogales E, Wolf SG, Downing KH . Structure of the alpha beta tubulin dimer by electron crystallography . Nature . 391 . 6663 . 199–203 . January 1998 . 9428769 . 10.1038/34465 . 4412367 .
2. Löwe J, Amos LA . Crystal structure of the bacterial cell-division protein FtsZ . Nature . 391 . 6663 . 203–6 . January 1998 . 9428770 . 10.1038/34472 . 4330857 .
3. Nogales E, Downing KH, Amos LA, Löwe J . Tubulin and FtsZ form a distinct family of GTPases . Nat. Struct. Biol. . 5 . 6 . 451–8 . June 1998 . 9628483 . 10.1038/nsb0698-451. 5945125 .