Tubulin modifications and their cellular functions

All microtubules are built from a basic alpha/beta-tubulin building block, yet subpopulations of microtubules can be differentially marked by a number of post-translational modifications. These modifications, conserved throughout evolution, are thought to act individually or in combination to control specific microtubule-based functions, analogous to how histone modifications regulate chromatin functions. Here we review recent studies demonstrating that tubulin modifications influence microtubule-associated proteins such as severing proteins, plus-end tracking proteins, and molecular motors. In this way, tubulin modifications play an important role in regulating microtubule properties, such as stability and structure, as well as microtubule-based functions, such as ciliary beating, cell division, and intracellular trafficking.