Purification of brain tubulin through two cycles of polymerization-depolymerization in a high-molarity buffer

Microtubules can be assembled in vitro from purified alpha/beta tubulin heterodimers in the presence of GTP. Tubulin is routinely obtained from animal brain tissue through repetitive cycles of polymerization-depolymerization, followed by ion-exchange chromatography to remove any contaminating microtubule-associated proteins and motors. Here, we show that only two cycles of polymerization-depolymerization of pig brain tubulin in the presence of a high-molarity PIPES buffer allow the efficient removal of contaminating proteins and production of a high-concentration tubulin solution. The proposed protocol is rapid and yields more active tubulin than the traditional ion-exchange chromatography-based procedures. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.