Overexpression of α -Tubulin Suppresses But Does Not Inhibit the Growth of the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

ABSTRACT

Microtubules are multifunctional and essential cellular organelles that are mainly composed of α- and β-tubulin dimer proteins. While it is very well known that the level of tubulin protein is strictly controlled in higher eukaryotes, tubulins can be overexpressed to toxic levels in certain fungal species. In this manuscript, we report that α-tubulin can be overexpressed by using a strong inducible promoter in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. α-Tubulin was overexpressed to 22-fold more than wild-type level. The growth of the strain overexpressing α-tubulin was significantly slower than a wild-type control. Immunofluorescent staining showed eventual accumulation of α-tubulin near the nuclei.