Microtubule-associated protein 2 is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...
in humans that is encoded by the ''MAP2''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...
.
Function
This gene encodes a protein that belongs to the
microtubule-associated protein In cell biology, microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) are proteins that interact with the microtubules of the cellular cytoskeleton. MAPs are integral to: the stability of the cell and its internal structures and the transport of components within ...
family. The proteins of this family were originally isolated since they copurify with
tubulin
Tubulin in molecular biology can refer either to the tubulin protein superfamily of globular proteins, or one of the member proteins of that superfamily. α- and β-tubulins polymerize into microtubules, a major component of the eukaryotic cytoske ...
in polymerization experiments: tubulin in cell extracts can be made to polymerize to produce
microtubules
Microtubules are polymers of tubulin that form part of the cytoskeleton and provide structure and shape to eukaryotic cells. Microtubules can be as long as 50 micrometres, as wide as 23 to 27 nm and have an inner diameter between 11 a ...
(MT) under the influence of heat and the addition of
GTP, and the MT can then be collected by centrifugation. When this is done a series of microtubule associated proteins are collected along with the MT and can be detected by SDS-PAGE and other methods. Brain extracts are rich in several of these proteins, MAP2 being one of these. The single MAP2 gene produces four major transcripts producing four proteins, MAP2A, MAP2B, MAP2C and MAP2D. MAP2A and MAP2B are very high molecular weight proteins, with apparent molecular weight on SDS-PAGE about 250kDa, while MAP2C and MAP2D are much lower molecular weight forms with apparent SDS-PAGE size about 70kDa.
All forms of MAP2 share a common core sequence which includes MT binding domains, 18 amino acid sequences which are found in other MT associated proteins such as
MAP Tau and
MAP1B. The MAP2 isoforms are thought to be involved in MT assembly, which is an essential step in neuritogenesis. MAP2 serves to stabilize MT growth by crosslinking MT with
intermediate filaments and other MTs. MAP2 isoforms are neuron-specific cytoskeletal proteins enriched in
dendrites
Dendrites (from Greek δένδρον ''déndron'', "tree"), also dendrons, are branched protoplasmic extensions of a nerve cell that propagate the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma, of the ...
and
perikarya, implicating a role in determining and stabilizing neuronal morphology during
neuron
A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa ...
development. As a result antibodies to MAP2 are widely used to identify neuronal cells and trace dendritic processes in experimental contexts.
Interactions
MAP2 has been shown to
interact
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with
Grb2,
and
MYO7A
Myosin VIIA is protein that in humans is encoded by the ''MYO7A'' gene. Myosin VIIA is a member of the unconventional myosin superfamily of proteins. Myosins are actin binding molecular motors that use the enzymatic conversion of ATP - ADP + ino ...
.,
All MAP2 isoforms bind to microtubules.
333px, Neurons were grown in tissue culture and stained with antibody to MAP2 protein in green and MAP tau in red using the immunofluorescence technique. MAP2 is found only in dendrites and perikarya, while tau is found not only in the dendrites and perikarya but also in axons. As a result, axons appear red while the dendrites and perikarya appear yellow, due to superimposition of the red and green signals. DNA is shown in blue using the DAPI stain which highlights the nuclei. Image courtesy EnCor Biotechnology, EnCor Biotechnology Inc.
References
Further reading
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