Microtubules are highly dynamic αβ-tubulin polymers. In vitro and in living cells, microtubules are most often cold- and nocodazole-sensitive. When present, the MAP6/STOP family of proteins protects microtubules from cold- and nocodazole-induced depolymerization but the molecular and structure determinants by which these proteins stabilize microtubules remain under debate. We show here that a short protein fragment from MAP6-N, which encompasses its Mn1 and Mn2 modules (MAP6(90-177)), recapitulates the function of the full-length MAP6-N protein toward microtubules, i.e. its ability to stabilize microtubules in vitro and in cultured cells in ice-cold conditions or in the presence of nocodazole. We further show for the first time, using biochemical assays and NMR spectroscopy, that these effects result from the binding of MAP6(90-177) to microtubules with a 1:1 MAP6(90-177):tubulin heterodimer stoichiometry. NMR data demonstrate that the binding of MAP6(90-177) to microtubules involve its two Mn modules but that a single one is also able to interact with microtubules in a closely similar manner. This suggests that the Mn modules represent each a full microtubule binding domain and that MAP6 proteins may stabilize microtubules by bridging tubulin heterodimers from adjacent protofilaments or within a protofilament. Finally, we demonstrate that Ca(2+)-calmodulin competes with microtubules for MAP6(90-177) binding and that the binding mode of MAP6(90-177) to microtubules and Ca(2+)-calmodulin involves a common stretch of amino acid residues on the MAP6(90-177) side. This result accounts for the regulation of microtubule stability in cold condition by Ca(2+)-calmodulin.
Keywords: Calmodulin; MAP6; MAPs; Microtubules; NMR; STOP; Tubulin.