Antisera against Electrophoretically Purified Tubulin Stimulate Colchicine-Binding Activity

Several rabbit antisera have been prepared against reduced and alkylated, electrophoretically purified tubulin isolated from chick brain. These antisera give a single precipitin line in Ouchterlony double diffusion plates when tested against partially purified tubulin, and label specifically microtubule- and tubulin-containing structures, such as mitotic spindles, cilia, and vinblastine-induced crystals, in a variety of cells. The same antisera also display the unique ability to stimulate the colchicine-binding activity of tubulin preparations from chick brain and Chinese hamster ovary tissue culture cells. This specific stimulation of colchicine-binding activity is also obtained with the gamma globulin fractions purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation of these antisera.