Direct incorporation of GDP into microtubules without GTP hydrolysis

Tubulin bearing (8-/sup 14/C)GDP in the exchangeable nucleotide binding site was prepared, and its polymerization was examined with microtubule-associated proteins containing minimal nucleoside diphosphate kinase and nonspecific phosphatase contamination. Although microtubule assembly required GTP, significant incorporation of tubulin-bound GDP into microtubules without exchange of the radiolabeled GDP for GTP was observed under reaction conditions which favored an increased proportion of tubulin x GDP relative to tubulin x GTP. These were low GTP concentrations, low Mg/sup 2 +/ concentrations, high tubulin concentrations, and exogenous GDP in the reaction mixture. The minimum tubulin x GTP:tubulin x GDP ratio required for microtubule assembly was determined to establish the relative importance of the two tubulin species in the initiation of assembly and was found to be about 2:1. In addition, the relative efficiency with which tubulin x GTP and tubulin x GDP were incorporated into microtubules was determined. They found that tubulin x GDP was incorporated into polymer about half as efficiently as tubulin x GTP.