The major α-tubulin K40 acetyltransferase αTAT1 promotes rapid ciliogenesis and efficient mechanosensation

TLDR

α‑tubulin acetylation at lysine 40 marks long‑lived microtubules in cilia, neurons, and migrating cells, yet its physiological role remains unclear. The authors identify αTAT1 as the major, BBSome‑associated α‑tubulin K40 acetyltransferase that is essential for microtubule acetylation, primary cilium assembly, and touch sensation in mammals and *C.

Abstract

Long-lived microtubules found in ciliary axonemes, neuronal processes, and migrating cells are marked by α-tubulin acetylation on lysine 40, a modification that takes place inside the microtubule lumen. The physiological importance of microtubule acetylation remains elusive. Here, we identify a BBSome-associated protein that we name αTAT1, with a highly specific α - t ubulin K40 a cetyl t ransferase activity and a catalytic preference for microtubules over free tubulin. In mammalian cells, the catalytic activity of αTAT1 is necessary and sufficient for α-tubulin K40 acetylation. Remarkably, αTAT1 is universally and exclusively conserved in ciliated organisms, and is required for the acetylation of axonemal microtubules and for the normal kinetics of primary cilium assembly. In Caenorhabditis elegans , microtubule acetylation is most prominent in touch receptor neurons (TRNs) and MEC-17, a homolog of αTAT1, and its paralog αTAT-2 are required for α-tubulin acetylation and for two distinct types of touch sensation. Furthermore, in animals lacking MEC-17, αTAT-2, and the sole C. elegans K40α-tubulin MEC-12, touch sensation can be restored by expression of an acetyl-mimic MEC-12[K40Q]. We conclude that αTAT1 is the major and possibly the sole α-tubulin K40 acetyltransferase in mammals and nematodes, and that tubulin acetylation plays a conserved role in several microtubule-based processes.