Tubulin is one of several members of a small family of globular proteins. The most common members of the tubulin family are α-tubulin and β-tubulin. The beta-tubulin (relative molecular weight about 50 kDa) is counterpart of alpha-tubulin in tubulin heterodimer, it is coded by multiple tubulin genes and it is also posttranslationally modified. Heterogeneity of subunit is concentrated in C-terminal structural domain. Beta-Tubulin may have bound GTP or GDP. Under certain conditions β-tubulin can hydrolyze its bound GTP to GDP plus Pi, release the Pi, and exchange the GDP for GTP.
