Characterization and Reconstitution of Drosophila γ-Tubulin Ring Complex Subunits

The γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC) is important for microtubule nucleation from the centrosome. In addition to γ-tubulin, the Drosophila γTuRC contains at least six subunits, three of which [Drosophila gamma ring proteins (Dgrips) 75/d75p, 84, and 91] have been characterized previously. Dgrips84 and 91 are present in both the small γ-tubulin complex (γTuSC) and the γTuRC, while the remaining subunits are found only in the γTuRC. To study γTuRC assembly and function, we first reconstituted γTuSC using the baculovirus expression system. Using the reconstituted γTuSC, we showed for the first time that this subcomplex of the γTuRC has microtubule binding and capping activities. Next, we characterized two new γTuRC subunits, Dgrips128 and 163, and showed that they are centrosomal proteins. Sequence comparisons among all known γTuRC subunits revealed two novel sequence motifs, which we named grip motifs 1 and 2. We found that Dgrips128 and 163 can each interact with γTuSC. However, this interaction is insufficient for γTuRC assembly.