Preference of CAMSAP3 for expanded microtubule lattice contributes to stabilization of the minus end

CAMSAPs are proteins that show microtubule minus-end-specific localization, decoration and stabilization. Although the mechanism for minus-end recognition via their C-terminal CKK domain has been well described in recent studies, it is unclear how CAMSAPs stabilize microtubules. Our several binding assays revealed that D2 region of CAMSAP3 specifically binds to microtubules with the expanded lattice. To investigate the relationship between this preference and the stabilization effect of CAMSAP3, we precisely measured individual microtubule lengths and found that D2-binding expanded the microtubule lattice by ∼3%. Consistent with the notion that the expanded lattice is a common feature of stable microtubules, the presence of D2 slowed the microtubule depolymerization rate to approximately 1/20, suggesting that the D2-triggered lattice expansion stabilizes microtubules. Combining these results, we propose that CAMSAP3 stabilizes microtubules by lattice expansion upon D2-binding, which further accelerates the recruitment of other CAMSAP3 molecules. Since only CAMSAP3 has D2 and the highest microtubule stabilizing effect among mammalian CAMSAPs, our model also explains the molecular basis for the functional diversity of CAMSAP family members. Summary blurb D2 region in CAMSAP3 preferentially bound to expanded microtubule lattices and also induced lattice expansion, explaining the molecular functions of CAMSAP3.