N-Phenyl-N'-(2-chloroethyl)ureas (CEUs) are antimicrotubule agents interacting covalently with beta-tubulin near the colchicine-binding site (C-BS). Glutamyl 198 residue in beta-tubulin (Glu198), which is adjacent to the C-BS behind the two potent nucleophilic residues, Cys239 and Cys354, has been shown to covalently react with 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(4-iodophenyl)urea (ICEU). By use of mass spectrometry, we have now identified residues in beta-tubulin that have become modified irreversibly by 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-[3-(5-hydroxypentyl)phenyl]urea (HPCEU), 1-[4-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxystyryl) phenyl]-3-(2-chloroethyl)urea (4ZCombCEU), and N,N'-ethylenebis(iodoacetamide) (EBI). The binding of HPCEU and 4ZCombCEU to beta-tubulin resulted in the acylation of Glu198, a protein modification of uncommon occurrence in living cells. Prototypical CEUs then were used as molecular probes to assess, in mouse B16F0 and human MDA-MB-231 cells, the role of Glu198 in microtubule stability. For that purpose, we studied the effect of Glu198 modification by ICEU, HPCEU, and 4ZCombCEU on the acetylation of Lys40 on alpha-tubulin, a key indicator of microtubule stability. We show that modification of Glu198 by prototypical CEUs correlates with a decrease in Lys40 acetylation, as observed also with other microtubule depolymerizing agents. Therefore, CEU affects the stability and the dynamics of microtubule, likewise a E198G mutation, which is unusual for xenobiotics. We demonstrate for the first time that EBI forms an intramolecular cross-link between Cys239 and Cys354 of beta-tubulin in living cells. This work establishes a novel basis for the development of future chemotherapeutic agents and provides a framework for the design of molecules useful for studying the role of Asp and Glu residues in the structure/function and the biological activity of several cellular proteins under physiological conditions.
