Microtubules are polymers of alpha and beta subunits that form the mitotic spindle and assist in the organization of membranous organelles during interphase. Katanin p60 A1, also known as KATNA1, is a 491 amino acid protein that belongs to the AAA ATPase family and is involved in microtubule regulation. Localized to the cytoplasm and to the centrosome, Katanin p60 A1 functions to sever and disassemble microtubules in an ATP-dependent manner, thus promoting the rapid reorganization of cellular microtubule arrays and playing an important role in microtubule release from the centrosome after nucleation. Katanin p60 A1, which exists as two alternatively spliced isoforms, can homooligomerize into hexameric rings whose activity is stimulated by the presence of microtubules.
