In eukaryotes, the coordinated progress of the various cellular tasks along with the assembly of adapted cytoskeletal networks requires a tight regulation of the interactions between microtubules and their associated proteins. Polyglutamylation is the major post-translational modification of neuronal tubulin. Due to its oligomeric structure, polyglutamylation can serve as a potentiometer to modulate binding of diverse MAPs. In addition, it can exert a differential mode of regulation towards distinct microtubule protein partners. To find out to what extent polyglutamylation is a general regulator, we have analyzed its ability to affect the binding of STOPs, the major factors that confer cold- and nocodazole-resistance to microtubules. We have shown by blot overlay experiments that binding of STOP does not depend on the length of the polyglutamyl chains carried by tubulins. And contrary to the other microtubule-associated proteins tested so far, STOP can bind quantitatively to any tubulin isoform whatever its degree of polyglutamylation. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.