[3][4] Microtubules of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton perform essential and diverse functions and are composed of a heterodimer of alpha and beta tubulin.

The genes encoding these microtubule constituents are part of the tubulin superfamily, which is composed of six distinct families.

Genes from the alpha, beta and gamma tubulin families are found in all eukaryotes.

There are multiple alpha and beta tubulin genes and they are highly conserved among and between species.

This gene is located in the 13q11 region, which is associated with the genetic diseases Clouston hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia and Kabuki syndrome.