Cytoskeleton remodelling is a prerequisite step for the morphological transition 
from preadipocytes to mature adipocytes. Although microtubules play a pivotal 
role in organizing cellular structure, regulation of microtubule dynamics during 
adipogenesis remains unclear. In the present paper we show that acetylation of 
α-tubulin is up-regulated during adipogenesis, and adipocyte development is 
dependent on α-tubulin acetylation, as expression of an acetylation-resistant 
α-tubulin mutant significantly inhibits adipogenesis. Moreover, acetylation of 
α-tubulin is under the control of the acetyltransferase MEC-17 and deacetylases 
SIRT2 (Sirtuin 2) and HDAC6 (histone deacetylase 6). Adipocyte development is 
inhibited in MEC-17-knockdown cells, but enhanced in MEC-17-overexpressing 
cells. Finally, we show that katanin, a microtubule-severing protein with 
enhanced activity on acetylated α-tubulin, is actively involved in adipogenesis. 
We propose that co-ordinated up-regulation of α-tubulin acetylation initiates 
cytoskeleton remodelling by promoting α-tubulin severing by katanin which, in 
turn, allows expansion of lipid droplets and accelerates the morphological 
transition toward mature adipocytes.