A conserved protein, Nuf2, is implicated in connecting the centromere to the spindle during chromosome segregation: a link between the kinetochore function and the spindle checkpoint

Chromosoma ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 322-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Nabetani ◽  
Takako Koujin ◽  
Chihiro Tsutsumi ◽  
Tokuko Haraguchi ◽  
Yasushi Hiraoka
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Spindle Checkpoint ◽  
Kinetochore Function

scholarly journals The Spindle Checkpoint of the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Requires Kinetochore Function and Maps to the CBF3 Domain

Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 157 (4) ◽  
pp. 1493-1502
Author(s):  
Richard D Gardner ◽  
Atasi Poddar ◽  
Chris Yellman ◽  
Penny A Tavormina ◽  
M Cristina Monteagudo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Spindle Checkpoint ◽  
Essential Genes ◽  
Gene Fusions ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Checkpoint Signaling ◽  
One Step ◽  
Diploid Cells ◽  
Kinetochore Function

Abstract We have measured the activity of the spindle checkpoint in null mutants lacking kinetochore activity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We constructed deletion mutants for nonessential genes by one-step gene replacements. We constructed heterozygous deletions of one copy of essential genes in diploid cells and purified spores containing the deletion allele. In addition, we made gene fusions for three essential genes to target the encoded proteins for proteolysis (degron alleles). We determined that Ndc10p, Ctf13p, and Cep3p are required for checkpoint activity. In contrast, cells lacking Cbf1p, Ctf19p, Mcm21p, Slk19p, Cse4p, Mif2p, Mck1p, and Kar3p are checkpoint proficient. We conclude that the kinetochore plays a critical role in checkpoint signaling in S. cerevisiae. Spindle checkpoint activity maps to a discreet domain within the kinetochore and depends on the CBF3 protein complex.

scholarly journals Distinct Chromosome Segregation Roles for Spindle Checkpoint Proteins

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 3029-3041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl D. Warren ◽  
D. Michelle Brady ◽  
Raymond C. Johnston ◽  
Joseph S. Hanna ◽  
Kevin G. Hardwick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Chromosome Instability ◽  
Spindle Checkpoint ◽  
Adjacent Segment ◽  
Effect Analysis ◽  
Checkpoint Proteins ◽  
Chromosome Transmission ◽  
Acid Fragment ◽  
Molecular Functions

The spindle checkpoint plays a central role in the fidelity of chromosome transmission by ensuring that anaphase is initiated only after kinetochore-microtubule associations of all sister chromatid pairs are complete. In this study, we find that known spindle checkpoint proteins do not contribute equally to chromosome segregation fidelity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Loss of Bub1 or Bub3 protein elicits the largest effect. Analysis of Bub1p reveals the presence of two molecular functions. An N-terminal 608-amino acid (nonkinase) portion of the protein supports robust checkpoint activity, and, as expected, contributes to chromosome segregation. A C-terminal kinase-encoding segment independently contributes to chromosome segregation through an unknown mechanism. Both molecular functions depend on association with Bub3p. A 156-amino acid fragment of Bub1p functions in Bub3p binding and in kinetochore localization by one-hybrid assay. An adjacent segment is required for Mad1p binding, detected by deletion analysis and coimmunoprecipitation. Finally, overexpression of wild-type BUB1 or MAD3 genes leads to chromosome instability. Analysis of this activity indicates that the Bub3p-binding domain of Bub1p contributes to this phenotype through disruption of checkpoint activity as well as through introduction of kinetochore or spindle damage.

scholarly journals Yeast Kinetochores Do Not Stabilize Stu2p-dependent Spindle Microtubule Dynamics

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 4181-4195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad G. Pearson ◽  
Paul S. Maddox ◽  
Ted R. Zarzar ◽  
E.D. Salmon ◽  
Kerry Bloom
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Live Cell Imaging ◽  
Cell Imaging ◽  
Regulatory Mechanism ◽  
Metaphase Plate ◽  
Microtubule Dynamics ◽  
Spindle Microtubule ◽  
Microtubule Binding ◽  
Microtubule Stabilization ◽  
Kinetochore Function

The interaction of kinetochores with dynamic microtubules during mitosis is essential for proper centromere motility, congression to the metaphase plate, and subsequent anaphase chromosome segregation. Budding yeast has been critical in the discovery of proteins necessary for this interaction. However, the molecular mechanism for microtubule–kinetochore interactions remains poorly understood. Using live cell imaging and mutations affecting microtubule binding proteins and kinetochore function, we identify a regulatory mechanism for spindle microtubule dynamics involving Stu2p and the core kinetochore component, Ndc10p. Depleting cells of the microtubule binding protein Stu2p reduces kinetochore microtubule dynamics. Centromeres remain under tension but lack motility. Thus, normal microtubule dynamics are not required to maintain tension at the centromere. Loss of the kinetochore (ndc10-1, ndc10-2, and ctf13-30) does not drastically affect spindle microtubule turnover, indicating that Stu2p, not the kinetochore, is the foremost governor of microtubule dynamics. Disruption of kinetochore function with ndc10-1 does not affect the decrease in microtubule turnover in stu2 mutants, suggesting that the kinetochore is not required for microtubule stabilization. Remarkably, a partial kinetochore defect (ndc10-2) suppresses the decreased spindle microtubule turnover in the absence of Stu2p. These results indicate that Stu2p and Ndc10p differentially function in controlling kinetochore microtubule dynamics necessary for centromere movements.

scholarly journals Molecular requirements for the formation of a kinetochore–microtubule interface by Dam1 and Ndc80 complexes

2012 ◽  
Vol 200 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabienne Lampert ◽  
Christine Mieck ◽  
Gregory M. Alushin ◽  
Eva Nogales ◽  
Stefan Westermann
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Large Protein ◽  
Kinetochore Assembly ◽  
Sister Chromatids ◽  
Dam1 Complex ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Kinetochore Function

Kinetochores are large protein complexes that link sister chromatids to the spindle and transduce microtubule dynamics into chromosome movement. In budding yeast, the kinetochore–microtubule interface is formed by the plus end–associated Dam1 complex and the kinetochore-resident Ndc80 complex, but how they work in combination and whether a physical association between them is critical for chromosome segregation is poorly understood. Here, we define structural elements required for the Ndc80–Dam1 interaction and probe their function in vivo. A novel ndc80 allele, selectively impaired in Dam1 binding, displayed growth and chromosome segregation defects. Its combination with an N-terminal truncation resulted in lethality, demonstrating essential but partially redundant roles for the Ndc80 N-tail and Ndc80–Dam1 interface. In contrast, mutations in the calponin homology domain of Ndc80 abrogated kinetochore function and were not compensated by the presence of Dam1. Our experiments shed light on how microtubule couplers cooperate and impose important constraints on structural models for outer kinetochore assembly.

scholarly journals Cell-Size-Independent Spindle Checkpoint Failure Underlies Chromosome Segregation Error in Mouse Embryos

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 865-873.e3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cayetana Vázquez-Diez ◽  
Lia Mara Gomes Paim ◽  
Greg FitzHarris
Keyword(s):  
Cell Size ◽  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Spindle Checkpoint ◽  
Mouse Embryos

scholarly journals The spindle checkpoint protein Mad2 regulates APC/C activity during prometaphase and metaphase of meiosis I in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 2848-2861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dai Tsuchiya ◽  
Claire Gonzalez ◽  
Soni Lacefield
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Meiotic Division ◽  
Spindle Checkpoint ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Meiotic Cell ◽  
Checkpoint Protein ◽  
Sister Chromatids ◽  
Meiosis I

In many eukaryotes, disruption of the spindle checkpoint protein Mad2 results in an increase in meiosis I nondisjunction, suggesting that Mad2 has a conserved role in ensuring faithful chromosome segregation in meiosis. To characterize the meiotic function of Mad2, we analyzed individual budding yeast cells undergoing meiosis. We find that Mad2 sets the duration of meiosis I by regulating the activity of APCCdc20. In the absence of Mad2, most cells undergo both meiotic divisions, but securin, a substrate of the APC/C, is degraded prematurely, and prometaphase I/metaphase I is accelerated. Some mad2Δ cells have a misregulation of meiotic cell cycle events and undergo a single aberrant division in which sister chromatids separate. In these cells, both APCCdc20 and APCAma1 are prematurely active, and meiosis I and meiosis II events occur in a single meiotic division. We show that Mad2 indirectly regulates APCAma1 activity by decreasing APCCdc20 activity. We propose that Mad2 is an important meiotic cell cycle regulator that ensures the timely degradation of APC/C substrates and the proper orchestration of the meiotic divisions.

scholarly journals Structure of an intermediate conformer of the spindle checkpoint protein Mad2

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (36) ◽  
pp. 11252-11257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayuko Hara ◽  
Engin Özkan ◽  
Hongbin Sun ◽  
Hongtao Yu ◽  
Xuelian Luo
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Structural Transition ◽  
Spindle Checkpoint ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Anaphase Promoting Complex ◽  
Core Complex ◽  
Checkpoint Protein ◽  
Closed Conformation ◽  
Allosteric Communication ◽  
Insight Into

The spindle checkpoint senses unattached kinetochores during prometaphase and inhibits the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C), thus ensuring accurate chromosome segregation. The checkpoint protein mitotic arrest deficient 2 (Mad2) is an unusual protein with multiple folded states. Mad2 adopts the closed conformation (C-Mad2) in a Mad1–Mad2 core complex. In mitosis, kinetochore-bound Mad1–C-Mad2 recruits latent, open Mad2 (O-Mad2) from the cytosol and converts it to an intermediate conformer (I-Mad2), which can then bind and inhibit the APC/C activator cell division cycle 20 (Cdc20) as C-Mad2. Here, we report the crystal structure and NMR analysis of I-Mad2 bound to C-Mad2. Although I-Mad2 retains the O-Mad2 fold in crystal and in solution, its core structural elements undergo discernible rigid-body movements and more closely resemble C-Mad2. Residues exhibiting methyl chemical shift changes in I-Mad2 form a contiguous, interior network that connects its C-Mad2–binding site to the conformationally malleable C-terminal region. Mutations of residues at the I-Mad2–C-Mad2 interface hinder I-Mad2 formation and impede the structural transition of Mad2. Our study provides insight into the conformational activation of Mad2 and establishes the basis of allosteric communication between two distal sites in Mad2.

scholarly journals Arrayed BUB recruitment modules in the kinetochore scaffold KNL1 promote accurate chromosome segregation

2013 ◽  
Vol 203 (6) ◽  
pp. 943-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathijs Vleugel ◽  
Eelco Tromer ◽  
Manja Omerzu ◽  
Vincent Groenewold ◽  
Wilco Nijenhuis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Spindle Checkpoint ◽  
Linear Sequence ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Enhance Efficiency

Fidelity of chromosome segregation relies on coordination of chromosome biorientation and the spindle checkpoint. Central to this is the kinetochore scaffold KNL1 that integrates the functions of various mitotic regulators including BUB1 and BUBR1. We show that KNL1 contains an extensive array of short linear sequence modules that encompass TxxΩ and MELT motifs and that can independently localize BUB1. Engineered KNL1 variants with few modules recruit low levels of BUB1 to kinetochores but support a robust checkpoint. Increasing numbers of modules concomitantly increase kinetochore BUB1 levels and progressively enhance efficiency of chromosome biorientation. Remarkably, normal KNL1 function is maintained by replacing all modules with a short array of naturally occurring or identical, artificially designed ones. A minimal array of generic BUB recruitment modules in KNL1 thus suffices for accurate chromosome segregation. Widespread divergence in the amount and sequence of these modules in KNL1 homologues may represent flexibility in adapting regulation of mitotic processes to altered requirements for chromosome segregation during evolution.

scholarly journals Reduced Mad2 expression keeps relaxed kinetochores from arresting budding yeast in mitosis

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 2448-2457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin L. Barnhart ◽  
Russell K. Dorer ◽  
Andrew W. Murray ◽  
Scott C. Schuyler
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Budding Yeast ◽  
Spindle Checkpoint ◽  
Chromosome Loss ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Sister Chromatids ◽  
Chromatid Cohesion ◽  
Diploid Cells ◽  
Antimicrotubule Drugs

Chromosome segregation depends on the spindle checkpoint, which delays anaphase until all chromosomes have bound microtubules and have been placed under tension. The Mad1–Mad2 complex is an essential component of the checkpoint. We studied the consequences of removing one copy of MAD2 in diploid cells of the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Compared to MAD2/MAD2 cells, MAD2/mad2Δ heterozygotes show increased chromosome loss and have different responses to two insults that activate the spindle checkpoint: MAD2/mad2Δ cells respond normally to antimicrotubule drugs but cannot respond to chromosomes that lack tension between sister chromatids. In MAD2/mad2Δ cells with normal sister chromatid cohesion, removing one copy of MAD1 restores the checkpoint and returns chromosome loss to wild-type levels. We conclude that cells need the normal Mad2:Mad1 ratio to respond to chromosomes that are not under tension.

scholarly journals A Spindle Checkpoint Functions during Mitosis in the Early Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 1056-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra E. Encalada ◽  
John Willis ◽  
Rebecca Lyczak ◽  
Bruce Bowerman
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Spindle Checkpoint ◽  
Metaphase Plate ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Embryonic Cells ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Animal Cells ◽  
Dividing Cells

During mitosis, chromosome segregation is regulated by a spindle checkpoint mechanism. This checkpoint delays anaphase until all kinetochores are captured by microtubules from both spindle poles, chromosomes congress to the metaphase plate, and the tension between kinetochores and their attached microtubules is properly sensed. Although the spindle checkpoint can be activated in many different cell types, the role of this regulatory mechanism in rapidly dividing embryonic animal cells has remained controversial. Here, using time-lapse imaging of live embryonic cells, we show that chemical or mutational disruption of the mitotic spindle in early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos delays progression through mitosis. By reducing the function of conserved checkpoint genes in mutant embryos with defective mitotic spindles, we show that these delays require the spindle checkpoint. In the absence of a functional checkpoint, more severe defects in chromosome segregation are observed in mutants with abnormal mitotic spindles. We also show that the conserved kinesin CeMCAK, the CENP-F-related proteins HCP-1 and HCP-2, and the core kinetochore protein CeCENP-C all are required for this checkpoint. Our analysis indicates that spindle checkpoint mechanisms are functional in the rapidly dividing cells of an early animal embryo and that this checkpoint can prevent chromosome segregation defects during mitosis.

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