γ-Tubulin complex-mediated anchoring of spindle microtubules to spindle-pole bodies requires Msd1 in fission yeast

The minus ends of spindle microtubules are anchored to a microtubule-organizing center. The conserved Msd1/SSX2IP proteins are localized to the spindle pole body (SPB) and the centrosome in fission yeast and humans, respectively, and play a critical role in microtubule anchoring. In this paper, we show that fission yeast Msd1 forms a ternary complex with another conserved protein, Wdr8, and the minus end–directed Pkl1/kinesin-14. Individual deletion mutants displayed the identical spindle-protrusion phenotypes. Msd1 and Wdr8 were delivered by Pkl1 to mitotic SPBs, where Pkl1 was tethered through Msd1–Wdr8. The spindle-anchoring defect imposed by msd1/wdr8/pkl1 deletions was suppressed by a mutation of the plus end–directed Cut7/kinesin-5, which was shown to be mutual. Intriguingly, Pkl1 motor activity was not required for its anchoring role once targeted to the SPB. Therefore, spindle anchoring through Msd1–Wdr8–Pkl1 is crucial for balancing the Cut7/kinesin-5–mediated outward force at the SPB. Our analysis provides mechanistic insight into the spatiotemporal regulation of two opposing kinesins to ensure mitotic spindle bipolarity.

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Paired arrangement of kinetochores together with microtubule pivoting and dynamics drive kinetochore capture in meiosis I

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/srep25736 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Gheorghe Cojoc ◽

Ana-Maria Florescu ◽

Alexander Krull ◽

Anna H. Klemm ◽

Nenad Pavin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Division ◽

Fission Yeast ◽

General Feature ◽

Protein Complexes ◽

Spindle Pole ◽

Single Object ◽

Homologous Chromosomes ◽

Angular Movement ◽

Spindle Microtubules ◽

Meiosis I

Abstract Kinetochores are protein complexes on the chromosomes, whose function as linkers between spindle microtubules and chromosomes is crucial for proper cell division. The mechanisms that facilitate kinetochore capture by microtubules are still unclear. In the present study, we combine experiments and theory to explore the mechanisms of kinetochore capture at the onset of meiosis I in fission yeast. We show that kinetochores on homologous chromosomes move together, microtubules are dynamic and pivot around the spindle pole, and the average capture time is 3–4 minutes. Our theory describes paired kinetochores on homologous chromosomes as a single object, as well as angular movement of microtubules and their dynamics. For the experimentally measured parameters, the model reproduces the measured capture kinetics and shows that the paired configuration of kinetochores accelerates capture, whereas microtubule pivoting and dynamics have a smaller contribution. Kinetochore pairing may be a general feature that increases capture efficiency in meiotic cells.

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The Spindle Pole Bodies Facilitate Nuclear Envelope Division during Closed Mitosis in Fission Yeast

PLoS Biology ◽

10.1371/journal.pbio.0050170 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 5 (7) ◽

pp. e170 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Liling Zheng ◽

Cindi Schwartz ◽

Valentin Magidson ◽

Alexey Khodjakov ◽

Snezhana Oliferenko

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Envelope ◽

Fission Yeast ◽

Spindle Pole ◽

Spindle Pole Bodies

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Asymmetry of the spindle pole bodies and spg1p GAP segregation during mitosis in fission yeast

Journal of Cell Science ◽

10.1242/jcs.112.14.2313 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 112 (14) ◽

pp. 2313-2321 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

L. Cerutti ◽

V. Simanis

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Fission Yeast ◽

Spindle Pole Body ◽

Mitotic Cell ◽

Spindle Pole ◽

The Other ◽

Septum Formation ◽

Spindle Pole Bodies ◽

Interphase Cells ◽

Early Mitosis

In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the onset of septum formation is induced by a signal transduction network involving several protein kinases and a GTPase switch. One of the roles of the spg1p GTPase is to localise the cdc7p protein kinase to the poles of the mitotic spindle, from where the onset of septation is thought to be signalled at the end of mitosis. Immunofluorescence studies have shown that cdc7p is located on both spindle pole bodies early in mitosis, but only on one during the later stages of anaphase. This is mediated by inactivation of spg1p on one pole before the other. The GAP for spg1p is a complex of two proteins, cdc16p and byr4p. Localisation of cdc16p and byr4p by indirect immunofluorescence during the mitotic cell cycle showed that both proteins are present on the spindle pole body in interphase cells. During mitosis, byr4p is seen first on both poles of the spindle, then on only one. This occurs prior to cdc7p becoming asymmetric. In contrast, the signal due to cdc16p decreases to a low level during early mitosis, before being seen strongly on the same pole as byr4p. Double staining indicates that this is the opposite pole to that which retains cdc7p in late anaphase. Examination of the effect of inactivating cdc16p at various stages of the cell cycle suggests that cdc16p, together with cdc2p plays a role in restraining septum formation during interphase. The asymmetric inactivation of spg1p is mediated by recruitment of the cdc16p-byr4p GAP to one of the poles of the spindle before the other, and the asymmetry of the spindle pole bodies may be established early during mitosis. Moreover, the spindle pole bodies appear to be non-equivalent even after division has been completed.

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Synergistic role of fission yeast Alp16GCP6 and Mzt1MOZART1 in γ-tubulin complex recruitment to mitotic spindle pole bodies and spindle assembly

Molecular Biology of the Cell ◽

10.1091/mbc.e15-08-0577 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 27 (11) ◽

pp. 1753-1763 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Hirohisa Masuda ◽

Takashi Toda

Keyword(s):

Fission Yeast ◽

Mitotic Spindle ◽

Spindle Assembly Checkpoint ◽

Synthetic Lethality ◽

Spindle Assembly ◽

Spindle Pole ◽

Microtubule Assembly ◽

Spindle Microtubule ◽

Spindle Pole Bodies ◽

Mitotic Spindle Pole

In fission yeast, γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC)–specific components Gfh1GCP4, Mod21GCP5, and Alp16GCP6 are nonessential for cell growth. Of these deletion mutants, only alp16Δ shows synthetic lethality with temperature-sensitive mutants of Mzt1MOZART1, a component of the γTuRC required for recruitment of the complex to microtubule-organizing centers. γ-Tubulin small complex levels at mitotic spindle pole bodies (SPBs, the centrosome equivalent in fungi) and microtubule levels for preanaphase spindles are significantly reduced in alp16Δ cells but not in gfh1Δ or mod21Δ cells. Furthermore, alp16Δ cells often form monopolar spindles and frequently lose a minichromosome when the spindle assembly checkpoint is inactivated. Alp16GCP6 promotes Mzt1-dependent γTuRC recruitment to mitotic SPBs and enhances spindle microtubule assembly in a manner dependent on its expression levels. Gfh1GCP4 and Mod21GCP5 are not required for Alp16GCP6-dependent γTuRC recruitment. Mzt1 has an additional role in the activation of the γTuRC for spindle microtubule assembly. The ratio of Mzt1 to γTuRC levels for preanaphase spindles is higher than at other stages of the cell cycle. Mzt1 overproduction enhances spindle microtubule assembly without affecting γTuRC levels at mitotic SPBs. We propose that Alp16GCP6 and Mzt1 act synergistically for efficient bipolar spindle assembly to ensure faithful chromosome segregation.

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Kinetochore capture by spindle microtubules: why fission yeast may prefer pivoting to search-and-capture

10.1101/673723 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Indrani Nayak ◽

Dibyendu Das ◽

Amitabha Nandi

Keyword(s):

Fission Yeast ◽

Cell Biology ◽

Rotational Diffusion ◽

Spindle Pole Body ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Spindle Pole ◽

Capture Process ◽

Geometrical Constraints ◽

The Common ◽

Spindle Microtubules

The mechanism by which microtubules find kinetochores during spindle formation is a key question in cell biology. Previous experimental studies have shown that although search-and-capture of kinetochores by dynamic microtubules is a dominant mechanism in many organisms, several other capture mechanisms are also possible. One such mechanism reported in Schizosaccharomyces pombe shows that microtubules can exhibit a prolonged pause between growth and shrinkage. During the pause, the microtubules pivoted at the spindle pole body search for the kinetochores by performing an angular diffusion. Is the latter mechanism purely accidental, or could there be any physical advantage underlying its selection? To compare the efficiency of these two mechanisms, we numerically study distinct models and compute the timescales of kinetochore capture as a function of microtubule number N. We find that the capture timescales have non-trivial dependences on microtubule number, and one mechanism may be preferred over the other depending on this number. While for small N (as in fission yeast), the typical capture times due to rotational diffusion are lesser than those for search-and-capture, the situation is reversed beyond a certain N. The capture times for rotational diffusion tend to saturate due to geometrical constraints, while those for search-and-capture reduce monotonically with increasing N making it physically more efficient. The results provide a rationale for the common occurrence of classic search-and-capture process in many eukaryotes which have few hundreds of dynamic microtubules, as well as justify exceptions in cells with fewer microtubules.

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Mitosis in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as revealed by freeze-substitution electron microscopy

Journal of Cell Science ◽

10.1242/jcs.80.1.253 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 80 (1) ◽

pp. 253-268

Author(s):

K. Tanaka ◽

T. Kanbe

Keyword(s):

Schizosaccharomyces Pombe ◽

Mitotic Spindle ◽

Nuclear Division ◽

Freeze Substitution ◽

Spindle Pole ◽

Nuclear Space ◽

Spindle Pole Bodies ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Cytoplasmic Microtubules ◽

Spindle Microtubules

Nuclear division in Schizosaccharomyces pombe has been studied in transmission electron micrographs of sections of cells fixed by a method of freeze-substitution. We have found cytoplasmic microtubules in the vicinity of the spindle pole bodies and two kinds of microtubules, short discontinuous ones and long, parallel ones in the intranuclear mitotic spindle. For most of the time taken by nuclear division the spindle pole bodies face each other squarely across the nuclear space but early in mitosis they briefly appear twisted out of alignment with each other, thereby imparting a sigmoidal shape to the bundle of spindle microtubules extending between them. This configuration is interpreted as indicating active participation of the spindle in the initial elongation of the dividing nucleus. It is proposed that mitosis is accompanied by the shortening of chromosomal microtubules simultaneously with the elongation of the central pole-to-pole bundle of microtubules of the intranuclear spindle. Daughter nuclei are separated by the sliding apart of interdigitating microtubules of the spindle at telophase. Some of the latter bear dense knobs at their ends.

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Tts1, the fission yeast homologue of the TMEM33 family, functions in NE remodeling during mitosis

Molecular Biology of the Cell ◽

10.1091/mbc.e13-12-0729 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 25 (19) ◽

pp. 2970-2983 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Dan Zhang ◽

Snezhana Oliferenko

Keyword(s):

Fission Yeast ◽

Structural Features ◽

Spindle Pole ◽

Nuclear Pore ◽

Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽

C Terminus ◽

Spindle Pole Bodies ◽

Evolutionarily Conserved ◽

Pore Complexes ◽

Insight Into

The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe undergoes “closed” mitosis in which the nuclear envelope (NE) stays intact throughout chromosome segregation. Here we show that Tts1, the fission yeast TMEM33 protein that was previously implicated in organizing the peripheral endoplasmic reticulum (ER), also functions in remodeling the NE during mitosis. Tts1 promotes insertion of spindle pole bodies (SPBs) in the NE at the onset of mitosis and modulates distribution of the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) during mitotic NE expansion. Structural features that drive partitioning of Tts1 to the high-curvature ER domains are crucial for both aspects of its function. An amphipathic helix located at the C-terminus of Tts1 is important for ER shaping and modulating the mitotic NPC distribution. Of interest, the evolutionarily conserved residues at the luminal interface of the third transmembrane region function specifically in promoting SPB-NE insertion. Our data illuminate cellular requirements for remodeling the NE during “closed” nuclear division and provide insight into the structure and functions of the eukaryotic TMEM33 family.

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The Meiosis-Specific Sid2p-related Protein Slk1p Regulates Forespore Membrane Assembly in Fission Yeast

Molecular Biology of the Cell ◽

10.1091/mbc.e07-10-1060 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 19 (9) ◽

pp. 3676-3690 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Hongyan Yan ◽

Wanzhong Ge ◽

Ting Gang Chew ◽

Jeng Yeong Chow ◽

Dannel McCollum ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fission Yeast ◽

Essential Role ◽

Spindle Pole ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Related Protein ◽

Membrane Assembly ◽

Daughter Cells ◽

Spindle Pole Bodies ◽

Septation Initiation Network ◽

Secretory Apparatus

Cytokinesis in all organisms involves the creation of membranous barriers that demarcate individual daughter cells. In fission yeast, a signaling module termed the septation initiation network (SIN) plays an essential role in the assembly of new membranes and cell wall during cytokinesis. In this study, we have characterized Slk1p, a protein-kinase related to the SIN component Sid2p. Slk1p is expressed specifically during meiosis and localizes to the spindle pole bodies (SPBs) during meiosis I and II in a SIN-dependent manner. Slk1p also localizes to the forespore membrane during sporulation. Cells lacking Slk1p display defects associated with sporulation, leading frequently to the formation of asci with smaller and/or fewer spores. The ability of slk1Δ cells to sporulate, albeit inefficiently, is fully abolished upon compromise of function of Sid2p, suggesting that Slk1p and Sid2p play overlapping roles in sporulation. Interestingly, increased expression of the syntaxin Psy1p rescues the sporulation defect of sid2-250 slk1Δ. Thus, it is likely that Slk1p and Sid2p play a role in forespore membrane assembly by facilitating recruitment of components of the secretory apparatus, such as Psy1p, to allow membrane expansion. These studies thereby provide a novel link between the SIN and vesicle trafficking during cytokinesis.

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