scholarly journals A novel mitotic spindle pole component that originates from the cytoplasm during prophase.

1986 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 1863-1872 ◽  
Author(s):  
P R Sager ◽  
N L Rothfield ◽  
J M Oliver ◽  
R D Berlin

Several unique aspects of mitotic spindle formation have been revealed by investigation of an autoantibody present in the serum of a patient with the CREST (calcinosis, Raynaud's phenomenon, esophageal dysmotility, schlerodacytyly, and telangiectasias) syndrome. This antibody was previously shown to label at the spindle poles of metaphase and anaphase cells and to be absent from interphase cells. We show here that the serum stained discrete cytoplasmic foci in early prophase cells and only later localized to the spindle poles. The cytoplasmic distribution of the antigen was also seen in nocodazole-arrested cells and prophase cells in populations treated with taxol. In normal and taxol-treated cells, the microtubules appeared to emanate from the cytoplasmic foci and polar stain, and in cells released from nocodazole block, microtubules regrew from antigen-containing centers. This characteristic distribution suggests that the antigen is part of a microtubule organizing center. Thus, we propose that a prophase originating polar antigen functions in spindle pole organization as a coalescing microtubule organizing center that is present only during mitosis. Characterization of the serum showed reactions with multiple proteins at 115, 110, 50, 36, 30, and 28 kD. However, affinity-eluted antibody from the 115/110-kD bands was shown to specifically label the spindle pole and cytosolic foci in prophase cells.

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (S2) ◽  
pp. 582-583
Author(s):  
W. Lingle ◽  
J. Salisbury ◽  
S. Barrett ◽  
V. Negron ◽  
C. Whitehead

The centrosome is the major microtubule organizing center in most mammalian cells, and as such it determines the number, polarity, and spatial distribution of microtubules (MTs). Interphase MTs, together with actin and intermediate filaments, constitute the cell's cytoskeleton, which dynamically maintains cell polarity and tissue architecture. Interphase cells begin Gl of the cell cycle with one centrosome. During S phase, the centrosome duplicates concomitantly with DNA replication. Duplicated centrosomes usually remain in close proximity to one another until late G2, at which time they separate and then move during prophase to become the poles that organize the bipolar mitotic spindle. During the G2/M transition, interphase MTs depolymerize and a new population of highly dynamic mitotic MTs are nucleated at the spindle poles. The bipolar mitotic spindle apparatus constitutes the machinery that partitions and separates sister chromatids equally between two daughter cells.


1996 ◽  
Vol 109 (13) ◽  
pp. 3103-3112 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kalt ◽  
M. Schliwa

The microtubule-organizing center of D. discoideum is a nucleus-associated body (NAB) that consists of a multilayered, box-shaped core embedded in an amorphous corona from which the microtubules emerge. The composition of the NAB is still largely unresolved. Here we have examined a high molecular mass component of the NAB which was identified by a monoclonal antibody raised against isolated nucleus/NAB complexes. This antibody recognized a 350 kDa component which is immunologically related to the D. discoideum heavy chain of myosin II. The 350 kDa antigen was localized only at the NAB in interphase cells, while in mitotic cells it may also be found in the vicinity of the NAB as well as in association with the mitotic spindle. Immunogold labeling experiments showed that the protein is part of the NAB corona. This association was not destroyed by treatment with 2 M urea or 0.6 M KCl. The 350 kDa antigen was part of the thiabendazole-induced cytoplasmic microtubule-organizing centers. A direct role in the polymerization of tubulin could not be determined in an in vitro microtubule nucleation assay, whereas antibody electroporation of live cells appeared to interfere with the generation of a normal microtubule system in a subset of cells. Our observations suggest that the 350 kDa antigen is a structural component of the NAB corona which could be involved in its stabilization.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaotian Wang ◽  
Claudia Baumann ◽  
Rabindranath De La Fuente ◽  
Maria M. Viveiros

Oocyte-specific Pericentrin (PCNT) knockdown in transgenic (Tg) mice disrupts acentriolar microtubule organizing center (aMTOC) formation, leading to spindle instability and error-prone meiotic division. Here, we show that PCNT-depleted oocytes lack phosphorylated Aurora A (pAURKA) at spindle poles, while overall levels are unaltered. To test aMTOC-associated AURKA function, MII control (WT) and Tg oocytes were briefly exposed to a specific inhibitor (MLN8237). Similar defects were observed in Tg and MLN8237-treated WT oocytes, including altered spindle structure, increased chromosome misalignment and impaired microtubule regrowth. Yet, AURKA inhibition had a limited effect on Tg oocytes, revealing a critical role for aMTOC-associated AURKA in regulating spindle stability. Notably, spindle instability was associated with disrupted γ-tubulin and lack of the liquid-like meiotic spindle domain (LISD) in Tg oocytes. Analysis of this Tg model provides the first evidence that LISD assembly depends expressly on aMTOC-associated AURKA, and that Ran-mediated spindle formation ensues without the LISD. These data support that loss of aMTOC-associated AURKA and failure of LISD assembly contribute to error-prone meiotic division in PCNT-depleted oocytes, underscoring the essential role of aMTOCs for spindle stability.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (S1) ◽  
pp. 352-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berl R. Oakley

γ-Tubulin is present in phylogenetically diverse eukaryotes. It is a component of microtubule organizing centers such as the spindle pole bodies of fungi. In Aspergillus nidulans and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, it is essential for nuclear division, and, thus, for viability. In A. nidulans, nuclei carrying a γ-tubulin disruption can be maintained in heterokaryons, and the phenotypes caused by the disruption can be determined in uninucleate spores produced by the heterokaryons. Experiments with heterokaryons created in strains with mutations that allow synchronization of the cell cycle reveal that γ-tubulin is not required for the transition from the G1 phase of the cell cycle through S phase to G2, nor for the entry into mitosis as judged by chromosomal condensation. It is, however, required for the formation of the mitotic spindle and for the successful completion of mitosis. Staining with the MPM-2 monoclonal antibody reveals that spindle pole body replication occurs in the absence of functional γ-tubulin. Finally, human γ-tubulin functions in fission yeast, and this indicates that γ-tubulin has similar functions in widely divergent organisms. Key words: tubulin, microtubule, spindle pole body, microtubule organizing center.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 897-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Z. Torres ◽  
Kenneth H. Ban ◽  
Peter K. Jackson

In early mitosis, the END (Emi1/NuMA/Dynein-dynactin) network anchors the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) to the mitotic spindle and poles. Spindle anchoring restricts APC/C activity, thereby limiting the destruction of spindle-associated cyclin B and ensuring maintenance of spindle integrity. Emi1 binds directly to hypophosphorylated APC/C, linking the APC/C to the spindle via NuMA. However, whether the phosphorylation state of the APC/C is important for its association with the spindle and what kinases and phosphatases are necessary for regulating this event remain unknown. Here, we describe the regulation of APC/C-mitotic spindle pole association by phosphorylation. We find that only hypophosphorylated APC/C associates with microtubule asters, suggesting that phosphatases are important. Indeed, a specific form of PPP2 (CA/R1A/R2B) binds APC/C, and PPP2 activity is necessary for Cdc27 dephosphorylation. Screening by RNA interference, we find that inactivation of CA, R1A, or R2B leads to delocalization of APC/C from spindle poles, early mitotic spindle defects, a failure to congress chromosomes, and decreased levels of cyclin B on the spindle. Consistently, inhibition of cyclin B/Cdk1 activity increased APC/C binding to microtubules. Thus, cyclin B/Cdk1 and PPP2 regulate the dynamic association of APC/C with spindle poles in early mitosis, a step necessary for proper spindle formation.


1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
M R Paddy ◽  
D Chelsky

We have characterized an antiserum that recognizes a single 120-kD protein in CHO cells which is soluble and cytoplasmically localized in interphase, but which is associated with a novel filamentous structure localized on or near kinetochore microtubules in mid-mitosis. These filaments, one per sister chromatid, run from near the mitotic spindle pole to within approximately 0.3 microns of each kinetochore. In metaphase, the staining pattern shows considerable substructure at light microscopy resolution, appearing as bright nodes or striations, often with a kinked or helical appearance. This overall localization pattern is retained throughout anaphase, with the filaments shortening as the chromosomes move toward the mitotic spindle poles. Also in anaphase, a separate ring-like structure lacking a tubulin-staining component appears near the spindle poles. As cells exit mitosis, the amount of this antigen in the cell decreases seven- to tenfold. The unusual staining pattern and the specific localization of this antigen on or near kinetochore microtubules in mid-mitosis indicate that the 120-kD protein defines or is associated with an important and previously unrecognized structural element of the mitotic spindle.


Genetics ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 137 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
E A Vallen ◽  
W Ho ◽  
M Winey ◽  
M D Rose

Abstract KAR1 encodes an essential component of the yeast spindle pole body (SPB) that is required for karyogamy and SPB duplication. A temperature-sensitive mutation, kar1-delta 17, mapped to a region required for SPB duplication and for localization to the SPB. To identify interacting SPB proteins, we isolated 13 dominant mutations and 3 high copy number plasmids that suppressed the temperature sensitivity of kar1-delta 17. Eleven extragenic suppressor mutations mapped to two linkage groups, DSK1 and DSK2. The extragenic suppressors were specific for SPB duplication and did not suppress karyogamy-defective alleles. The major class, DSK1, consisted of mutations in CDC31. CDC31 is required for SPB duplication and encodes a calmodulin-like protein that is most closely related to caltractin/centrin, a protein associated with the Chlamydomonas basal body. The high copy number suppressor plasmids contained the wild-type CDC31 gene. One CDC31 suppressor allele conferred a temperature-sensitive defect in SPB duplication, which was counter-suppressed by recessive mutations in KAR1. In spite of the evidence for a direct interaction, the strongest CDC31 alleles, as well as both DSK2 alleles, suppressed a complete deletion of KAR1. However, the CDC31 alleles also made the cell supersensitive to KAR1 gene dosage, arguing against a simple bypass mechanism of suppression. We propose a model in which Kar1p helps localize Cdc31p to the SPB and that Cdc31p then initiates SPB duplication via interaction with a downstream effector.


2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 4575-4585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Chang ◽  
Margaret Coughlin ◽  
Timothy J. Mitchison

Poly(ADP-ribose) (pADPr), made by PARP-5a/tankyrase-1, localizes to the poles of mitotic spindles and is required for bipolar spindle assembly, but its molecular function in the spindle is poorly understood. To investigate this, we localized pADPr at spindle poles by immuno-EM. We then developed a concentrated mitotic lysate system from HeLa cells to probe spindle pole assembly in vitro. Microtubule asters assembled in response to centrosomes and Ran-GTP in this system. Magnetic beads coated with pADPr, extended from PARP-5a, also triggered aster assembly, suggesting a functional role of the pADPr in spindle pole assembly. We found that PARP-5a is much more active in mitosis than interphase. We used mitotic PARP-5a, self-modified with pADPr chains, to capture mitosis-specific pADPr-binding proteins. Candidate binding proteins included the spindle pole protein NuMA previously shown to bind to PARP-5a directly. The rod domain of NuMA, expressed in bacteria, bound directly to pADPr. We propose that pADPr provides a dynamic cross-linking function at spindle poles by extending from covalent modification sites on PARP-5a and NuMA and binding noncovalently to NuMA and that this function helps promote assembly of exactly two poles.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Lang ◽  
Sandrine Grava ◽  
Tineke van den Hoorn ◽  
Rhonda Trimble ◽  
Peter Philippsen ◽  
...  

We investigated the migration of multiple nuclei in hyphae of the filamentous fungus Ashbya gossypii. Three types of cytoplasmic microtubule (cMT)-dependent nuclear movements were characterized using live cell imaging: short-range oscillations (up to 4.5 μm/min), rotations (up to 180° in 30 s), and long-range nuclear bypassing (up to 9 μm/min). These movements were superimposed on a cMT-independent mode of nuclear migration, cotransport with the cytoplasmic stream. This latter mode is sufficient to support wild-type-like hyphal growth speeds. cMT-dependent nuclear movements were led by a nuclear-associated microtubule-organizing center, the spindle pole body (SPB), which is the sole site of microtubule nucleation in A. gossypii. Analysis of A. gossypii SPBs by electron microscopy revealed an overall laminar structure similar to the budding yeast SPB but with distinct differences at the cytoplasmic side. Up to six perpendicular and tangential cMTs emanated from a more spherical outer plaque. The perpendicular and tangential cMTs most likely correspond to short, often cortex-associated cMTs and to long, hyphal growth-axis–oriented cMTs, respectively, seen by in vivo imaging. Each SPB nucleates its own array of cMTs, and the lack of overlapping cMT arrays between neighboring nuclei explains the autonomous nuclear oscillations and bypassing observed in A. gossypii hyphae.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolei Gao ◽  
Saturnino Herrero ◽  
Valentin Wernet ◽  
Sylvia Erhardt ◽  
Oliver Valerius ◽  
...  

Centrosomes are important microtubule-organizing centers (MTOC) in animal cells. In addition, non-centrosomal MTOCs (ncMTOCs) were described in many cell types. Functional analogs of centrosomes in fungi are the spindle pole bodies (SPBs). In Aspergillus nidulans additional MTOCs were discovered at septa (sMTOC). Although the core components are conserved in both MTOCs, their composition and organization are different and dynamic. Here, we show that the polo-like kinase PlkA binds the γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC) receptor protein ApsB and contributes to targeting ApsB to both MTOCs. PlkA coordinates SPB outer plaque with sMTOC activities. PlkA kinase activity was required for astral MT formation involving ApsB recruitment. PlkA also interacted with the γ-TuRC inner plaque receptor protein PcpA. Mitosis was delayed without PlkA, and the PlkA protein was required for proper mitotic spindle morphology, although this function was independent of its catalytic activity. Our results suggest polo-like kinase as a regulator of MTOC activities and as a scaffolding unit through interaction with γ-tubulin ring complex receptors.


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