scholarly journals Mechanisms of spindle positioning

2013 ◽  
Vol 200 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis J. McNally
Keyword(s):  
Oocyte Maturation ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Meiotic Cell ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Animal Development ◽  
Cell Divisions ◽  
Spindle Poles ◽  
Pulling Force

Accurate positioning of spindles is essential for asymmetric mitotic and meiotic cell divisions that are crucial for animal development and oocyte maturation, respectively. The predominant model for spindle positioning, termed “cortical pulling,” involves attachment of the microtubule-based motor cytoplasmic dynein to the cortex, where it exerts a pulling force on microtubules that extend from the spindle poles to the cell cortex, thereby displacing the spindle. Recent studies have addressed important details of the cortical pulling mechanism and have revealed alternative mechanisms that may be used when microtubules do not extend from the spindle to the cortex.

scholarly journals Evidence for dynein and astral microtubule–mediated cortical release and transport of Gαi/LGN/NuMA complex in mitotic cells

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 901-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Zheng ◽  
Qingwen Wan ◽  
Jing Liu ◽  
Huabin Zhu ◽  
Xiaogang Chu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Mitotic Apparatus ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Spindle Poles ◽  
Astral Microtubule ◽  
Mammalian Homologue ◽  
Cortical Localization

Spindle positioning is believed to be governed by the interaction between astral microtubules and the cell cortex and involve cortically anchored motor protein dynein. How dynein is recruited to and regulated at the cell cortex to generate forces on astral microtubules is not clear. Here we show that mammalian homologue of Drosophila Pins (Partner of Inscuteable) (LGN), a Gαi-binding protein that is critical for spindle positioning in different systems, associates with cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain (DYNC1H1) in a Gαi-regulated manner. LGN is required for the mitotic cortical localization of DYNC1H1, which, in turn, also modulates the cortical accumulation of LGN. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis, we show that cortical LGN is dynamic and the turnover of LGN relies, at least partially, on astral microtubules and DYNC1H1. We provide evidence for dynein- and astral microtubule–mediated transport of Gαi/LGN/nuclear mitotic apparatus (NuMA) complex from cell cortex to spindle poles and show that actin filaments counteract such transport by maintaining Gαi/LGN/NuMA and dynein at the cell cortex. Our results indicate that astral microtubules are required for establishing bipolar, symmetrical cortical LGN distribution during metaphase. We propose that regulated cortical release and transport of LGN complex along astral microtubules may contribute to spindle positioning in mammalian cells.

scholarly journals Overexpression of Mdm36 reveals Num1 foci that mediate dynein-dependent microtubule sliding in budding yeast

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Safia Omer ◽  
Katia Brock ◽  
John Beckford ◽  
Wei-Lih Lee
Keyword(s):  
Budding Yeast ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Direct Imaging ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Sliding Mechanism ◽  
Pulling Forces ◽  
Pulling Force

ABSTRACTCurrent model for spindle positioning requires attachment of the microtubule (MT) motor cytoplasmic dynein to the cell cortex, where it generates pulling force on astral MTs to effect spindle displacement. How dynein is anchored by cortical attachment machinery to generate large spindle-pulling forces remains unclear. Here, we show that cortical clustering of Num1, the yeast dynein attachment molecule, is limited by Mdm36. Overexpression of Mdm36 results in an overall enhancement of Num1 clustering but reveals a population of dim Num1 clusters that mediate dynein-anchoring at the cell cortex. Direct imaging shows that bud-localized, dim Num1 clusters containing only ∼6 copies of Num1 molecules mediate dynein-dependent spindle pulling via lateral MT sliding mechanism. Mutations affecting Num1 clustering interfere with mitochondrial tethering but not dynein-based spindle-pulling function of Num1. We propose that formation of small ensembles of attachment molecules is sufficient for dynein anchorage and cortical generation of large spindle-pulling force.

scholarly journals Overexpression of Mdm36 reveals Num1 foci that mediate dynein-dependent microtubule sliding in budding yeast

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (20) ◽  
pp. jcs246363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Safia Omer ◽  
Katia Brock ◽  
John Beckford ◽  
Wei-Lih Lee
Keyword(s):  
Budding Yeast ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Direct Imaging ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Sliding Mechanism ◽  
Pulling Forces ◽  
Assembly Factor ◽  
Pulling Force

ABSTRACTThe current model for spindle positioning requires attachment of the microtubule (MT) motor cytoplasmic dynein to the cell cortex, where it generates pulling force on astral MTs to effect spindle displacement. How dynein is anchored by cortical attachment machinery to generate large spindle-pulling forces remains unclear. Here, we show that cortical clustering of Num1, the yeast dynein attachment molecule, is limited by its assembly factor Mdm36. Overexpression of Mdm36 results in an overall enhancement of Num1 clustering but reveals a population of dim Num1 clusters that mediate dynein anchoring at the cell cortex. Direct imaging shows that bud-localized, dim Num1 clusters containing around only six Num1 molecules mediate dynein-dependent spindle pulling via a lateral MT sliding mechanism. Mutations affecting Num1 clustering interfere with mitochondrial tethering but do not interfere with the dynein-based spindle-pulling function of Num1. We propose that formation of small ensembles of attachment molecules is sufficient for dynein anchorage and cortical generation of large spindle-pulling forces.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

scholarly journals Two populations of cytoplasmic dynein contribute to spindle positioning in C. elegans embryos

2017 ◽  
Vol 216 (9) ◽  
pp. 2777-2793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Schmidt ◽  
Lars-Eric Fielmich ◽  
Ilya Grigoriev ◽  
Eugene A. Katrukha ◽  
Anna Akhmanova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Force Generation ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Animal Cells ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Knockout Mutants ◽  
Pulling Forces ◽  
Endogenous Proteins ◽  
Pulling Force

The position of the mitotic spindle is tightly controlled in animal cells as it determines the plane and orientation of cell division. Contacts between cytoplasmic dynein and astral microtubules (MTs) at the cell cortex generate pulling forces that position the spindle. An evolutionarily conserved Gα-GPR-1/2Pins/LGN–LIN-5Mud/NuMA cortical complex interacts with dynein and is required for pulling force generation, but the dynamics of this process remain unclear. In this study, by fluorescently labeling endogenous proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, we show that dynein exists in two distinct cortical populations. One population directly depends on LIN-5, whereas the other is concentrated at MT plus ends and depends on end-binding (EB) proteins. Knockout mutants lacking all EBs are viable and fertile and display normal pulling forces and spindle positioning. However, EB protein–dependent dynein plus end tracking was found to contribute to force generation in embryos with a partially perturbed dynein function, indicating the existence of two mechanisms that together create a highly robust force-generating system.

scholarly journals Cell shape impacts on the positioning of the mitotic spindle with respect to the substratum

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1286-1295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Lázaro-Diéguez ◽  
Iaroslav Ispolatov ◽  
Anne Müsch
Keyword(s):  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Spindle Assembly Checkpoint ◽  
Mdck Cells ◽  
Spindle Pole ◽  
Spindle Orientation ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Spindle Poles ◽  
Spindle Position

All known mechanisms of mitotic spindle orientation rely on astral microtubules. We report that even in the absence of astral microtubules, metaphase spindles in MDCK and HeLa cells are not randomly positioned along their x-z dimension, but preferentially adopt shallow β angles between spindle pole axis and substratum. The nonrandom spindle positioning is due to constraints imposed by the cell cortex in flat cells that drive spindles that are longer and/or wider than the cell's height into a tilted, quasidiagonal x-z position. In rounder cells, which are taller, fewer cortical constraints make the x-z spindle position more random. Reestablishment of astral microtubule–mediated forces align the spindle poles with cortical cues parallel to the substratum in all cells. However, in flat cells, they frequently cause spindle deformations. Similar deformations are apparent when confined spindles rotate from tilted to parallel positions while MDCK cells progress from prometaphase to metaphase. The spindle disruptions cause the engagement of the spindle assembly checkpoint. We propose that cell rounding serves to maintain spindle integrity during its positioning.

scholarly journals Fission yeast myosin I facilitates PI(4,5)P2-mediated anchoring of cytoplasmic dynein to the cortex

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (13) ◽  
pp. E2672-E2681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerrin Mathew Thankachan ◽  
Stephen Sukumar Nuthalapati ◽  
Nireekshit Addanki Tirumala ◽  
Vaishnavi Ananthanarayanan
Keyword(s):  
Fission Yeast ◽  
Total Internal Reflection ◽  
Nuclear Material ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Binding Partner ◽  
Myosin I ◽  
Phosphatidylinositol 4

Several key processes in the cell, such as vesicle transport and spindle positioning, are mediated by the motor protein cytoplasmic dynein, which produces force on the microtubule. For the functions that require movement of the centrosome and the associated nuclear material, dynein needs to have a stable attachment at the cell cortex. In fission yeast, Mcp5 is the anchor protein of dynein and is required for the oscillations of the horsetail nucleus during meiotic prophase. Although the role of Mcp5 in anchoring dynein to the cortex has been identified, it is unknown how Mcp5 associates with the membrane as well as the importance of the underlying attachment to the nuclear oscillations. Here, we set out to quantify Mcp5 organization and identify the binding partner of Mcp5 at the membrane. We used confocal and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy to count the number of Mcp5 foci and the number of Mcp5 molecules in an individual focus. Further, we quantified the localization pattern of Mcp5 in fission yeast zygotes and show by perturbation of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase that Mcp5 binds to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2]. Remarkably, we discovered that the myosin I protein in fission yeast, Myo1, which is required for organization of sterol-rich domains in the cell membrane, facilitates the localization of Mcp5 and that of cytoplasmic dynein on the membrane. Finally, we demonstrate that Myo1-facilitated association of Mcp5 and dynein to the membrane determines the dynamics of nuclear oscillations and, in essence, dynein activity.

scholarly journals The Nuclear Mitotic Apparatus (NuMA) Protein: A Key Player for Nuclear Formation, Spindle Assembly, and Spindle Positioning

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomomi Kiyomitsu ◽  
Susan Boerner
Keyword(s):  
Protein A ◽  
Spindle Assembly ◽  
Mitotic Cell ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Spindle Pole ◽  
Meiotic Spindle ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Mitotic Apparatus ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Nuclear Mitotic Apparatus

The nuclear mitotic apparatus (NuMA) protein is well conserved in vertebrates, and dynamically changes its subcellular localization from the interphase nucleus to the mitotic/meiotic spindle poles and the mitotic cell cortex. At these locations, NuMA acts as a key structural hub in nuclear formation, spindle assembly, and mitotic spindle positioning, respectively. To achieve its variable functions, NuMA interacts with multiple factors, including DNA, microtubules, the plasma membrane, importins, and cytoplasmic dynein. The binding of NuMA to dynein via its N-terminal domain drives spindle pole focusing and spindle positioning, while multiple interactions through its C-terminal region define its subcellular localizations and functions. In addition, NuMA can self-assemble into high-ordered structures which likely contribute to spindle positioning and nuclear formation. In this review, we summarize recent advances in NuMA’s domains, functions and regulations, with a focus on human NuMA, to understand how and why vertebrate NuMA participates in these functions in comparison with invertebrate NuMA-related proteins.

scholarly journals Visualization of dynein-dependent microtubule gliding at the cell cortex: implications for spindle positioning

2011 ◽  
Vol 194 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva M. Gusnowski ◽  
Martin Srayko
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Early Prophase ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Level Of Activity ◽  
Pulling Forces ◽  
Cell Embryo ◽  
Pulling Force ◽  
The One

Dynein motors move along the microtubule (MT) lattice in a processive “walking” manner. In the one-cell Caenorhabditis elegans embryo, dynein is required for spindle-pulling forces during mitosis. Posteriorly directed spindle-pulling forces are higher than anteriorly directed forces, and this imbalance results in posterior spindle displacement during anaphase and an asymmetric division. To address how dynein could be asymmetrically activated to achieve posterior spindle displacement, we developed an assay to measure dynein’s activity on individual MTs at the embryo cortex. Our study reveals that cortical dynein motors maintain a basal level of activity that propels MTs along the cortex, even under experimental conditions that drastically reduce anaphase spindle forces. This suggests that dynein-based MT gliding is not sufficient for anaphase spindle-pulling force. Instead, we find that this form of dynein activity is most prominent during spindle centering in early prophase. We propose a model whereby different dynein–MT interactions are used for specific spindle-positioning tasks in the one-cell embryo.

scholarly journals Dynein, microtubule and cargo: a ménage à trois

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1731-1735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nenad Pavin ◽  
Iva M. Tolić-Nørrelykke
Keyword(s):  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
The Other ◽  
General Question ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Binding Partners ◽  
Pulling Force ◽  
Mitosis And Meiosis ◽  
Chromosome Movements

To exert forces, motor proteins bind with one end to cytoskeletal filaments, such as microtubules and actin, and with the other end to the cell cortex, a vesicle or another motor. A general question is how motors search for sites in the cell where both motor ends can bind to their respective binding partners. In the present review, we focus on cytoplasmic dynein, which is required for a myriad of cellular functions in interphase, mitosis and meiosis, ranging from transport of organelles and functioning of the mitotic spindle to chromosome movements in meiotic prophase. We discuss how dynein targets sites where it can exert a pulling force on the microtubule to transport cargo inside the cell.

scholarly journals Dynamic regulation of dynein localization revealed by small molecule inhibitors of ubiquitination enzymes

Open Biology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 180095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie K. Monda ◽  
Iain M. Cheeseman
Keyword(s):  
Drug Treatment ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Dynamic Nature ◽  
Simultaneous Treatment ◽  
Dynamic Regulation ◽  
Spindle Poles ◽  
Target Effects

Cytoplasmic dynein is a minus-end-directed microtubule-based motor that acts at diverse subcellular sites. During mitosis, dynein localizes simultaneously to the mitotic spindle, spindle poles, kinetochores and the cell cortex. However, it is unclear what controls the relative targeting of dynein to these locations. As dynein is heavily post-translationally modified, we sought to test a role for these modifications in regulating dynein localization. We find that dynein rapidly and strongly accumulates at mitotic spindle poles following treatment with NSC697923, a small molecule that inhibits the ubiquitin E2 enzyme, Ubc13, or treatment with PYR-41, a ubiquitin E1 inhibitor. Subsets of dynein regulators such as Lis1, ZW10 and Spindly accumulate at the spindle poles, whereas others do not, suggesting that NSC697923 differentially affects specific dynein populations. We additionally find that dynein relocalization induced by NSC697923 or PYR-41 can be suppressed by simultaneous treatment with the non-selective deubiquitinase inhibitor, PR-619. However, we did not observe altered dynein localization following treatment with the selective E1 inhibitor, TAK-243. Although it is possible that off-target effects of NSC697923 and PYR-41 are responsible for the observed changes in dynein localization, the rapid relocalization upon drug treatment highlights the highly dynamic nature of dynein regulation during mitosis.

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