scholarly journals CENP-I and Aurora B act as a molecular switch that ties RZZ/Mad1 recruitment to kinetochore attachment status

2014 ◽  
Vol 205 (4) ◽  
pp. 541-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Matson ◽  
P. Todd Stukenberg

The RZZ (Rod, ZW10, and Zwilch) complex and Mad1 proteins tightly associate with kinetochores to generate the spindle checkpoint signal, but they are released when a kinetochore forms mature microtubule attachments. Here we demonstrate that the centromere protein CENP-I is required to generate a stable association of RZZ and Mad1 with kinetochores. CENP-I also inhibits their removal by dynein stripping. This regulation of Mad1 and RZZ dissociation functions independently of Aurora B, which regulates their association. We show that the microtubule status of each kinetochore independently dictates the recruitment of Aurora B kinase, kinase activity on a kinetochore substrate, and loading of spindle checkpoint proteins. This dynamic regulation of Mad1 association by Aurora B is only uncovered when CENP-I is depleted, consistent with our finding that CENP-I inhibits the dissociation of Mad1. We conclude that the dual activities of Aurora B and CENP-I generate a molecular switch that maintains a robust spindle checkpoint signal at prometaphase kinetochores until they attain mature attachments to microtubules.

2003 ◽  
Vol 161 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Ditchfield ◽  
Victoria L. Johnson ◽  
Anthony Tighe ◽  
Rebecca Ellston ◽  
Carolyn Haworth ◽  
...  

The Aurora/Ipl1 family of protein kinases plays multiple roles in mitosis and cytokinesis. Here, we describe ZM447439, a novel selective Aurora kinase inhibitor. Cells treated with ZM447439 progress through interphase, enter mitosis normally, and assemble bipolar spindles. However, chromosome alignment, segregation, and cytokinesis all fail. Despite the presence of maloriented chromosomes, ZM447439-treated cells exit mitosis with normal kinetics, indicating that the spindle checkpoint is compromised. Indeed, ZM447439 prevents mitotic arrest after exposure to paclitaxel. RNA interference experiments suggest that these phenotypes are due to inhibition of Aurora B, not Aurora A or some other kinase. In the absence of Aurora B function, kinetochore localization of the spindle checkpoint components BubR1, Mad2, and Cenp-E is diminished. Furthermore, inhibition of Aurora B kinase activity prevents the rebinding of BubR1 to metaphase kinetochores after a reduction in centromeric tension. Aurora B kinase activity is also required for phosphorylation of BubR1 on entry into mitosis. Finally, we show that BubR1 is not only required for spindle checkpoint function, but is also required for chromosome alignment. Together, these results suggest that by targeting checkpoint proteins to kinetochores, Aurora B couples chromosome alignment with anaphase onset.


2001 ◽  
Vol 153 (6) ◽  
pp. 1239-1250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Sharp-Baker ◽  
Rey-Huei Chen

The spindle checkpoint inhibits the metaphase to anaphase transition until all the chromosomes are properly attached to the mitotic spindle. We have isolated a Xenopus homologue of the spindle checkpoint component Bub1, and investigated its role in the spindle checkpoint in Xenopus egg extracts. Antibodies raised against Bub1 recognize a 150-kD phosphoprotein at both interphase and mitosis, but the molecular mass is reduced to 140 upon dephosphorylation in vitro. Bub1 is essential for the establishment and maintenance of the checkpoint and is localized to kinetochores, similar to the spindle checkpoint complex Mad1–Mad2. However, Bub1 differs from Mad1–Mad2 in that Bub1 remains on kinetochores that have attached to microtubules; the protein eventually dissociates from the kinetochore during anaphase. Immunodepletion of Bub1 abolishes the spindle checkpoint and the kinetochore binding of the checkpoint proteins Mad1, Mad2, Bub3, and CENP-E. Interestingly, reintroducing either wild-type or kinase-deficient Bub1 protein restores the checkpoint and the kinetochore localization of these proteins. Our studies demonstrate that Bub1 plays a central role in triggering the spindle checkpoint signal from the kinetochore, and that its kinase activity is not necessary for the spindle checkpoint in Xenopus egg extracts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 218 (10) ◽  
pp. 3223-3236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuichiro Asai ◽  
Koh Fukuchi ◽  
Yuji Tanno ◽  
Saki Koitabashi-Kiyozuka ◽  
Tatsuyuki Kiyozuka ◽  
...  

The accurate regulation of phosphorylation at the kinetochore is essential for establishing chromosome bi-orientation. Phosphorylation of kinetochore proteins by the Aurora B kinase destabilizes improper kinetochore–microtubule attachments, whereas the phosphatase PP2A has a counteracting role. Imbalanced phosphoregulation leads to error-prone chromosome segregation and aneuploidy, a hallmark of cancer cells. However, little is known about the molecular events that control the balance of phosphorylation at the kinetochore. Here, we show that localization of SET/TAF1, an oncogene product, to centromeres maintains Aurora B kinase activity by inhibiting PP2A, thereby correcting erroneous kinetochore–microtubule attachment. SET localizes at the inner centromere by interacting directly with shugoshin 2, with SET levels declining at increased distances between kinetochore pairs, leading to establishment of chromosome bi-orientation. Moreover, SET overexpression induces chromosomal instability by disrupting kinetochore–microtubule attachment. Thus, our findings reveal the novel role of SET in fine-tuning the phosphorylation level at the kinetochore by balancing the activities of Aurora B and PP2A.


2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1761-1765 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Meadows

Correct transmission of genetic information from mother to daughter cells is necessary for development and survival. Accurate segregation is achieved by bipolar attachment of sister kinetochores in each chromatid pair to spindle microtubules emanating from opposite spindle poles, a process known as chromosome bi-orientation. Achieving this requires dynamic interplay between kinetochore proteins, kinesin motor proteins and cell cycle regulators. Chromosome bi-orientation is monitored by a surveillance mechanism known as the SAC (spindle assembly checkpoint). The Aurora B kinase, which is bound to the inner centromere during early mitosis, plays a central role in both chromosome bi-orientation and the spindle checkpoint. The application of tension across centromeres establishes a spatial gradient of high phosphorylation activity at the inner centromere and low phosphorylation activity at the outer kinetochore. This gradient is further refined by the association of PP1 (protein phosphatase 1) to the outer kinetochore, which stabilizes kinetochore–microtubule interactions and silences the spindle checkpoint by dephosphorylating Aurora B kinase targets when chromosome bi-orientation is achieved. In the present review, I discuss emerging evidence that bidirectional cross-talk between mitotic kinesins and the Aurora kinase–PP1 axis is crucial for co-ordinating chromosome bi-orientation and spindle checkpoint signalling in eukaryotes.


Cell Cycle ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (22) ◽  
pp. 2846-2854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca K. Tyler ◽  
Natalia Shpiro ◽  
Rodolfo Marquez ◽  
Patrick A. Eyers

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 388-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Xie ◽  
Qingyu Lang ◽  
Mei Zhou ◽  
Haoxing Zhang ◽  
Zhishun Zhang ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1655-1659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Fant ◽  
Kumiko Samejima ◽  
Ana Carvalho ◽  
Hiromi Ogawa ◽  
Zhenjie Xu ◽  
...  

The CPC [chromosomal passenger complex; INCENP (inner centromere protein), Aurora B kinase, survivin and borealin] is implicated in many mitotic processes. In the present paper we describe how we generated DT40 conditional-knockout cell lines for incenp1 and survivin1 to better understand the role of these CPC subunits in the control of Aurora B kinase activity. These lines enabled us to reassess current knowledge of survivin function and to show that INCENP acts as a rheostat for Aurora B activity.


2011 ◽  
Vol 193 (6) ◽  
pp. 1049-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin M. Ricke ◽  
Karthik B. Jeganathan ◽  
Jan M. van Deursen

High expression of the protein kinase Bub1 has been observed in a variety of human tumors and often correlates with poor clinical prognosis, but its molecular and cellular consequences and role in tumorigenesis are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that overexpression of Bub1 in mice leads to near-diploid aneuploidies and tumor formation. We found that chromosome misalignment and lagging are the primary mitotic errors responsible for the observed aneuploidization. High Bub1 levels resulted in aberrant Bub1 kinase activity and hyperactivation of Aurora B kinase. When Aurora B activity is suppressed, pharmacologically or via BubR1 overexpression, chromosome segregation errors caused by Bub1 overexpression are largely corrected. Importantly, Bub1 transgenic mice overexpressing Bub1 developed various kinds of spontaneous tumors and showed accelerated Myc-induced lymphomagenesis. Our results establish that Bub1 has oncogenic properties and suggest that Aurora B is a critical target through which overexpressed Bub1 drives aneuploidization and tumorigenesis.


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