scholarly journals Molecular mechanisms facilitating the initial kinetochore encounter with spindle microtubules

2017 ◽  
Vol 216 (6) ◽  
pp. 1609-1622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanya Vasileva ◽  
Marek Gierlinski ◽  
Zuojun Yue ◽  
Nicola O’Reilly ◽  
Etsushi Kitamura ◽  
...  

The initial kinetochore (KT) encounter with a spindle microtubule (MT; KT capture) is one of the rate-limiting steps in establishing proper KT–MT interaction during mitosis. KT capture is facilitated by multiple factors, such as MT extension in various directions, KT diffusion, and MT pivoting. In addition, KTs generate short MTs, which subsequently interact with a spindle MT. KT-derived MTs may facilitate KT capture, but their contribution is elusive. In this study, we find that Stu1 recruits Stu2 to budding yeast KTs, which promotes MT generation there. By removing Stu2 specifically from KTs, we show that KT-derived MTs shorten the half-life of noncaptured KTs from 48–49 s to 28–34 s. Using computational simulation, we found that multiple factors facilitate KT capture redundantly or synergistically. In particular, KT-derived MTs play important roles both by making a significant contribution on their own and by synergistically enhancing the effects of KT diffusion and MT pivoting. Our study reveals fundamental mechanisms facilitating the initial KT encounter with spindle MTs.

2014 ◽  
Vol 204 (6) ◽  
pp. 965-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rania S. Rizk ◽  
Katherine A. DiScipio ◽  
Kathleen G. Proudfoot ◽  
Mohan L. Gupta

Mitotic spindle function is critical for cell division and genomic stability. During anaphase, the elongating spindle physically segregates the sister chromatids. However, the molecular mechanisms that determine the extent of anaphase spindle elongation remain largely unclear. In a screen of yeast mutants with altered spindle length, we identified the kinesin-8 Kip3 as essential to scale spindle length with cell size. Kip3 is a multifunctional motor protein with microtubule depolymerase, plus-end motility, and antiparallel sliding activities. Here we demonstrate that the depolymerase activity is indispensable to control spindle length, whereas the motility and sliding activities are not sufficient. Furthermore, the microtubule-destabilizing activity is required to counteract Stu2/XMAP215-mediated microtubule polymerization so that spindle elongation terminates once spindles reach the appropriate final length. Our data support a model where Kip3 directly suppresses spindle microtubule polymerization, limiting midzone length. As a result, sliding forces within the midzone cannot buckle spindle microtubules, which allows the cell boundary to define the extent of spindle elongation.


Zygote ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Zhen Jin ◽  
Hua-Feng Shou ◽  
Jin-Wei Liu ◽  
Shan-Shan Jiang ◽  
Yan Shen ◽  
...  

Abstract Microtubule-severing protein (MTSP) is critical for the survival of both mitotic and postmitotic cells. However, the study of MTSP during meiosis of mammalian oocytes has not been reported. We found that spastin, a member of the MTSP family, was highly expressed in oocytes and aggregated in spindle microtubules. After knocking down spastin by specific siRNA, the spindle microtubule density of meiotic oocytes decreased significantly. When the oocytes were cultured in vitro, the oocytes lacking spastin showed an obvious maturation disorder. Considering the microtubule-severing activity of spastin, we speculate that spastin on spindles may increase the number of microtubule broken ends by severing the microtubules, therefore playing a nucleating role, promoting spindle assembly and ensuring normal meiosis. In addition, we found the colocalization and interaction of collapsin response mediator protein 5 (CRMP5) and spastin in oocytes. CRMP5 can provide structural support and promote microtubule aggregation, creating transportation routes, and can interact with spastin in the microtubule activity of nerve cells (30). Knocking down CRMP5 may lead to spindle abnormalities and developmental disorders in oocytes. Overexpression of spastin may reverse the abnormal phenotype caused by the deletion of CRMP5. In summary, our data support a model in which the interaction between spastin and CRMP5 promotes the assembly of spindle microtubules in oocytes by controlling microtubule dynamics, therefore ensuring normal meiosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 219 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gisela Cairo ◽  
Anne M. MacKenzie ◽  
Soni Lacefield

Accurate chromosome segregation depends on the proper attachment of kinetochores to spindle microtubules before anaphase onset. The Ipl1/Aurora B kinase corrects improper attachments by phosphorylating kinetochore components and so releasing aberrant kinetochore–microtubule interactions. The localization of Ipl1 to kinetochores in budding yeast depends upon multiple pathways, including the Bub1–Bub3 pathway. We show here that in meiosis, Bub3 is crucial for correction of attachment errors. Depletion of Bub3 results in reduced levels of kinetochore-localized Ipl1 and concomitant massive chromosome missegregation caused by incorrect chromosome–spindle attachments. Depletion of Bub3 also results in shorter metaphase I and metaphase II due to premature localization of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) to kinetochores, which antagonizes Ipl1-mediated phosphorylation. We propose a new role for the Bub1–Bub3 pathway in maintaining the balance between kinetochore localization of Ipl1 and PP1, a balance that is essential for accurate meiotic chromosome segregation and timely anaphase onset.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (1) ◽  
pp. G164-G171 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Y. Wang ◽  
M. J. Viar ◽  
P. M. Blanner ◽  
L. R. Johnson

Refeeding fasted rats significantly stimulates mucosal growth and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines, but the exact mechanism responsible for induction of ODC at the molecular level is unknown. Of normal dietary constituents, the amino acid asparagine markedly increases ODC activity and mucosal growth when administered intragastrically. The current study examined the expression of the ODC gene in IEC-6 cells (a line of normal rat small intestinal crypt cells) after exposure to asparagine. Cells were grown in Dulbecco's minimal essential medium containing 5% dialyzed fetal bovine serum. They were deprived of serum for 24 h before experiments. Exposure to asparagine at the dose of 10 mM resulted in the rapid increase in ODC mRNA levels. The increased expression of the ODC gene began 1 h after and peaked between 3 and 5 h after treatment with asparagine. Maximum increases in ODC mRNA levels were approximately fivefold the normal value. Increased levels of ODC mRNA in cells exposed to asparagine were paralleled by increases in ODC protein and enzyme activity and cellular polyamine levels. The half-life of mRNA for ODC in unstimulated IEC-6 cells was approximately 30 min and increased to > 2 h in cells exposed to 10 mM asparagine. The half-life of ODC activity also was increased in asparagine-treated cells. When cellular protein synthesis was inhibited by cycloheximide, asparagine superinduced ODC mRNA levels. Furthermore, asparagine also significantly stimulated DNA synthesis in IEC-6 cells. These results indicate that 1) asparagine stimulates ODC in IEC-6 cells through multiple pathways and 2) increased ODC mRNA levels result partly from a delay in the rate of degradation. These findings suggest that luminal amino acids stimulate gut mucosal growth in association with their ability to regulate ODC gene expression.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (46) ◽  
pp. 23061-23067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh V. Vermaas ◽  
Riin Kont ◽  
Gregg T. Beckham ◽  
Michael F. Crowley ◽  
Mikael Gudmundsson ◽  
...  

Cellulase enzymes deconstruct recalcitrant cellulose into soluble sugars, making them a biocatalyst of biotechnological interest for use in the nascent lignocellulosic bioeconomy. Cellobiohydrolases (CBHs) are cellulases capable of liberating many sugar molecules in a processive manner without dissociating from the substrate. Within the complete processive cycle of CBHs, dissociation from the cellulose substrate is rate limiting, but the molecular mechanism of this step is unknown. Here, we present a direct comparison of potential molecular mechanisms for dissociation via Hamiltonian replica exchange molecular dynamics of the model fungal CBH, Trichoderma reesei Cel7A. Computational rate estimates indicate that stepwise cellulose dethreading from the binding tunnel is 4 orders of magnitude faster than a clamshell mechanism, in which the substrate-enclosing loops open and release the substrate without reversing. We also present the crystal structure of a disulfide variant that covalently links substrate-enclosing loops on either side of the substrate-binding tunnel, which constitutes a CBH that can only dissociate via stepwise dethreading. Biochemical measurements indicate that this variant has a dissociation rate constant essentially equivalent to the wild type, implying that dethreading is likely the predominant mechanism for dissociation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vickery L. Arcus ◽  
Adrian J. Mulholland

We review the adaptations of enzyme activity to different temperatures. Psychrophilic (cold-adapted) enzymes show significantly different activation parameters (lower activation enthalpies and entropies) from their mesophilic counterparts. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that the temperature dependence of many enzyme-catalyzed reactions is more complex than is widely believed. Many enzymes show curvature in plots of activity versus temperature that is not accounted for by denaturation or unfolding. This is explained by macromolecular rate theory: A negative activation heat capacity for the rate-limiting chemical step leads directly to predictions of temperature optima; both entropy and enthalpy are temperature dependent. Fluctuations in the transition state ensemble are reduced compared to the ground state. We show how investigations combining experiment with molecular simulation are revealing fundamental details of enzyme thermoadaptation that are relevant for understanding aspects of enzyme evolution. Simulations can calculate relevant thermodynamic properties (such as activation enthalpies, entropies, and heat capacities) and reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying experimentally observed behavior.


1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 5879-5887 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Egner ◽  
Y Mahé ◽  
R Pandjaitan ◽  
K Kuchler

Multidrug resistance (MDR) to different cytotoxic compounds in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can arise from overexpression of the Pdr5 (Sts1, Ydr1, or Lem1) ATP-binding cassette (ABC) multidrug transporter. We have raised polyclonal antibodies recognizing the yeast Pdr5 ABC transporter to study its biogenesis and to analyze the molecular mechanisms underlying MDR development. Subcellular fractionation and indirect immunofluorescence experiments showed that Pdr5 is localized in the plasma membrane. In addition, pulse-chase radiolabeling of cells and immunoprecipitation indicated that Pdr5 is a short-lived membrane protein with a half-life of about 60 to 90 min. A dramatic metabolic stabilization of Pdr5 was observed in delta pep4 mutant cells defective in vacuolar proteinases, and indirect immunofluorescence showed that Pdr5 accumulates in vacuoles of stationary-phase delta pep4 mutant cells, demonstrating that Pdr5 turnover requires vacuolar proteolysis. However, Pdr5 turnover does not require a functional proteasome, since the half-life of Pdr5 was unaffected in either pre1-1 or pre1-1 pre2-1 mutants defective in the multicatalytic cytoplasmic proteasome that is essential for cytoplasmic protein degradation. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that vacuolar delivery of Pdr5 is blocked in conditional end4 endocytosis mutants at the restrictive temperature, showing that endocytosis delivers Pdr5 from the plasma membrane to the vacuole.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 8255
Author(s):  
Yujiro Kida

Peritubular capillary (PTC) rarefaction is commonly detected in chronic kidney disease (CKD) such as hypertensive nephrosclerosis and diabetic nephropathy. Moreover, PTC rarefaction prominently correlates with impaired kidney function and predicts the future development of end-stage renal disease in patients with CKD. However, it is still underappreciated that PTC rarefaction is a pivotal regulator of CKD progression, primarily because the molecular mechanisms of PTC rarefaction have not been well-elucidated. In addition to the established mechanisms (reduced proangiogenic factors and increased anti-angiogenic factors), recent studies discovered significant contribution of the following elements to PTC loss: (1) prompt susceptibility of PTC to injury, (2) impaired proliferation of PTC, (3) apoptosis/senescence of PTC, and (4) pericyte detachment from PTC. Mainly based on the recent and novel findings in basic research and clinical study, this review describes the roles of the above-mentioned elements in PTC loss and focuses on the major factors regulating PTC angiogenesis, the assessment of PTC rarefaction and its surrogate markers, and an overview of the possible therapeutic agents to mitigate PTC rarefaction during CKD progression. PTC rarefaction is not only a prominent histological characteristic of CKD but also a central driving force of CKD progression.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zain Akram ◽  
Ishtiaq Ahmed ◽  
Heike Mack ◽  
Ramandeep Kaur ◽  
Richard C. Silva ◽  
...  

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has an actin cytoskeleton that comprises a set of protein components analogous to those found in the actin cytoskeletons of higher eukaryotes. Furthermore, the actin cytoskeletons of S. cerevisiae and of higher eukaryotes have some similar physiological roles. The genetic tractability of budding yeast and the availability of a stable haploid cell type facilitates the application of molecular genetic approaches to assign functions to the various actin cytoskeleton components. This has provided information that is in general complementary to that provided by studies of the equivalent proteins of higher eukaryotes and hence has enabled a more complete view of the role of these proteins. Several human functional homologues of yeast actin effectors are implicated in diseases. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning the functions of these proteins is critical to develop improved therapeutic strategies. In this article we chose as examples four evolutionarily conserved proteins that associate with the actin cytoskeleton: (1) yeast Hof1p/mammalian PSTPIP1, (2) yeast Rvs167p/mammalian BIN1, (3) yeast eEF1A/eEF1A1 and eEF1A2 and (4) yeast Yih1p/mammalian IMPACT. We compare the knowledge on the functions of these actin cytoskeleton-associated proteins that has arisen from studies of their homologues in yeast with information that has been obtained from in vivo studies using live animals or in vitro studies using cultured animal cell lines.


2013 ◽  
Vol 203 (6) ◽  
pp. 883-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Schweizer ◽  
Cristina Ferrás ◽  
David M. Kern ◽  
Elsa Logarinho ◽  
Iain M. Cheeseman ◽  
...  

Tpr is a conserved nuclear pore complex (NPC) protein implicated in the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) by an unknown mechanism. Here, we show that Tpr is required for normal SAC response by stabilizing Mad1 and Mad2 before mitosis. Tpr coimmunoprecipitated with Mad1 and Mad2 (hereafter designated as Tpr/Mad1/Mad2 or TM2 complex) during interphase and mitosis, and is required for Mad1–c-Mad2 recruitment to NPCs. Interestingly, Tpr was normally undetectable at kinetochores and dispensable for Mad1, but not for Mad2, kinetochore localization, which suggests that SAC robustness depends on Mad2 levels at kinetochores. Protein half-life measurements demonstrate that Tpr stabilizes Mad1 and Mad2, ensuring normal Mad1–c-Mad2 production in an mRNA- and kinetochore-independent manner. Overexpression of GFP-Mad2 restored normal SAC response and Mad2 kinetochore levels in Tpr-depleted cells. Mechanistically, we provide evidence that Tpr might spatially regulate SAC proteostasis through the SUMO-isopeptidases SENP1 and SENP2 at NPCs. Thus, Tpr is a kinetochore-independent, rate-limiting factor required to mount and sustain a robust SAC response.


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