scholarly journals Saccharomyces cerevisiaeCells with Defective Spindle Pole Body Outer Plaques Accomplish Nuclear Migration via Half-Bridge–organized Microtubules

1998 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 977-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arndt Brachat ◽  
John V. Kilmartin ◽  
Achim Wach ◽  
Peter Philippsen

Cnm67p, a novel yeast protein, localizes to the microtubule organizing center, the spindle pole body (SPB). Deletion ofCNM67 (YNL225c) frequently results in spindle misorientation and impaired nuclear migration, leading to the generation of bi- and multinucleated cells (40%). Electron microscopy indicated that CNM67 is required for proper formation of the SPB outer plaque, a structure that nucleates cytoplasmic (astral) microtubules. Interestingly, cytoplasmic microtubules that are essential for spindle orientation and nuclear migration are still present in cnm67Δ1 cells that lack a detectable outer plaque. These microtubules are attached to the SPB half- bridge throughout the cell cycle. This interaction presumably allows for low-efficiency nuclear migration and thus provides a rescue mechanism in the absence of a functional outer plaque. AlthoughCNM67 is not strictly required for mitosis, it is essential for sporulation. Time-lapse microscopy ofcnm67Δ1 cells with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled nuclei indicated that CNM67 is dispensable for nuclear migration (congression) and nuclear fusion during conjugation. This is in agreement with previous data, indicating that cytoplasmic microtubules are organized by the half-bridge during mating.

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tennessee J. Yoder ◽  
Mark A. McElwain ◽  
Susan E. Francis ◽  
Joy Bagley ◽  
Eric G.D. Muller ◽  
...  

The spindle pole body (SPB) is the microtubule organizing center in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An essential task of the SPB is to ensure assembly of the bipolar spindle, which requires a proper balancing of forces on the microtubules and chromosomes. The SPB component Spc110p connects the ends of the spindle microtubules to the core of the SPB. We previously reported the isolation of a mutant allele spc110-226 that causes broken spindles and SPB disintegration 30 min after spindle formation. By live cell imaging of mutant cells with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Tub1p or Spc97p-GFP, we show that spc110-226 mutant cells have early defects in spindle assembly. Short spindles form but do not advance to the 1.5-μm stage and frequently collapse. Kinetochores are not arranged properly in the mutant cells. In 70% of the cells, no stable biorientation occurs and all kinetochores are associated with only one SPB. Examination of the SPB remnants by electron microscopy tomography and fluorescence microscopy revealed that the Spc110-226p/calmodulin complex is stripped off of the central plaque of the SPB and coalesces to from a nucleating structure in the nucleoplasm. The central plaque components Spc42p and Spc29p remain behind in the nuclear envelope. The delamination is likely due to a perturbed interaction between Spc42p and Spc110-226p as detected by fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis. We suggest that the force exerted on the SPB by biorientation of the chromosomes pulls the Spc110-226p out of the SPB; removal of force exerted by coherence of the sister chromatids reduced fragmentation fourfold. Removal of the forces exerted by the cytoplasmic microtubules had no effect on fragmentation. Our results provide insights into the relative contributions of the kinetochore and cytoplasmic microtubules to the forces involved in formation of a bipolar spindle.


2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2949-2959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita K. Miller ◽  
Soo-Chen Cheng ◽  
Mark D. Rose

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, positioning of the mitotic spindle depends on the interaction of cytoplasmic microtubules with the cell cortex. In this process, cortical Kar9p in the bud acts as a link between the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. To identify Kar9p-interacting proteins, a two-hybrid screen was conducted with the use of full-length Kar9p as bait, and three genes were identified: BIM1, STU2, andKAR9 itself. STU2 encodes a component of the spindle pole body. Bim1p is the yeast homologue of the human microtubule-binding protein EB1, which is a binding partner to the adenomatous polyposis coli protein involved in colon cancer. Eighty-nine amino acids within the third quarter of Bim1p was sufficient to confer interaction with Kar9p. The two-hybrid interactions were confirmed with the use of coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Genetic analysis placed Bim1p in the Kar9p pathway for nuclear migration. Bim1p was not required for Kar9p's cortical or spindle pole body localization. However, deletion ofBIM1 eliminated Kar9p localization along cytoplasmic microtubules. Furthermore, in the bim1 mutants, the cytoplasmic microtubules no longer intersected the cortical dot of Green Fluorescent Protein–Kar9p. These experiments demonstrate that the interaction of cytoplasmic microtubules with the Kar9p cortical attachment site requires the microtubule-binding protein Bim1p.


1996 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 443-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
L G Marschall ◽  
R L Jeng ◽  
J Mulholland ◽  
T Stearns

gamma-Tubulin is a conserved component of microtubule-organizing centers and is thought to be involved in microtubule nucleation. A recently discovered Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene (TUB4) encodes a tubulin that is related to, but divergent from, gamma-tubulins. TUB4 is essential for cell viability, and epitope-tagged Tub4 protein (Tub4p) is localized to the spindle pole body (Sobel, S.G., and M. Snyder. 1995.J. Cell Biol. 131:1775-1788). We have characterized the expression of TUB4, the association of Tub4p with the spindle pole body, and its role in microtubule organization. Tub4p is a minor protein in the cell, and expression of TUB4 is regulated in a cell cycle-dependent manner. Wild-type Tub4p is localized to the spindle pole body, and a Tub4p-green fluorescent protein fusion is able to associate with a preexisting spindle pole body, suggesting that there is dynamic exchange between cytoplasmic and spindle pole body forms of Tub4p. Perturbation of Tub4p function, either by conditional mutation or by depletion of the protein, results in spindle as well as spindle pole body defects, but does not eliminate the ability of microtubules to regrow from, or remain attached to, the spindle pole body. The spindle pole bodies in tub4 mutant cells duplicate but do not separate, resulting in a monopolar spindle. EM revealed that one spindle pole body of the duplicated pair appears to be defective for the nucleation of microtubules. These results offer insight into the role of gamma-tubulin in microtubule-organizing center function.


2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 2319-2326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zane J. Bergman ◽  
Xue Xia ◽  
I. Alexandra Amaro ◽  
Tim C. Huffaker

The organization of microtubules is determined in most cells by a microtubule-organizing center, which nucleates microtubule assembly and anchors their minus ends. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells lacking She1, cytoplasmic microtubules detach from the spindle pole body at high rates. Increased rates of detachment depend on dynein activity, supporting previous evidence that She1 inhibits dynein. Detachment rates are higher in G1 than in metaphase cells, and we show that this is primarily due to differences in the strengths of microtubule attachment to the spindle pole body during these stages of the cell cycle. The minus ends of detached microtubules are stabilized by the presence of γ-tubulin and Spc72, a protein that tethers the γ-tubulin complex to the spindle pole body. A Spc72–Kar1 fusion protein suppresses detachment in G1 cells, indicating that the interaction between these two proteins is critical to microtubule anchoring. Overexpression of She1 inhibits the loading of dynactin components, but not dynein, onto microtubule plus ends. In addition, She1 binds directly to microtubules in vitro, so it may compete with dynactin for access to microtubules. Overall, these results indicate that inhibition of dynein activity by She1 is important to prevent excessive detachment of cytoplasmic microtubules, particularly in G1 cells.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1366-1380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Hoepfner ◽  
Florian Schaerer ◽  
Arndt Brachat ◽  
Achim Wach ◽  
Peter Philippsen

Nuclear migration and positioning in Saccharomyces cerevisiae depend on long astral microtubules emanating from the spindle pole bodies (SPBs). Herein, we show by in vivo fluorescence microscopy that cells lacking Spc72, the SPB receptor of the cytoplasmic γ-tubulin complex, can only generate very short (<1 μm) and unstable astral microtubules. Consequently, nuclear migration to the bud neck and orientation of the anaphase spindle along the mother-bud axis are absent in these cells. However,SPC72 deletion is not lethal because elongated but misaligned spindles can frequently reorient in mother cells, permitting delayed but otherwise correct nuclear segregation. High-resolution time-lapse sequences revealed that this spindle reorientation was most likely accomplished by cortex interactions of the very short astral microtubules. In addition, a set of double mutants suggested that reorientation was dependent on the SPB outer plaque and the astral microtubule motor function of Kar3 but not Kip2/Kip3/Dhc1, or the cortex components Kar9/Num1. Our observations suggest that Spc72 is required for astral microtubule formation at the SPB half-bridge and for stabilization of astral microtubules at the SPB outer plaque. In addition, our data exclude involvement of Spc72 in spindle formation and elongation functions.


1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Hoffmann ◽  
Blair J. Goates

The interphase nucleus in secondary sporidia of Tilletia foetida consists of mostly diffuse chromatin, one or two nucleoli, and an area of heterochromatin located opposite an electron-dense, extranuclear spindle pole body (SPB). The interphase SPB is an oval- to bar-shaped, double-structured disc that has a crystallinelike substructure. During nuclear migration into nascent sporidia, SPBs and nucleoli are randomly oriented. At the onset of division, chromatin begins to condense and the SPB becomes located on a nuclear protuberance. Cytoplasmic microtubules terminate at the SPBs and multivesicular bodies surround the SPBs from the early stages of SPB division to early postdivision. SPB discs become spheroid and each develops a medial, dense layer. Then, a basal, dense layer develops and elongates as the SPBs separate and become positioned on opposite sides of the nuclear protuberance. The nuclear membrane opens opposite the SPB during SPB division. The nucleolus is extruded into a nuclear bleb and degenerates. SPBs migrate to opposing sides of the nucleus and become diffuse as a microtubular spindle develops between them. Some spindle microtubules terminate at dense chromatin patches that are contiguous with the major mass of chromatin surrounding the spindle. During late division stages, spindle microtubules often appear to be closely juxtaposed. Except for polar openings adjacent to the SPBs, the nuclear membrane is entire until late division when it degenerates in the midregion of the nucleus. During early postdivision, the SPB condenses into a small, dense sphere as the chromatin and heterochromatin opposite the SPB become diffuse. The SPB then elongates into a dense bar and SPB material increases, except at the midportion, reforming the double structure of interphase.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 753-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Lang ◽  
Sandrine Grava ◽  
Mark Finlayson ◽  
Rhonda Trimble ◽  
Peter Philippsen ◽  
...  

In the multinucleate fungus Ashbya gossypii, cytoplasmic microtubules (cMTs) emerge from the spindle pole body outer plaque (OP) in perpendicular and tangential directions. To elucidate the role of cMTs in forward/backward movements (oscillations) and bypassing of nuclei, we constructed mutants potentially affecting cMT nucleation or stability. Hyphae lacking the OP components AgSpc72, AgNud1, AgCnm67, or the microtubule-stabilizing factor AgStu2 grew like wild- type but showed substantial alterations in the number, length, and/or nucleation sites of cMTs. These mutants differently influenced nuclear oscillation and bypassing. In Agspc72Δ, only long cMTs were observed, which emanate tangentially from reduced OPs; nuclei mainly moved with the cytoplasmic stream but some performed rapid bypassing. Agnud1Δ and Agcnm67Δ lack OPs; short and long cMTs emerged from the spindle pole body bridge/half-bridge structures, explaining nuclear oscillation and bypassing in these mutants. In Agstu2Δ only very short cMTs emanated from structurally intact OPs; all nuclei moved with the cytoplasmic stream. Therefore, long tangential cMTs promote nuclear bypassing and short cMTs are important for nuclear oscillation. Our electron microscopy ultrastructural analysis also indicated that assembly of the OP occurs in a stepwise manner, starting with AgCnm67, followed by AgNud1 and lastly AgSpc72.


1974 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 739-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. H. Poon ◽  
A. W. Day

Somatic nuclear division in living cells is described under both phase-contrast and acridine orange fluorescence microscopy. The observations confirm a previous description of the division in fixed cells stained with acetic orcein. Acridine orange at the optimum concentration of 75–250 mg/liter complete medium clearly differentiated the nucleolus, chromatinic granules, nucleoplasm, and spindle pole body, as well as indicating changes in RNA content in the cytoplasm during budding. Acridine orange fluorescence was identical in both living and fixed cells. The fluorescence of the spindle pole body indicated that it contains DNA, which may initiate RNA synthesis. Time-lapse phase-contrast observations confirmed that neither the fixation technique nor acridine orange or acetic orcein staining caused noticeable artefacts during division, and provided indisputable evidence for the sequencing of stages. Estimates from the time-lapse observations indicated that the division is quite slow (about 45 min) and that 'prophase' takes about 12 min, 'metaphase' 5 min, and 'anaphase–telophase' about 28 min.


1990 ◽  
Vol 111 (6) ◽  
pp. 2573-2586 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Berlin ◽  
C A Styles ◽  
G R Fink

BIK1 function is required for nuclear fusion, chromosome disjunction, and nuclear segregation during mitosis. The BIK1 protein colocalizes with tubulin to the spindle pole body and mitotic spindle. Synthetic lethality observed in double mutant strains containing a mutation in the BIK1 gene and in the gene for alpha- or beta-tubulin is consistent with a physical interaction between BIK1 and tubulin. Furthermore, over- or underexpression of BIK1 causes aberrant microtubule assembly and function, bik1 null mutants are viable but contain very short or undetectable cytoplasmic microtubules. Spindle formation often occurs strictly within the mother cell, probably accounting for the many multinucleate and anucleate bik1 cells. Elevated levels of chromosome loss in bik1 cells are indicative of defective spindle function. Nuclear fusion is blocked in bik1 x bik1 zygotes, which have truncated cytoplasmic microtubules. Cells overexpressing BIK1 initially have abnormally short or nonexistent spindle microtubules and long cytoplasmic microtubules. Subsequently, cells lose all microtubule structures, coincident with the arrest of division. Based on these results, we propose that BIK1 is required stoichiometrically for the formation or stabilization of microtubules during mitosis and for spindle pole body fusion during conjugation.


Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (14) ◽  
pp. 3171-3181 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.J. Malone ◽  
W.D. Fixsen ◽  
H.R. Horvitz ◽  
M. Han

Nuclear migrations are essential for metazoan development. Two nuclear migrations that occur during C. elegans development require the function of the unc-84 gene. unc-84 mutants are also defective in the anchoring of nuclei within the hypodermal syncytium and in the migrations of the two distal tip cells of the gonad. Complementation analyses of 17 unc-84 alleles defined two genetically separable functions. Both functions are required for nuclear and distal tip cell migrations, but only one is required for nuclear anchorage. The DNA lesions associated with these 17 mutations indicate that the two genetically defined functions correspond to two distinct regions of the UNC-84 protein. The UNC-84 protein has a predicted transmembrane domain and a C-terminal region with similarity to the S. pombe spindle pole body protein Sad1 and to two predicted mammalian proteins. Analysis of a green fluorescent protein reporter indicated that UNC-84 is widely expressed and localized to the nuclear envelope. We propose that UNC-84 functions to facilitate a nuclear-centrosomal interaction required for nuclear migration and anchorage.


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