scholarly journals Automated mitotic spindle tracking suggests a link between spindle dynamics, spindle orientation, and anaphase onset in epithelial cells

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 746-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew E. Larson ◽  
William M. Bement
Keyword(s):  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Tissue Organization ◽  
Anaphase Onset ◽  
Spindle Dynamics ◽  
And Function ◽  
Spindle Position ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Rotational Oscillations ◽  
Final Orientation

Proper spindle positioning at anaphase onset is essential for normal tissue organization and function. Here we develop automated spindle-tracking software and apply it to characterize mitotic spindle dynamics in the Xenopus laevis embryonic epithelium. We find that metaphase spindles first undergo a sustained rotation that brings them on-axis with their final orientation. This sustained rotation is followed by a set of striking stereotyped rotational oscillations that bring the spindle into near contact with the cortex and then move it rapidly away from the cortex. These oscillations begin to subside soon before anaphase onset. Metrics extracted from the automatically tracked spindles indicate that final spindle position is determined largely by cell morphology and that spindles consistently center themselves in the XY-plane before anaphase onset. Finally, analysis of the relationship between spindle oscillations and spindle position relative to the cortex reveals an association between cortical contact and anaphase onset. We conclude that metaphase spindles in epithelia engage in a stereotyped “dance,” that this dance culminates in proper spindle positioning and orientation, and that completion of the dance is linked to anaphase onset.

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 Suppression of the bimC4 mitotic spindle defect by deletion of klpA, a gene encoding a KAR3-related kinesin-like protein in Aspergillus nidulans.

1993 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
M J O'Connell ◽  
P B Meluh ◽  
M D Rose ◽  
N R Morris
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Nidulans ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Expression Studies ◽  
Primary Amino ◽  
And Function ◽  
Spindle Function ◽  
The Relationship

To investigate the relationship between structure and function of kinesin-like proteins, we have identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a new kinesin-like protein in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans, which we have designated KLPA. DNA sequence analysis showed that the predicted KLPA protein contains a COOH terminal kinesin-like motor domain. Despite the structural similarity of KLPA to the KAR3 and NCD kinesin-like proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Drosophila melanogaster, which also posses COOH-terminal kinesin-like motor domains, there are no significant sequence similarities between the nonmotor or tail portions of these proteins. Nevertheless, expression studies in S. cerevisiae showed that klpA can complement a null mutation in KAR3, indicating that primary amino acid sequence conservation between the tail domains of kinesin-like proteins is not necessarily required for conserved function. Chromosomal deletion of the klpA gene exerted no observable mutant phenotype, suggesting that in A. nidulans there are likely to be other proteins functionally redundant with KLPA. Interestingly, the temperature sensitive phenotype of a mutation in another gene, bimC, which encodes a kinesin-like protein involved in mitotic spindle function in A. nidulans, was suppressed by deletion of klpA. We hypothesize that the loss of KLPA function redresses unbalanced forces within the spindle caused by mutation in bimC, and that the KLPA and BIMC kinesin-like proteins may play opposing roles in spindle function.

scholarly journals Cdk1-dependent destabilization of long astral microtubules is required for spindle orientation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Singh ◽  
Nadine Schmidt ◽  
Franziska Müller ◽  
Tanja Bange ◽  
Alexander W. Bird
Keyword(s):  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Microtubule Dynamics ◽  
Spindle Orientation ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Tissue Organization ◽  
Microtubule Stability ◽  
Astral Microtubule ◽  
Early Mitosis

AbstractThe precise execution of mitotic spindle orientation in response to cell shape cues is important for tissue organization and development. The presence of astral microtubules extending from the centrosome towards the cell cortex is essential for this process, but little is understood about the contribution of astral microtubule dynamics to spindle positioning, or how astral microtubule dynamics are regulated spatiotemporally. The mitotic regulator Cdk1-CyclinB promotes destabilization of centrosomal microtubules and increased microtubule dynamics as cells transition from interphase to mitosis, but how Cdk1 activity specifically modulates astral microtubule stability, and whether it impacts spindle positioning, is unknown. Here we uncover a mechanism revealing that Cdk1 destabilizes astral microtubules to ensure spindle reorientation in response to cell shape. Phosphorylation of the EB1-dependent microtubule plus-end tracking protein GTSE1 by Cdk1 in early mitosis abolishes its interaction with EB1 and recruitment to microtubule plus-ends. Loss of Cdk1 activity, or mutation of phosphorylation sites in GTSE1, induces recruitment of GTSE1 to growing microtubule plus-ends in mitosis. This decreases the catastrophe frequency of astral microtubules, and causes an increase in the number of long astral microtubules reaching the cell cortex, which restrains the ability of cells to reorient spindles along the long cellular axis in early mitosis. Astral microtubules must thus not only be present, but also dynamic to allow the spindle to reorient in response to cell shape, a state achieved by selective destabilization of long astral microtubules via Cdk1.

scholarly journals Mechanical design principles of a mitotic spindle

eLife ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J Ward ◽  
Hélio Roque ◽  
Claude Antony ◽  
François Nédélec
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Structural Components ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
And Function ◽  
Anaphase B ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Spindle Structure

An organised spindle is crucial to the fidelity of chromosome segregation, but the relationship between spindle structure and function is not well understood in any cell type. The anaphase B spindle in fission yeast has a slender morphology and must elongate against compressive forces. This ‘pushing’ mode of chromosome transport renders the spindle susceptible to breakage, as observed in cells with a variety of defects. Here we perform electron tomographic analyses of the spindle, which suggest that it organises a limited supply of structural components to increase its compressive strength. Structural integrity is maintained throughout the spindle's fourfold elongation by organising microtubules into a rigid transverse array, preserving correct microtubule number and dynamically rescaling microtubule length.

scholarly journals Stoichiometric interactions explain spindle dynamics and scaling across 100 million years of nematode evolution

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Farhadifar ◽  
Che-Hang Yu ◽  
Gunar Fabig ◽  
Hai-Yin Wu ◽  
David B Stein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Genetics ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Mechanistic Explanation ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Spindle Dynamics ◽  
Pulling Forces ◽  
Final Length ◽  
Force Generator ◽  
Rule Out

The spindle shows remarkable diversity, and changes in an integrated fashion, as cells vary over evolution. Here, we provide a mechanistic explanation for variations in the first mitotic spindle in nematodes. We used a combination of quantitative genetics and biophysics to rule out broad classes of models of the regulation of spindle length and dynamics, and to establish the importance of a balance of cortical pulling forces acting in different directions. These experiments led us to construct a model of cortical pulling forces in which the stoichiometric interactions of microtubules and force generators (each force generator can bind only one microtubule), is key to explaining the dynamics of spindle positioning and elongation, and spindle final length and scaling with cell size. This model accounts for variations in all the spindle traits we studied here, both within species and across nematode species spanning over 100 million years of evolution.

scholarly journals Condensin Regulates the Stiffness of Vertebrate Centromeres

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 2371-2380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana A. Ribeiro ◽  
Jesse C. Gatlin ◽  
Yimin Dong ◽  
Ajit Joglekar ◽  
Lisa Cameron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Metaphase Plate ◽  
Centromeric Chromatin ◽  
Anaphase Onset ◽  
Sister Kinetochore ◽  
Pulling Forces ◽  
Important Regulator ◽  
Chromatin Folding ◽  
And Function ◽  
Rest Length

When chromosomes are aligned and bioriented at metaphase, the elastic stretch of centromeric chromatin opposes pulling forces exerted on sister kinetochores by the mitotic spindle. Here we show that condensin ATPase activity is an important regulator of centromere stiffness and function. Condensin depletion decreases the stiffness of centromeric chromatin by 50% when pulling forces are applied to kinetochores. However, condensin is dispensable for the normal level of compaction (rest length) of centromeres, which probably depends on other factors that control higher-order chromatin folding. Kinetochores also do not require condensin for their structure or motility. Loss of stiffness caused by condensin-depletion produces abnormal uncoordinated sister kinetochore movements, leads to an increase in Mad2(+) kinetochores near the metaphase plate and delays anaphase onset.

scholarly journals Spindle position dictates division site during asymmetric cell division in moss

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Kozgunova ◽  
Mari W. Yoshida ◽  
Gohta Goshima
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Physcomitrella Patens ◽  
Plant Cells ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Division Site ◽  
Multicellular Organisms ◽  
Spindle Position

AbstractAsymmetric cell division (ACD) underlies the development of multicellular organisms. The division site in plant cells is predetermined prior to mitosis and the localization of the mitotic spindle is considered static, unlike in animal ACD, where the cell division site is defined by active spindle-positioning mechanisms. Here, we isolated a novel mutant of the microtubule-associated protein TPX2 in the moss Physcomitrella patens and observed abnormal spindle motility, which led to inverted asymmetric division during organ development. This phenotype was rescued by restoring endogenous TPX2 function and, unexpectedly, by depolymerizing actin filaments. Thus, we identify an active spindle-positioning mechanism involving microtubules and actin filaments that sets the division site in plants, which is reminiscent of the acentrosomal ACD in animals, and suggests the existence of a common ancestral mechanism.

scholarly journals Loss of spatial control of the mitotic spindle apparatus in a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant strain lacking basal bodies.

Genetics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 141 (3) ◽  
pp. 945-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
L L Ehler ◽  
J A Holmes ◽  
S K Dutcher
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Basal Bodies ◽  
Cleavage Furrow ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Spindle Apparatus ◽  
Variable Distribution ◽  
Spindle Position

Abstract The bld2-1 mutation in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is the only known mutation that results in the loss of centrioles/basal bodies and the loss of coordination between spindle position and cleavage furrow position during cell division. Based on several different assays, bld2-1 cells lack basal bodies in > 99% of cells. The stereotypical cytoskeletal morphology and precise positioning of the cleavage furrow observed in wild-type cells is disrupted in bld2-1 cells. The positions of the mitotic spindle and of the cleavage furrow are not correlated with respect to each other or with a specific cellular landmark during cell division in bld2-1 cells. Actin has a variable distribution during mitosis in bld2-1 cells, but this aberrant distribution is not correlated with the spindle positioning defect. In both wild-type and bld2-1 cells, the position of the cleavage furrow is coincident with a specialized set of microtubules found in green algae known as the rootlet microtubules. We propose that the rootlet microtubules perform the functions of astral microtubules and that functional centrioles are necessary for the organization of the cytoskeletal superstructure critical for correct spindle and cleavage furrow placement in Chlamydomonas.

scholarly journals Long astral microtubules uncouple mitotic spindles from the cytokinetic furrow

2010 ◽  
Vol 190 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen E. Rankin ◽  
Linda Wordeman
Keyword(s):  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Contractile Activity ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Cortical Actin ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Actin Cortex ◽  
Nonmuscle Myosin Ii ◽  
Early Anaphase ◽  
Cortical Contractility ◽  
Spindle Position

Astral microtubules (MTs) are known to be important for cleavage furrow induction and spindle positioning, and loss of astral MTs has been reported to increase cortical contractility. To investigate the effect of excess astral MT activity, we depleted the MT depolymerizer mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK) from HeLa cells to produce ultra-long, astral MTs during mitosis. MCAK depletion promoted dramatic spindle rocking in early anaphase, wherein the entire mitotic spindle oscillated along the spindle axis from one proto-daughter cell to the other, driven by oscillations of cortical nonmuscle myosin II. The effect was phenocopied by taxol treatment. Live imaging revealed that cortical actin partially vacates the polar cortex in favor of the equatorial cortex during anaphase. We propose that this renders the polar actin cortex vulnerable to rupture during normal contractile activity and that long astral MTs enlarge the blebs. Excessively large blebs displace mitotic spindle position by cytoplasmic flow, triggering the oscillations as the blebs resolve.

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