scholarly journals Human CLASP2 specifically regulates microtubule catastrophe and rescue

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1168-1177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J. Lawrence ◽  
Göker Arpag˘ ◽  
Stephen R. Norris ◽  
Marija Zanic

Cytoplasmic linker-associated proteins (CLASPs) are microtubule-associated proteins essential for microtubule regulation in many cellular processes. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying CLASP activity are not understood. Here, we use purified protein components and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy to investigate the effects of human CLASP2 on microtubule dynamics in vitro. We demonstrate that CLASP2 suppresses microtubule catastrophe and promotes rescue without affecting the rates of microtubule growth or shrinkage. Strikingly, when CLASP2 is combined with EB1, a known binding partner, the effects on microtubule dynamics are strongly enhanced. We show that synergy between CLASP2 and EB1 is dependent on a direct interaction, since a truncated EB1 protein that lacks the CLASP2-binding domain does not enhance CLASP2 activity. Further, we find that EB1 targets CLASP2 to microtubules and increases the dwell time of CLASP2 at microtubule tips. Although the temporally averaged microtubule growth rates are unaffected by CLASP2, we find that microtubules grown with CLASP2 display greater variability in growth rates. Our results provide insight into the regulation of microtubule dynamics by CLASP proteins and highlight the importance of the functional interplay between regulatory proteins at dynamic microtubule ends.

2006 ◽  
Vol 172 (7) ◽  
pp. 1009-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jawdat Al-Bassam ◽  
Mark van Breugel ◽  
Stephen C. Harrison ◽  
Anthony Hyman

Stu2p from budding yeast belongs to the conserved Dis1/XMAP215 family of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). The common feature of proteins in this family is the presence of HEAT repeat–containing TOG domains near the NH2 terminus. We have investigated the functions of the two TOG domains of Stu2p in vivo and in vitro. Our data suggest that Stu2p regulates microtubule dynamics through two separate activities. First, Stu2p binds to a single free tubulin heterodimer through its first TOG domain. A large conformational transition in homodimeric Stu2p from an open structure to a closed one accompanies the capture of a single free tubulin heterodimer. Second, Stu2p has the capacity to associate directly with microtubule ends, at least in part, through its second TOG domain. These two properties lead to the stabilization of microtubules in vivo, perhaps by the loading of tubulin dimers at microtubule ends. We suggest that this mechanism of microtubule regulation is a conserved feature of the Dis1/XMAP215 family of MAPs.


2014 ◽  
Vol 204 (7) ◽  
pp. 1111-1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Gallaud ◽  
Renaud Caous ◽  
Aude Pascal ◽  
Franck Bazile ◽  
Jean-Philippe Gagné ◽  
...  

The mitotic spindle is crucial to achieve segregation of sister chromatids. To identify new mitotic spindle assembly regulators, we isolated 855 microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) from Drosophila melanogaster mitotic or interphasic embryos. Using RNAi, we screened 96 poorly characterized genes in the Drosophila central nervous system to establish their possible role during spindle assembly. We found that Ensconsin/MAP7 mutant neuroblasts display shorter metaphase spindles, a defect caused by a reduced microtubule polymerization rate and enhanced by centrosome ablation. In agreement with a direct effect in regulating spindle length, Ensconsin overexpression triggered an increase in spindle length in S2 cells, whereas purified Ensconsin stimulated microtubule polymerization in vitro. Interestingly, ensc-null mutant flies also display defective centrosome separation and positioning during interphase, a phenotype also detected in kinesin-1 mutants. Collectively, our results suggest that Ensconsin cooperates with its binding partner Kinesin-1 during interphase to trigger centrosome separation. In addition, Ensconsin promotes microtubule polymerization during mitosis to control spindle length independent of Kinesin-1.


1998 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Blocker ◽  
G. Griffiths ◽  
J.C. Olivo ◽  
A.A. Hyman ◽  
F.F. Severin

We have shown previously that intracellular phagosome movement requires microtubules. Here we provide evidence that within cells phagosomes display two different kinds of microtubule-based movements in approximately equal proportions. The first type occurs predominantly in the cell periphery, often shortly after the phagosome is formed, and at speeds below 0.1 microm/second. The second is faster (0.2-1.5 micron/second) and occurs mainly after phagosomes have reached the cell interior. Treating cells with nanomolar concentrations of taxol or nocodazole alters microtubule dynamics without affecting either total polymer mass or microtubule organisation. Such treatments slow the accumulation of phagosomes in the perinuclear region and reduce the number of slow movements by up to 50% without affecting the frequency of fast movements. This suggests that a proportion of slow movements are mediated by microtubule dynamics while fast movements are powered by microtubule motors. In macrophages, interphase microtubules radiate from the microtubule organising centre with their plus-end towards the cell periphery. To understand the behaviour of ‘early’ phagosomes at the cell periphery we investigated their ability to bind microtubule plus-ends in vitro. We show that early phagosomes have a strong preference for microtubule plus-ends, whereas ‘late’ phagosomes do not, and that plus-end affinity requires the presence of microtubule-associated proteins within cytosol. We suggest that phagosomes can bind to the plus-ends of dynamic microtubules and move by following their shrinkage or growth.


2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (23) ◽  
pp. 4552-4566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annabel Alonso ◽  
Sonia D'Silva ◽  
Maliha Rahman ◽  
Pam B. Meluh ◽  
Jacob Keeling ◽  
...  

Microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins are fundamental for multiple cellular processes, including mitosis and intracellular motility, but the factors that control microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) are poorly understood. Here we show that two MAPs—the CLIP-170 homologue Bik1p and the Lis1 homologue Pac1p—interact with several proteins in the sumoylation pathway. Bik1p and Pac1p interact with Smt3p, the yeast SUMO; Ubc9p, an E2; and Nfi1p, an E3. Bik1p interacts directly with SUMO in vitro, and overexpression of Smt3p and Bik1p results in its in vivo sumoylation. Modified Pac1p is observed when the SUMO protease Ulp1p is inactivated. Both ubiquitin and Smt3p copurify with Pac1p. In contrast to ubiquitination, sumoylation does not directly tag the substrate for degradation. However, SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligases (STUbLs) can recognize a sumoylated substrate and promote its degradation via ubiquitination and the proteasome. Both Pac1p and Bik1p interact with the STUbL Nis1p-Ris1p and the protease Wss1p. Strains deleted for RIS1 or WSS1 accumulate Pac1p conjugates. This suggests a novel model in which the abundance of these MAPs may be regulated via STUbLs. Pac1p modification is also altered by Kar9p and the dynein regulator She1p. This work has implications for the regulation of dynein's interaction with various cargoes, including its off-loading to the cortex.


2008 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 611-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalind Silverman-Gavrila ◽  
Lorelei Silverman-Gavrila

Originally characterized as regulators of cytokinesis, septins were later implicated in other cellular processes. Recent studies show that septins have a broader role in microtubule-dependent processes, such as karyokinesis, exocytosis, and maintenance of cell shape. Many members of the septin family have been shown to colocalize or interact with the microtubule cytoskeleton, suggesting that these might be general properties of septins. Septins could play an important role in regulating microtubule dynamics by interacting with microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) that modulate microtubule stability. Being able to associate with both microtubules and actin, septins can play an important role as adaptors between the two cytoskeletons and as regulators of processes in which both actin and microtubules are involved. As septins are associated with various neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, a better understanding of the biology of septins and their interactions with microtubules is important in order to develop possible therapeutic strategies for these diseases.


2004 ◽  
Vol 384 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefa ANDRADE ◽  
Sandy Timm PEARCE ◽  
Hu ZHAO ◽  
Margarida BARROSO

Previously, we have shown that p22, an EF-hand Ca2+-binding protein, interacts indirectly with microtubules in an N-myristoylation-dependent and Ca2+-independent manner. In the present study, we report that N-myristoylated p22 interacts with several microtubule-associated proteins within the 30–100 kDa range using overlay blots of microtubule pellets containing cytosolic proteins. One of those p22-binding partners, a 35–40 kDa microtubule-binding protein, has been identified by MS as GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase). Several lines of evidence suggest a functional relationship between GAPDH and p22. First, endogenous p22 interacts with GAPDH by immunoprecipitation. Secondly, p22 and GAPDH align along microtubule tracks in analogous punctate structures in BHK cells. Thirdly, GAPDH facilitates the p22-dependent interactions between microtubules and microsomal membranes, by increasing the ability of p22 to bind microtubules but not membranes. We have also shown a direct interaction between N-myristoylated p22 and GAPDH in vitro with a KD of ∼0.5 μM. The removal of either the N-myristoyl group or the last six C-terminal amino acids abolishes the binding of p22 to GAPDH and reduces the ability of p22 to associate with microtubules. In summary, we report that GAPDH is involved in the ability of p22 to facilitate microtubule–membrane interactions by affecting the p22–microtubule, but not the p22–membrane, association.


2001 ◽  
Vol 114 (21) ◽  
pp. 3805-3812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Ohkura ◽  
Miguel A. Garcia ◽  
Takashi Toda

Microtubules play central roles in various cellular processes in eukaryotes. The dynamics and organisation of interphase microtubules and mitotic spindles are dramatically altered during the cell cycle and development. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this dynamic behaviour remain to be understood. In recent years, a novel family of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), the Dis1/TOG family, has emerged as a versatile regulator of microtubule function. These MAPs are highly conserved in eukaryotes from yeasts and plants to humans. The localisation and function of these MAPs are not determined simply by their intrinsic microtubule-binding activity. Instead this family executes its diverse roles by interacting with other regulatory molecules, including microtubule motors and centrosomal proteins. The modular structure of these MAPs may allow them to interact with multiple proteins and thereby be involved in a wide variety of microtubule and spindle functions. Movies available on-line


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