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 CORRIGENDUM

Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 651-654
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii ◽  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Basal Bodies ◽  
Spatial Control ◽  
Spindle Apparatus

Abstract In the paper by Linda L. Ehler, Jeffery A. Holmes and Susan K. Dutcher (Genetics  141:  945–960: November 1995) entitled “Loss of spatial control of the mitotic spindle apparatus in a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant strain lacking basal bodies,” the half-tone figures printed poorly. They are reprinted below.

scholarly journals Mitotic Spindle Positioning in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Is Accomplished by Antagonistically Acting Microtubule Motor Proteins

1997 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
pp. 1041-1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank R. Cottingham ◽  
M. Andrew Hoyt
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Dynein Motor ◽  
Bud Neck ◽  
Microtubule Motor

Proper positioning of the mitotic spindle is often essential for cell division and differentiation processes. The asymmetric cell division characteristic of budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, requires that the spindle be positioned at the mother–bud neck and oriented along the mother–bud axis. The single dynein motor encoded by the S. cerevisiae genome performs an important but nonessential spindle-positioning role. We demonstrate that kinesin-related Kip3p makes a major contribution to spindle positioning in the absence of dynein. The elimination of Kip3p function in dyn1Δ cells severely compromised spindle movement to the mother–bud neck. In dyn1Δ cells that had completed positioning, elimination of Kip3p function caused spindles to mislocalize to distal positions in mother cell bodies. We also demonstrate that the spindle-positioning defects exhibited by dyn1 kip3 cells are caused, to a large extent, by the actions of kinesin- related Kip2p. Microtubules in kip2Δ cells were shorter and more sensitive to benomyl than wild-type, in contrast to the longer and benomyl-resistant microtubules found in dyn1Δ and kip3Δ cells. Most significantly, the deletion of KIP2 greatly suppressed the spindle localization defect and slow growth exhibited by dyn1 kip3 cells. Likewise, induced expression of KIP2 caused spindles to mislocalize in cells deficient for dynein and Kip3p. Our findings indicate that Kip2p participates in normal spindle positioning but antagonizes a positioning mechanism acting in dyn1 kip3 cells. The observation that deletion of KIP2 could also suppress the inviability of dyn1Δ kar3Δ cells suggests that kinesin-related Kar3p also contributes to spindle positioning.

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.

Extragenic Bypass Suppressors of Mutations in the Essential Gene BLD2 Promote Assembly of Basal Bodies With Abnormal Microtubules in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 157 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-181
Author(s):  
Andrea M Preble ◽  
Thomas H Giddings ◽  
Susan K Dutcher
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii ◽  
Basal Body ◽  
Insertional Mutagenesis ◽  
Essential Gene ◽  
Basal Bodies ◽  
Cleavage Furrow ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Lethal Phenotype ◽  
Flagellar Assembly ◽  
And Function

Abstract bld2-1 mutant Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strains assemble basal bodies with singlet microtubules; bld2-1 cells display flagellar assembly defects as well as positioning defects of the mitotic spindle and cleavage furrow. To further understand the role of the BLD2 gene, we have isolated three new bld2 alleles and three partially dominant extragenic suppressors, rgn1-1, rgn1-2, and rgn1-3. bld2 rgn1-1 strains have phenotypes intermediate between those of bld2 and wild-type strains with respect to flagellar number, microtubule rootlet organization, cleavage furrow positioning, and basal body structural phenotypes. Instead of the triplet microtubules of wild-type cells, bld2 rgn1-1 basal bodies have mixtures of no, singlet, doublet, and triplet microtubules. The bld2-4 allele was made by insertional mutagenesis and identified in a noncomplementation screen in a diploid strain. The bld2-4 allele has a lethal phenotype based on mitotic segregation in diploid strains and in haploid strains generated by meiotic recombination. The lethal phenotype in haploid strains is suppressed by rgn1-1; these suppressed strains have similar phenotypes to other bld2 rgn1-1 double mutants. It is likely that BLD2 is an essential gene that is needed for basal body assembly and function.

scholarly journals The ultrastructure of cell division in Euglena gracilis

1978 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-35
Author(s):  
M.A. Gillott ◽  
R.E. Triemer
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Basal Body ◽  
Euglena Gracilis ◽  
Equatorial Region ◽  
Basal Bodies ◽  
Cleavage Furrow ◽  
Free Zone ◽  
Prophase Nucleus

The ultrastructure of mitosis in Euglena gracilis was investigated. At preprophase the nucleus migrates anteriorly and associates with the basal bodies. Flagella and basal bodies replicate at preprophase. Cells retain motility throughout division. The reservoir and the prophase nucleus elongate perpendicular to the incipient cleavage furrow. One basal body pair surrounded by a ribosome-free zone is found at each of the nuclear poles. The spindle forms within the intact nuclear envelope- Polar fenestrae are absent. At metaphase, the endosome is elongated from pole to pole, and chromosomes are loosely arranged in the equatorial region. Distinct, trilayered kinetochores are present. Spindle elongates as chromosomes migrate to the poles forming a dumb-bell shaped nucleus by telophase. Daughter nuclei are formed by constriction of the nuclear envelope. Cytokinesis is accomplished by furrowing. Cell division in Euglena is compared with that of certain other algae.

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 Combined effect of cell geometry and polarity domains determines the orientation of unequal division

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit G Godard ◽  
Remi Dumollard ◽  
Carl-Philipp Heisenberg ◽  
Alex McDougall
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Daughter Cell ◽  
Cleavage Plane ◽  
Mitotic Cell ◽  
Cell Geometry ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Ascidian Embryos ◽  
Spindle Position

Cell division orientation is thought to result from a competition between cell geometry and polarity domains controlling the position of the mitotic spindle during mitosis. Depending on the level of cell shape anisotropy or the strength of the polarity domain, one dominates the other and determines the orientation of the spindle. Whether and how such competition is also at work to determine unequal cell division (UCD), producing daughter cells of different size, remains unclear. Here, we show that cell geometry and polarity domains cooperate, rather than compete, in positioning the cleavage plane during UCDs in early ascidian embryos. We found that the UCDs and their orientation at the ascidian third cleavage rely on the spindle tilting in an anisotropic cell shape, and cortical polarity domains exerting different effects on spindle astral microtubules. By systematically varying mitotic cell shape, we could modulate the effect of attractive and repulsive polarity domains and consequently generate predicted daughter cell size asymmetries and position. We therefore propose that the spindle position during UCD is set by the combined activities of cell geometry and polarity domains, where cell geometry modulates the effect of cortical polarity domain(s).

scholarly journals Three-dimensional Organization of Basal Bodies from Wild-Type and δ-Tubulin Deletion Strains of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 2999-3012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen T. O'Toole ◽  
Thomas H. Giddings ◽  
J. Richard McIntosh ◽  
Susan K. Dutcher
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii ◽  
Basal Body ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Specimen Preparation ◽  
Basal Bodies ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Tubulin Isoforms ◽  
Striated Fiber ◽  
And Function

Improved methods of specimen preparation and dual-axis electron tomography have been used to study the structure and organization of basal bodies in the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Novel structures have been found in both wild type and strains with mutations that affect specific tubulin isoforms. Previous studies have shown that strains lacking δ-tubulin fail to assemble the C-tubule of the basal body. Tomographic reconstructions of basal bodies from the δ-tubulin deletion mutant uni3-1 have confirmed that basal bodies contain mostly doublet microtubules. Our methods now show that the stellate fibers, which are present only in the transition zone of wild-type cells, repeat within the core of uni3-1 basal bodies. The distal striated fiber is incomplete in this mutant, rootlet microtubules can be misplaced, and multiflagellate cells have been observed. A suppressor of uni3-1, designated tua2-6, contains a mutation in α-tubulin. tua2-6; uni3-1 cells build both flagella, yet they retain defects in basal body structure and in rootlet microtubule positioning. These data suggest that the presence of specific tubulin isoforms in Chlamydomonas directly affects the assembly and function of both basal bodies and basal body-associated structures.

scholarly journals Microtubule end tethering of a processive kinesin-8 motor Kif18b is required for spindle positioning

2018 ◽  
Vol 217 (7) ◽  
pp. 2403-2416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni McHugh ◽  
Agata A. Gluszek ◽  
Julie P.I. Welburn
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Spindle Orientation ◽  
Binding Region ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Astral Microtubule ◽  
In Vitro Reconstitution

Mitotic spindle positioning specifies the plane of cell division during anaphase. Spindle orientation and positioning are therefore critical to ensure symmetric division in mitosis and asymmetric division during development. The control of astral microtubule length plays an essential role in positioning the spindle. In this study, using gene knockout, we show that the kinesin-8 Kif18b controls microtubule length to center the mitotic spindle at metaphase. Using in vitro reconstitution, we reveal that Kif18b is a highly processive plus end–directed motor that uses a C-terminal nonmotor microtubule-binding region to accumulate at growing microtubule plus ends. This region is regulated by phosphorylation to spatially control Kif18b accumulation at plus ends and is essential for Kif18b-dependent spindle positioning and regulation of microtubule length. Finally, we demonstrate that Kif18b shortens microtubules by increasing the catastrophe rate of dynamic microtubules. Overall, our work reveals that Kif18b uses its motile properties to reach microtubule ends, where it regulates astral microtubule length to ensure spindle centering.

scholarly journals Microtubule end tethering of a processive Kinesin-8 motor Kif18b is required for spindle positioning

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni McHugh ◽  
Agata Gluszek-Kustusz ◽  
Julie P.I. Welburn
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Spindle Orientation ◽  
Binding Region ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
Symmetric Division ◽  
Astral Microtubule

AbstractMitotic spindle positioning specifies the plane of cell division during anaphase. Spindle orientation and positioning is therefore critical to ensure symmetric division in mitosis and asymmetric division during development. The control of astral microtubule length plays an essential role in positioning the spindle. Here we show using gene knockout that the Kinesin-8 Kif18b controls microtubule length to center the mitotic spindle at metaphase. Using an integrated approach, we reveal that Kif18b is a highly processive plus end-directed motor that uses a C-terminal non-motor microtubule-binding region to accumulate at growing microtubule plus ends. This region is regulated by phosphorylation to spatially control Kif18b accumulation at plus ends and is essential for Kif18b-dependent spindle positioning and regulation of microtubule length. Finally, we demonstrate that Kif18b shortens microtubules by increasing the catastrophe rate of dynamic microtubules. Overall, our work reveals that Kif18b utilizes its motile properties to reach microtubule ends where it regulates astral microtubule length to ensure spindle centering.

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