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Abstract
In contrast to well-studied fungal and animal cells, plant cells assemble bipolar spindles that exhibit a great deal of plasticity in the absence of structurally defined microtubule-organizing centers like the centrosome. While plants employ some evolutionarily conserved proteins to regulate spindle morphogenesis and remodeling, many essential spindle assembly factors found in vertebrates are either missing or not required for producing the plant bipolar microtubule array. Plants also produce proteins distantly related to their fungal and animal counterparts to regulate critical events such as the spindle assembly checkpoint. Plant spindle assembly initiates with microtubule nucleation on the nuclear envelope followed by bipolarization into the prophase spindle. After nuclear envelope breakdown, kinetochore fibers are assembled and unified into the spindle apparatus with convergent poles. Of note, compared to fungal and animal systems, relatively little is known about how plant cells remodel the spindle microtubule array during anaphase. Uncovering mitotic functions of novel proteins for spindle assembly in plants will illuminate both common and divergent mechanisms employed by different eukaryotic organisms to segregate genetic materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Liu
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, California, USA; ,
| | - Yuh-Ru Julie Lee
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, California, USA; ,
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Loginova DB, Zhuravleva AA, Silkova OG. Random chromosome distribution in the first meiosis of F1 disomic substitution line 2R(2D) x rye hybrids (ABDR, 4× = 28) occurs without bipolar spindle assembly. COMPARATIVE CYTOGENETICS 2020; 14:453-482. [PMID: 33117496 PMCID: PMC7567738 DOI: 10.3897/compcytogen.v14.i4.55827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The assembly of the microtubule-based spindle structure in plant meiosis remains poorly understood compared with our knowledge of mitotic spindle formation. One of the approaches in our understanding of microtubule dynamics is to study spindle assembly in meiosis of amphyhaploids. Using immunostaining with phH3Ser10, CENH3 and α-tubulin-specific antibodies, we studied the chromosome distribution and spindle organisation in meiosis of F1 2R(2D)xR wheat-rye hybrids (genome structure ABDR, 4× = 28), as well as in wheat and rye mitosis and meiosis. At the prometaphase of mitosis, spindle assembly was asymmetric; one half of the spindle assembled before the other, with simultaneous chromosome alignment in the spindle mid-zone. At diakinesis in wheat and rye, microtubules formed a pro-spindle which was subsequently disassembled followed by a bipolar spindle assembly. In the first meiosis of hybrids 2R(2D)xR, a bipolar spindle was not found and the kinetochore microtubules distributed the chromosomes. Univalent chromosomes are characterised by a monopolar orientation and maintenance of sister chromatid and centromere cohesion. Presence of bivalents did not affect the formation of a bipolar spindle. Since the central spindle was absent, phragmoplast originates from "interpolar" microtubules generated by kinetochores. Cell plate development occurred with a delay. However, meiocytes in meiosis II contained apparently normal bipolar spindles. Thus, we can conclude that: (1) cohesion maintenance in centromeres and between arms of sister chromatids may negatively affect bipolar spindle formation in the first meiosis; (2) 2R/2D rye/wheat chromosome substitution affects the regulation of the random chromosome distribution in the absence of a bipolar spindle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina B. Loginova
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, SB RAS, pr. Lavrentyeva 10, Novosibirsk 630090, Russian FederationInstitute of Cytology and GeneticsNovosibirskRussia
| | - Anastasia A. Zhuravleva
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, SB RAS, pr. Lavrentyeva 10, Novosibirsk 630090, Russian FederationInstitute of Cytology and GeneticsNovosibirskRussia
| | - Olga G. Silkova
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, SB RAS, pr. Lavrentyeva 10, Novosibirsk 630090, Russian FederationInstitute of Cytology and GeneticsNovosibirskRussia
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Yamada M, Goshima G. Mitotic Spindle Assembly in Land Plants: Molecules and Mechanisms. BIOLOGY 2017; 6:biology6010006. [PMID: 28125061 PMCID: PMC5371999 DOI: 10.3390/biology6010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2016] [Revised: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In textbooks, the mitotic spindles of plants are often described separately from those of animals. How do they differ at the molecular and mechanistic levels? In this chapter, we first outline the process of mitotic spindle assembly in animals and land plants. We next discuss the conservation of spindle assembly factors based on database searches. Searches of >100 animal spindle assembly factors showed that the genes involved in this process are well conserved in plants, with the exception of two major missing elements: centrosomal components and subunits/regulators of the cytoplasmic dynein complex. We then describe the spindle and phragmoplast assembly mechanisms based on the data obtained from robust gene loss-of-function analyses using RNA interference (RNAi) or mutant plants. Finally, we discuss future research prospects of plant spindles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moé Yamada
- Graduate School of Science, Division of Biological Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan.
| | - Gohta Goshima
- Graduate School of Science, Division of Biological Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan.
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4
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Nannas NJ, Higgins DM, Dawe RK. Anaphase asymmetry and dynamic repositioning of the division plane during maize meiosis. J Cell Sci 2016; 129:4014-4024. [PMID: 27609836 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.194860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The success of an organism is contingent upon its ability to transmit genetic material through meiotic cell division. In plant meiosis I, the process begins in a large spherical cell without physical cues to guide the process. Yet, two microtubule-based structures, the spindle and phragmoplast, divide the chromosomes and the cell with extraordinary accuracy. Using a live-cell system and fluorescently labeled spindles and chromosomes, we found that the process self- corrects as meiosis proceeds. Metaphase spindles frequently initiate division off-center, and in these cases anaphase progression is asymmetric with the two masses of chromosomes traveling unequal distances on the spindle. The asymmetry is compensatory, such that the chromosomes on the side of the spindle that is farthest from the cell cortex travel a longer distance at a faster rate. The phragmoplast forms at an equidistant point between the telophase nuclei rather than at the original spindle mid-zone. This asymmetry in chromosome movement implies a structural difference between the two halves of a bipolar spindle and could allow meiotic cells to dynamically adapt to errors in metaphase and accurately divide the cell volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie J Nannas
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA
| | - David M Higgins
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA
| | - R Kelly Dawe
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA .,Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA
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Vildanova MS, Wang W, Smirnova EA. Specific organization of Golgi apparatus in plant cells. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2014; 79:894-906. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006297914090065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Jiang H, Wang FF, Wu YT, Zhou X, Huang XY, Zhu J, Gao JF, Dong RB, Cao KM, Yang ZN. MULTIPOLAR SPINDLE 1 (MPS1), a novel coiled-coil protein of Arabidopsis thaliana, is required for meiotic spindle organization. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2009; 59:1001-10. [PMID: 19500302 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2009.03929.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The spindle is essential for chromosome segregation during meiosis, but the molecular mechanism of meiotic spindle organization in higher plants is still not well understood. Here, we report on the identification and characterization of a plant-specific protein, MULTIPOLAR SPINDLE 1 (MPS1), which is involved in spindle organization in meiocytes of Arabidopsis thaliana. The homozygous mps1 mutant exhibits male and female sterility. Light microscopy showed that mps1 mutants produced multiple uneven spores during anther development, most of which aborted in later stages. Cytological analysis showed that chromosome segregation was abnormal in mps1 meiocytes. Immunolocalization showed unequal bipolar or multipolar spindles in mps1 meiocytes, which indicated that aberrant spindles resulted in disordered chromosome segregation. MPS1 encodes a 377-amino-acid protein with putative coiled-coil motifs. In situ hybridization analysis showed that MPS1 is strongly expressed in meiocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Jiang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
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7
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Ambrose JC, Cyr R. Mitotic spindle organization by the preprophase band. MOLECULAR PLANT 2008; 1:950-60. [PMID: 19825595 DOI: 10.1093/mp/ssn054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
In higher plants, the preprophase band (PPB) of microtubules (MTs) forecasts the cell division site prior to mitosis and specifies the organization of MTs into a bipolar prophase spindle surrounding the nucleus. However, the mechanisms governing this PPB-dependent establishment of bipolarity are unclear. Here, we present evidence from live cell imaging studies that suggest a role for the MTs bridging the PPB and the prophase nucleus in mediating this function. Results from drug treatments, along with genetic evidence from null kinesin plants, suggest that these MTs contribute to the bipolarity, orientation, and position of the prophase spindle. Specifically, the absence of these bridge MTs is associated with lack of bipolarity, while non-uniform distributions of bridge MTs correlate with prophase spindle migration, deformation, and enhanced bipolarity toward the region of highest bridge MT density. This behavior does not require actomyosin-based forces, and is enhanced by suppressing MT dynamics with taxol. These observations occur during late prophase, and are coincident with the gradual closing of annular spindle poles. Based on these data, we describe a hypothetical mechanism for bridge MT-dependent organization of prophase spindles.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Christian Ambrose
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biology, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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8
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Shanina NA, Lazareva EM, Chentsov YS, Smirnova EA. High molecular weight protein detected in higher plant cells by antibodies against dynein is associated with vesicular organelles including Golgi apparatus. Russ J Dev Biol 2008. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062360408010050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Yang JW, Lei ZL, Miao YL, Huang JC, Shi LH, OuYang YC, Sun QY, Chen DY. Spindle assembly in the absence of chromosomes in mouse oocytes. Reproduction 2007; 134:731-8. [DOI: 10.1530/rep-07-0149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This study was carried out to investigate the contributions of chromosomes to spindle assembly in mouse oocytes. We generated two groups of cytoplasts (holo- and hemi-cytoplasts) by enucleation of germinal vesicle (GV), metaphase I (MI), and metaphase II (MII) oocytes using micromanipulation technology. Afterin vitroculture for 18 h, spindles with different shapes (bi-, mono-, or multipolar) formed in most of these cytoplasts except in hemi-GV cytoplasts. Two or more spindles were observed in most of holo-GV, holo-MI, and holo-MII cytoplasts (76.1, 77.0, and 83.7% respectively). However, the proportions of hemi-MI and hemi-MII cytoplasts with multiple sets of spindles decreased to 17.6 and 20.7% respectively. A single bipolar spindle was observed in each sham-operated oocyte generated by removing different volumes of cytoplasm from the oocytes and keeping nuclei intact. Localization of γ-tubulin showed that microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) were dispersed at each pole of the multiple sets of spindles formed in holo-cytoplasts. However, most of the MTOCs aggregated at the two poles of the bipolar spindle in sham-operated oocytes. Our results demonstrate that chromosomes are not essential for initiating spindle assembly but for directing distinct MTOCs to aggregate to form a bipolar spindle. Some factors of undetermined nature may pre-exist in an inactive form in GV-stage ooplasm, serving as initiators of spindle assembly upon their activation. Moreover, GV materials released into the cytoplasm may facilitate spindle assembly in normal meiotic maturation.
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Johansen KM, Johansen J. Cell and Molecular Biology of the Spindle Matrix. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 2007; 263:155-206. [PMID: 17725967 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(07)63004-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The concept of a spindle matrix has long been proposed to account for incompletely understood features of microtubule spindle dynamics and force production during mitosis. In its simplest formulation, the spindle matrix is hypothesized to provide a stationary or elastic molecular matrix that can provide a substrate for motor molecules to interact with during microtubule sliding and which can stabilize the spindle during force production. Although this is an attractive concept with the potential to greatly simplify current models of microtubule spindle behavior, definitive evidence for the molecular nature of a spindle matrix or for its direct role in microtubule spindle function has been lagging. However, as reviewed here multiple studies spanning the evolutionary spectrum from lower eukaryotes to vertebrates have provided new and intriguing evidence that a spindle matrix may be a general feature of mitosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M Johansen
- Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
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11
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Dhonukshe P, Vischer N, Gadella TWJ. Contribution of microtubule growth polarity and flux to spindle assembly and functioning in plant cells. J Cell Sci 2006; 119:3193-205. [PMID: 16868032 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.03048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The spindle occupies a central position in cell division as it builds up the chromosome-separating machine. Here we analysed the dynamics of spindle formation in acentrosomal plant cells by visualizing microtubules labelled with GFP-EB1, GFP-MAP4 and GFP-alpha-tubulin and chromosomes marked by the vital dye SYTO82. During prophase, few microtubules penetrate the nuclear area, followed by nuclear envelope disintegration. During prometaphase, microtubules invading the nuclear space develop a spindle axis from few bipolar microtubule bundles, which is followed by spindle assembly. Using a novel quantitative kymograph analysis based on Fourier transformation, we measured the microtubule growth trajectories of the entire dynamic metaphase spindle. Microtubules initiating from spindle poles either pass through the metaphase plate to form interpolar microtubule bundles or grow until they reach chromosomes. We also noticed a minor fraction of microtubules growing away from the chromosomes. Microtubules grow at 10 microm/minute both at the spindle equator and at the spindle poles. Photobleached marks created on metaphase and anaphase spindles revealed a poleward tubulin flux. During anaphase, the velocity of tubulin flux (2 microm/minute) equals the speed of chromatid-separation. With these findings we identified spatially coordinated microtubule growth dynamics and microtubule flux-based chromosome-separation as important facets of plant spindle operation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pankaj Dhonukshe
- Section of Molecular Cytology and Centre for Advanced Microscopy, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Kruislaan 316, 1098 SM Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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12
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Chan J, Calder G, Fox S, Lloyd C. Localization of the microtubule end binding protein EB1 reveals alternative pathways of spindle development in Arabidopsis suspension cells. THE PLANT CELL 2005; 17:1737-48. [PMID: 15879559 PMCID: PMC1143073 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.105.032615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
In a previous study on Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells transiently infected with the microtubule end binding protein AtEB1a-green fluorescent protein (GFP), we reported that interphase microtubules grow from multiple sites dispersed over the cortex, with plus ends forming the characteristic comet-like pattern. In this study, AtEB1a-GFP was used to study the transitions of microtubule arrays throughout the division cycle of cells lacking a defined centrosome. During division, the dispersed origin of microtubules was replaced by a more focused pattern with the plus end comets growing away from sites associated with the nuclear periphery. The mitotic spindle then evolved in two quite distinct ways depending on the presence or absence of the preprophase band (PPB): the cells displaying outside-in as well as inside-out mitotic pathways. In those cells possessing a PPB, the fusion protein labeled material at the nuclear periphery that segregated into two polar caps, perpendicular to the PPB, before nuclear envelope breakdown (NEBD). These polar caps then marked the spindle poles upon NEBD. However, in the population of cells without PPBs, there was no prepolarization of material at the nuclear envelope before NEBD, and the bipolar spindle only emerged clearly after NEBD. Such cells had variable spindle orientations and enhanced phragmoplast mobility, suggesting that the PPB is involved in a polarization event that promotes early spindle pole morphogenesis and subsequent positional stability during division. Astral-like microtubules are not usually prominent in plant cells, but they are clearly seen in these Arabidopsis cells, and we hypothesize that they may be involved in orienting the division plane, particularly where the plane is not determined before division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Chan
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Ines Centre, Norwich NR 4 7UH, United Kingdom.
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13
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Maiato H, Sampaio P, Sunkel CE. Microtubule-associated proteins and their essential roles during mitosis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 241:53-153. [PMID: 15548419 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(04)41002-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Microtubules play essential roles during mitosis, including chromosome capture, congression, and segregation. In addition, microtubules are also required for successful cytokinesis. At the heart of these processes is the ability of microtubules to do work, a property that derives from their intrinsic dynamic behavior. However, if microtubule dynamics were not properly regulated, it is certain that microtubules alone could not accomplish any of these tasks. In vivo, the regulation of microtubule dynamics is the responsibility of microtubule-associated proteins. Among these, we can distinguish several classes according to their function: (1) promotion and stabilization of microtubule polymerization, (2) destabilization or severance of microtubules, (3) functioning as linkers between various structures, or (4) motility-related functions. Here we discuss how the various properties of microtubule-associated proteins can be used to assemble an efficient mitotic apparatus capable of ensuring the bona fide transmission of the genetic information in animal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélder Maiato
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
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14
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Pelletier L, Ozlü N, Hannak E, Cowan C, Habermann B, Ruer M, Müller-Reichert T, Hyman AA. The Caenorhabditis elegans centrosomal protein SPD-2 is required for both pericentriolar material recruitment and centriole duplication. Curr Biol 2004; 14:863-73. [PMID: 15186742 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2004.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2004] [Revised: 04/01/2004] [Accepted: 04/02/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The centrosome is composed of a centriole pair and pericentriolar material (PCM). By marking the site of PCM assembly, the centrioles define the number of centrosomes present in the cell. The PCM, in turn, is responsible for the microtubule (MT) nucleation activity of centrosomes. Therefore, in order to assemble a functional bipolar mitotic spindle, a cell needs to control both centriole duplication and PCM recruitment. To date, however, the molecular mechanisms that govern these two processes still remain poorly understood. RESULTS Here we show that SPD-2 is a novel component of the C. elegans centrosome. SPD-2 localizes to the centriole throughout the cell cycle and accumulates on the PCM during mitosis. We show that SPD-2 requires SPD-5 for its accumulation on the PCM and that in the absence of SPD-2, centrosome assembly fails. We further show that centriole duplication is also defective in spd-2(RNAi) embryos, but not in spd-5(RNAi) embryos, where PCM recruitment is efficiently blocked. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our results suggest that SPD-2 may link PCM recruitment and centriole duplication in C. elegans. SPD-2 shares homology with a human centrosome protein, suggesting that this key component of the C. elegans centrosome is evolutionarily conserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Pelletier
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
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Marcus AI, Li W, Ma H, Cyr RJ. A kinesin mutant with an atypical bipolar spindle undergoes normal mitosis. Mol Biol Cell 2003; 14:1717-26. [PMID: 12686621 PMCID: PMC153134 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e02-09-0586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor proteins have been implicated in various aspects of mitosis, including spindle assembly and chromosome segregation. Here, we show that acentrosomal Arabidopsis cells that are mutant for the kinesin, ATK1, lack microtubule accumulation at the predicted spindle poles during prophase and have reduced spindle bipolarity during prometaphase. Nonetheless, all abnormalities are rectified by anaphase and chromosome segregation appears normal. We conclude that ATK1 is required for normal microtubule accumulation at the spindle poles during prophase and possibly functions in spindle assembly during prometaphase. Because aberrant spindle morphology in these mutants is resolved by anaphase, we postulate that mitotic plant cells contain an error-correcting mechanism. Moreover, ATK1 function seems to be dosage-dependent, because cells containing one wild-type allele take significantly longer to proceed to anaphase as compared with cells containing two wild-type alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- A I Marcus
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biology, 208 Mueller Laboratory, University Park, Pennsylvania 16801, USA
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Khodjakov A, Copenagle L, Gordon MB, Compton DA, Kapoor TM. Minus-end capture of preformed kinetochore fibers contributes to spindle morphogenesis. J Cell Biol 2003; 160:671-83. [PMID: 12604591 PMCID: PMC2173370 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200208143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Near-simultaneous three-dimensional fluorescence/differential interference contrast microscopy was used to follow the behavior of microtubules and chromosomes in living alpha-tubulin/GFP-expressing cells after inhibition of the mitotic kinesin Eg5 with monastrol. Kinetochore fibers (K-fibers) were frequently observed forming in association with chromosomes both during monastrol treatment and after monastrol removal. Surprisingly, these K-fibers were oriented away from, and not directly connected to, centrosomes and incorporated into the spindle by the sliding of their distal ends toward centrosomes via a NuMA-dependent mechanism. Similar preformed K-fibers were also observed during spindle formation in untreated cells. In addition, upon monastrol removal, centrosomes established a transient chromosome-free bipolar array whose orientation specified the axis along which chromosomes segregated. We propose that the capture and incorporation of preformed K-fibers complements the microtubule plus-end capture mechanism and contributes to spindle formation in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Khodjakov
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY 12201, USA
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Abstract
Modern microscopy techniques allow us to observe specifically tagged proteins in live cells. We can now see directly that many cellular structures, for example mitotic spindles, are in fact dynamic assemblies. Their apparent stability results from out-of-equilibrium stochastic interactions at the molecular level. Recent studies have shown that the spindles can form even after centrosomes are destroyed, and that they can even form around DNA-coated beads devoid of kinetochores. Moreover, conditions have been produced in which microtubule asters interact even in the absence of chromatin. Together, these observations suggest that the spindle can be experimentally deconstructed, and that its defining characteristics can be studied in a simplified context, in the absence of the full division machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Nédélec
- EMBL, Cell Biology and Biophysics Programme, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
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18
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Abstract
Flowering plant genomes lack flagellar and cytoplasmic dyneins as well as the proteins that make up the dynactin complex. The mechanisms for organizing the Golgi apparatus, establishing spindle poles, and moving nuclei, vesicles, and chromosomes in flowering plants must be fundamentally different from those in other systems where these processes are dependent upon dynein and dynactin.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Lawrence
- Department of Botany, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
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Compton DA. In vitro approaches for the study of molecular motors in aster formation. Methods Cell Biol 2002; 67:225-39. [PMID: 11550471 DOI: 10.1016/s0091-679x(01)67016-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- D A Compton
- Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA
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Levesque AA, Compton DA. The chromokinesin Kid is necessary for chromosome arm orientation and oscillation, but not congression, on mitotic spindles. J Cell Biol 2001; 154:1135-46. [PMID: 11564754 PMCID: PMC2150818 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200106093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2001] [Revised: 07/27/2001] [Accepted: 08/01/2001] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromokinesins have been postulated to provide the polar ejection force needed for chromosome congression during mitosis. We have evaluated that possibility by monitoring chromosome movement in vertebrate-cultured cells using time-lapse differential interference contrast microscopy after microinjection with antibodies specific for the chromokinesin Kid. 17.5% of cells injected with Kid-specific antibodies have one or more chromosomes that remain closely opposed to a spindle pole and fail to enter anaphase. In contrast, 82.5% of injected cells align chromosomes in metaphase, progress to anaphase, and display chromosome velocities not significantly different from control cells. However, injected cells lack chromosome oscillations, and chromosome orientation is atypical because chromosome arms extend toward spindle poles during both congression and metaphase. Furthermore, chromosomes cluster into a mass and fail to oscillate when Kid is perturbed in cells containing monopolar spindles. These data indicate that Kid generates the polar ejection force that pushes chromosome arms away from spindle poles in vertebrate-cultured cells. This force increases the efficiency with which chromosomes make bipolar spindle attachments and regulates kinetochore activities necessary for chromosome oscillation, but is not essential for chromosome congression.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A Levesque
- Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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Abstract
Molecular motors that hydrolyze ATP and use the derived energy to generate force are involved in a variety of diverse cellular functions. Genetic, biochemical, and cellular localization data have implicated motors in a variety of functions such as vesicle and organelle transport, cytoskeleton dynamics, morphogenesis, polarized growth, cell movements, spindle formation, chromosome movement, nuclear fusion, and signal transduction. In non-plant systems three families of molecular motors (kinesins, dyneins, and myosins) have been well characterized. These motors use microtubules (in the case of kinesines and dyneins) or actin filaments (in the case of myosins) as tracks to transport cargo materials intracellularly. During the last decade tremendous progress has been made in understanding the structure and function of various motors in animals. These studies are yielding interesting insights into the functions of molecular motors and the origin of different families of motors. Furthermore, the paradigm that motors bind cargo and move along cytoskeletal tracks does not explain the functions of some of the motors. Relatively little is known about the molecular motors and their roles in plants. In recent years, by using biochemical, cell biological, molecular, and genetic approaches a few molecular motors have been isolated and characterized from plants. These studies indicate that some of the motors in plants have novel features and regulatory mechanisms. The role of molecular motors in plant cell division, cell expansion, cytoplasmic streaming, cell-to-cell communication, membrane trafficking, and morphogenesis is beginning to be understood. Analyses of the Arabidopsis genome sequence database (51% of genome) with conserved motor domains of kinesin and myosin families indicates the presence of a large number (about 40) of molecular motors and the functions of many of these motors remain to be discovered. It is likely that many more motors with novel regulatory mechanisms that perform plant-specific functions are yet to be discovered. Although the identification of motors in plants, especially in Arabidopsis, is progressing at a rapid pace because of the ongoing plant genome sequencing projects, only a few plant motors have been characterized in any detail. Elucidation of function and regulation of this multitude of motors in a given species is going to be a challenging and exciting area of research in plant cell biology. Structural features of some plant motors suggest calcium, through calmodulin, is likely to play a key role in regulating the function of both microtubule- and actin-based motors in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- A S Reddy
- Department of Biology and Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA
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22
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Abstract
Chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis is driven by a complex superstructure called the spindle. Microtubules are the primary structural component of spindles, and spindle assembly and function are intimately linked to the intrinsic dynamics of microtubules. This review summarizes spindle structure and highlights recent findings regarding the mechanisms and molecules involved in organizing microtubules into spindles. In addition, mechanisms for chromosome movement and segregation are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Compton
- Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA.
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23
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Abstract
Anchorage of microtubule minus ends at spindle poles has been proposed to bear the load of poleward forces exerted by kinetochore-associated motors so that chromosomes move toward the poles rather than the poles toward the chromosomes. To test this hypothesis, we monitored chromosome movement during mitosis after perturbation of nuclear mitotic apparatus protein (NuMA) and the human homologue of the KIN C motor family (HSET), two noncentrosomal proteins involved in spindle pole organization in animal cells. Perturbation of NuMA alone disrupts spindle pole organization and delays anaphase onset, but does not alter the velocity of oscillatory chromosome movement in prometaphase. Perturbation of HSET alone increases the duration of prometaphase, but does not alter the velocity of chromosome movement in prometaphase or anaphase. In contrast, simultaneous perturbation of both HSET and NuMA severely suppresses directed chromosome movement in prometaphase. Chromosomes coalesce near the center of these cells on bi-oriented spindles that lack organized poles. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy verify microtubule attachment to sister kinetochores, but this attachment fails to generate proper tension across sister kinetochores. These results demonstrate that anchorage of microtubule minus ends at spindle poles mediated by overlapping mechanisms involving both NuMA and HSET is essential for chromosome movement during mitosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B. Gordon
- Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
| | - Louisa Howard
- Rippel Electron Microscope Facility, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
| | - Duane A. Compton
- Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
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24
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Abstract
Kinetochores are large protein complexes that bind to centromeres. By interacting with microtubules and their associated motor proteins, kinetochores both generate and regulate chromosome movement. Kinetochores also function in the spindle checkpoint; a surveillance mechanism that ensures that metaphase is complete before anaphase begins. Although the ultrastructure of plant kinetochores has been known for many years, only recently have specific kinetochore proteins been identified. The recent data indicate that plant kinetochores contain homologs of many of the proteins implicated in animal and fungal kinetochore function, and that the plant kinetochore is a redundant structure with distinct biochemical subdomains.
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Affiliation(s)
- H G Yu
- Dept of Botany, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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25
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Abstract
Kinetochores can be thought of as having three major functions in chromosome segregation: (a) moving plateward at prometaphase; (b) participating in spindle checkpoint control; and (c) moving poleward at anaphase. Normally, kinetochores cooperate with opposed sister kinetochores (mitosis, meiosis II) or paired homologous kinetochores (meiosis I) to carry out these functions. Here we exploit three- and four-dimensional light microscopy and the maize meiotic mutant absence of first division 1 (afd1) to investigate the properties of single kinetochores. As an outcome of premature sister kinetochore separation in afd1 meiocytes, all of the chromosomes at meiosis II carry single kinetochores. Approximately 60% of the single kinetochore chromosomes align at the spindle equator during prometaphase/metaphase II, whereas acentric fragments, also generated by afd1, fail to align at the equator. Immunocytochemistry suggests that the plateward movement occurs in part because the single kinetochores separate into half kinetochore units. Single kinetochores stain positive for spindle checkpoint proteins during prometaphase, but lose their staining as tension is applied to the half kinetochores. At anaphase, approximately 6% of the kinetochores develop stable interactions with microtubules (kinetochore fibers) from both spindle poles. Our data indicate that maize meiotic kinetochores are plastic, redundant structures that can carry out each of their major functions in duplicate.
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Affiliation(s)
- H G Yu
- Department of Botany, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
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26
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Smirnova EA, Reddy AS, Bowser J, Bajer AS. Minus end-directed kinesin-like motor protein, Kcbp, localizes to anaphase spindle poles in Haemanthus endosperm. CELL MOTILITY AND THE CYTOSKELETON 2000; 41:271-80. [PMID: 9829781 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0169(1998)41:3<271::aid-cm8>3.0.co;2-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Microtubule-based motor proteins assemble and reorganize acentrosomal mitotic and meiotic spindles in animal cells. The functions of motor proteins in acentrosomal plant spindles are unknown. The cellulosic cell wall and relative small size of most plant cells precludes accurate detection of the spatial distribution of motors in mitosis. Large cell size and absence of a cellulosic cell wall in Haemanthus endosperm make these cells ideally suited for studies of the spatial distribution of motor proteins during cell division. Immunolocalization of a kinesin-like calmodulin-binding protein (KCBP) in Haemanthus endosperm revealed its mitotic distribution. KCBP appears first in association with the prophase spindle. Highly concentrated within the cores of individual kinetochore fibers, KCBP decorates microtubules of kinetochore-fibers through metaphase. By mid-anaphase (when a barrel-shaped spindle becomes convergent), the protein redistributes and accumulates at the spindle polar regions. In telophase, KCBP relocates toward the phragmoplast and cell plate. These data suggest a role for KCBP in anaphase spindle microtubule convergence, which assures coherence of kinetochore-fibers within each sister chromosome group. Increasing coherence of kinetochore-fibers prevents splitting within each sister chromosome group and formation of multinucleated cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Smirnova
- Biology Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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27
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Smirnova EA, Bajer AS. Early stages of spindle formation and independence of chromosome and microtubule cycles in Haemanthus endosperm. CELL MOTILITY AND THE CYTOSKELETON 2000; 40:22-37. [PMID: 9605969 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0169(1998)40:1<22::aid-cm3>3.0.co;2-h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
We analyzed transformation of the interphase microtubular cytoskeleton into the prophase spindle and followed the pattern of spindle axis determination. Microtubules in endosperm of the higher plant Haemanthus (Scadoxus) were stained by the immunogold and immunogold silver-enhanced methods. Basic structural units involved in spindle morphogenesis were "microtubule converging centers." We emphasized the importance of relative independence of chromosomal and microtubular cycles, and the influence of these cycles on the progress of mitosis. Cells with moderately desynchronized cycles were functional, but extreme desynchronization led to aberrant mitosis. There were three distinct phases of spindle development. The first one comprised interphase and early to mid-prophase. During this phase, the interphase microtubule meshwork radiating from the nuclear surface into the cytoplasm rearranged and formed a dense microtubule cage around the nucleus. The second phase comprised mid to late prophase, and resulted in the formation of normal (bipolar) or transitory aberrant (apolar or multipolar) prophase spindles. The third phase comprised late prophase with prometaphase. The onset of prometaphase was accompanied by a rapid association of microtubule converging centers with kinetochores. In this stage aberrant spindles transformed invariably into bipolar ones. Lateral association of a few bipolar kinetochore fibers at early prometaphase established the core of the bipolar spindle and its alignment. We concluded that (1) spindle formation is a largely independent microtubular process modified by the chromosomal/kinetochore cycle; and (2) the initial polarity of the spindle is established by microtubule converging centers, which are a functional substitute of the centrosome/MTOC. We believe that the dynamics of microtubule converging centers is an expression of microtubule self-organization driven by motor proteins as proposed by Mitchison [1992: Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B. 336:99].
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Smirnova
- Biology Faculty, Moscow State University, Russia
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28
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Abstract
Centrosomes are thought to ensure spindle bipolarity and thus correct chromosome segregation during mitosis, but recent studies indicate that somatic cells have an alternative mechanism that enables them to form a bipolar spindle and segregate chromosomes independently of centrosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A Hyman
- Max Planck Institute for Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.
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29
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Abstract
The centrosome functions in the organization of the cytoskeleton, in specification of cell polarity, and in the assembly of the bipolar spindle during mitosis. These activities are largely the result of microtubule nucleation activity and the centrosome's structural influence on the form of the microtubule array that it anchors. Centrosome duplication and microtubule nucleation activity are precisely regulated during development and the cell cycle. Loss of normal centrosome regulation and function may lead to alterations in cell polarity and to chromosomal instability through mitotic defects resulting in aneuploidy. This is particularly true for many malignant tumors. Here, we review the regulation and regulatory activities of centrosomes and consider some of the questions of current interest in this area. J. Cell. Biochem. Suppls. 32/33:192-199, 1999.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Whitehead
- Tumor Biology Program, Mayo Clinic Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA
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30
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Bajer AS, Smirnova EA. Reorganization of microtubular cytoskeleton and formation of cellular processes during post-telophase in haemanthus endosperm. CELL MOTILITY AND THE CYTOSKELETON 1999; 44:96-109. [PMID: 10506745 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0169(199910)44:2<96::aid-cm2>3.0.co;2-t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
We followed time-dependent post-telophase reorganization of the microtubule cytoskeleton on immunostained preparations of endosperm of the higher plant Haemanthus. After completion of mitosis, the phragmoplast continued to reorganize for several hours. This prompted the formation of phragmoplast-like derivatives (secondary and accessory phragmoplasts and peripheral microtubular ring). Next, elongated cellular protrusions (processes) appeared at the cell periphery. These processes contained long microtubule bundles and disorderly arranged actin filaments. Microtubule converging centers or accessory phragmoplasts were often present at the tips of the processes. Observation in vivo demonstrated that processes were formed at the cell periphery as extensions of lammelipodia or filopodia-type protrusions that commonly terminated with cytoplasmic blobs. We suggest that processes are derivatives of a peripheral microtubular ring that reorganizes gradually into cellular protrusions. Endosperm processes have several features of neuronal cells, or animal somatic cells with overexpressed MAPs. Since microtubule-containing processes were never detected shortly after extrusion of the cells from the embryo sac, this course of events might be restricted specifically to extruded endosperm and triggered either by removal of cells, their placement in monolayer on agar substrate, or both. Thus, post telophase behavior of endosperm cells offers a novel experimental system for studies of cytoskeleton in higher plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- A S Bajer
- Biology Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403-1210, USA.
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31
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Yu HG, Muszynski MG, Kelly Dawe R. The maize homologue of the cell cycle checkpoint protein MAD2 reveals kinetochore substructure and contrasting mitotic and meiotic localization patterns. J Biophys Biochem Cytol 1999; 145:425-35. [PMID: 10225945 PMCID: PMC2185073 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.145.3.425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We have identified a maize homologue of yeast MAD2, an essential component in the spindle checkpoint pathway that ensures metaphase is complete before anaphase begins. Combined immunolocalization of MAD2 and a recently cloned maize CENPC homologue indicates that MAD2 localizes to an outer domain of the prometaphase kinetochore. MAD2 staining was primarily observed on mitotic kinetochores that lacked attached microtubules; i.e., at prometaphase or when the microtubules were depolymerized with oryzalin. In contrast, the loss of MAD2 staining in meiosis was not correlated with initial microtubule attachment but was correlated with a measure of tension: the distance between homologous or sister kinetochores (in meiosis I and II, respectively). Further, the tension-sensitive 3F3/2 phosphoepitope colocalized, and was lost concomitantly, with MAD2 staining at the meiotic kinetochore. The mechanism of spindle assembly (discussed here with respect to maize mitosis and meiosis) is likely to affect the relative contributions of attachment and tension. We support the idea that MAD2 is attachment-sensitive and that tension stabilizes microtubule attachments.
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Affiliation(s)
- H G Yu
- Department of Botany, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
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32
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Abstract
As an organizer of the microtubule cytoskeleton in animals, the centrosome has an important function. From the early light microscopic observation of the centrosome to examination by electron microscopy, the centrosome field is now in an era of molecular identification and precise functional analyses. Tables compiling centrosomal proteins and reviews on the centrosome are presented here and demonstrate how active the field is. However, despite this intense research activity, many classical questions are still unanswered. These include those regarding the precise function of centrioles, the mechanism of centrosome duplication and assembly, the origin of the centrosome, and the regulation and mechanism of the centrosomal microtubule nucleation activity. Fortunately, these questions are becoming elucidated based on experimental data discussed here. Given the fact that the centrosome is primarily a site of microtubule nucleation, special focus is placed on the process of microtubule nucleation and on the regulation of centrosomal microtubule nucleation capacity during the cell cycle and in some tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- S S Andersen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, New Jersey 08540-1014, USA
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33
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Chan A, Cande WZ. Maize meiotic spindles assemble around chromatin and do not require paired chromosomes. J Cell Sci 1998; 111 ( Pt 23):3507-15. [PMID: 9811565 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.111.23.3507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
To understand how the meiotic spindle is formed and maintained in higher plants, we studied the organization of microtubule arrays in wild-type maize meiocytes and three maize meiotic mutants, desynaptic1 (dsy1), desynaptic2 (dsy2), and absence of first division (afd). All three meiotic mutations have abnormal chromosome pairing and produce univalents by diakinesis. Using these three mutants, we investigated how the absence of paired homologous chromosomes affects the assembly and maintenance of the meiotic spindle. Before nuclear envelope breakdown, in wild-type meiocytes, there were no bipolar microtubule arrays. Instead, these structures formed after nuclear envelope breakdown and were associated with the chromosomes. The presence of univalent chromosomes in dsy1, dsy2, and afd meiocytes and of unpaired sister chromatids in the afd meiocytes did not affect the formation of bipolar spindles. However, alignment of chromosomes on the metaphase plate and subsequent anaphase chromosome segregation were perturbed. We propose a model for spindle formation in maize meiocytes in which microtubules initially appear around the chromosomes during prometaphase and then the microtubules self-organize. However, this process does not require paired kinetochores to establish spindle bipolarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Chan
- 341 LSA, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA
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34
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Bonaccorsi S, Giansanti MG, Gatti M. Spindle self-organization and cytokinesis during male meiosis in asterless mutants of Drosophila melanogaster. J Cell Biol 1998; 142:751-61. [PMID: 9700163 PMCID: PMC2148166 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.142.3.751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
While Drosophila female meiosis is anastral, both meiotic divisions in Drosophila males exhibit prominent asters. We have identified a gene we call asterless (asl) that is required for aster formation during male meiosis. Ultrastructural analysis showed that asl mutants have morphologically normal centrioles. However, immunostaining with antibodies directed either to gamma tubulin or centrosomin revealed that these proteins do not accumulate in the centrosomes, as occurs in wild-type. Thus, asl appears to specify a function required for the assembly of centrosomal material around the centrioles. Despite the absence of asters, meiotic cells of asl mutants manage to develop an anastral spindle. Microtubules grow from multiple sites around the chromosomes, and then focus into a peculiar bipolar spindle that mediates chromosome segregation, although in a highly irregular way. Surprisingly, asl spermatocytes eventually form a morphologically normal ana-telophase central spindle that has full ability to stimulate cytokinesis. These findings challenge the classical view on central spindle assembly, arguing for a self-organization of this structure from either preexisting or newly formed microtubules. In addition, these findings strongly suggest that the asters are not required for signaling cytokinesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Bonaccorsi
- Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Universita' di Roma La Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.
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35
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Knop M, Schiebel E. Receptors determine the cellular localization of a gamma-tubulin complex and thereby the site of microtubule formation. EMBO J 1998; 17:3952-67. [PMID: 9670012 PMCID: PMC1170730 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/17.14.3952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The yeast microtubule organizing centre (MTOC), known as the spindle pole body (SPB), organizes the nuclear and cytoplasmic microtubules which are functionally and spatially distinct. Microtubule organization requires the yeast gamma-tubulin complex (Tub4p complex) which binds to the nuclear side of the SPB at the N-terminal domain of Spc110p. Here, we describe the identification of the essential SPB component Spc72p whose N-terminal domain interacts with the Tub4p complex on the cytoplasmic side of the SPB. We further report that this Tub4p complex-binding domain of Spc72p is essential and that temperature-sensitive alleles of SPC72 or overexpression of a binding domain-deleted variant of SPC72 (DeltaN-SPC72) impair cytoplasmic microtubule formation. Consequently, polynucleated and anucleated cells accumulated in these cultures. In contrast, overexpression of the entire SPC72 results in more cytoplasmic microtubules compared with wild-type. Finally, exchange of the Tub4p complex-binding domains of Spc110p and Spc72p established that the Spc110p domain, when attached to DeltaN-Spc72p, was functional at the cytoplasmic site of the SPB, while the corresponding domain of Spc72p fused to DeltaN-Spc110p led to a dominant-negative effect. These results suggest that different components of MTOCs act as receptors for gamma-tubulin complexes and that they are essential for the function of MTOCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Knop
- The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, CRC Beatson Laboratories, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
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36
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Abstract
Spindle poles are discernible by light microscopy as the sites where microtubules converge at the ends of both mitotic and meiotic spindles. In most cell types centrosomes are present at spindle poles due to their dominant role in microtubule nucleation. However, in some specialized cell types microtubules converge into spindle poles in the absence of centrosomes. Thus, spindle poles in centrosomal and acentrosomal cell types are structurally different, and it is this structural dichotomy that has created confusion as to the mechanism by which microtubules are organized into spindle poles. This review summarizes a series of recent articles that begin to resolve this confusion by demonstrating that spindle poles are organized through a common mechanism by a conserved group of non-centrosomal proteins in the presence or absence of centrosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Compton
- Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School, Room 411, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
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37
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Abstract
During meiosis, homologous chromosomes are brought together to be recombined and segregated into separate haploid gametes. This requires two cell divisions, an elaborate prophase with five substages, and specialized mechanisms that regulate the association of sister chromatids. This review focuses on plant chromosomes and chromosome-associated structures, such as recombination nodules and kinetochores, that ensure accurate meiotic chromosome segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Kelly Dawe
- Department of Botany and Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
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38
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Vaughn KC, Harper JD. Microtubule-organizing centers and nucleating sites in land plants. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 1998; 181:75-149. [PMID: 9522456 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(08)60417-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) are morphologically diverse cellular sites involved in the nucleation and organization of microtubules (MTs). These structures are synonymous with the centrosome in mammalian cells. In most land plant cells, however, no such structures are observed and some have argued that plant cells may not have MTOCs. This review summarizes a number of experimental approaches toward the elucidation of those subcellular sites involved in microtubule nucleation and organization. In lower land plants, structurally well-defined MTOCs are present, such as the blepharoplast, multilayered structure, and polar organizer. In higher plants, much of the nucleation and organization of MTs occurs on the nuclear envelope or other endomembranes, such as the plasmalemma and smooth (tubular) endoplasmic reticulum. In some instances, one endomembrane may serve as a site of nucleation whereas others serve as the site of organization. Structural and motor microtubule-associated proteins also appear to be involved in MT nucleation and organization. Immunochemical evidence indicates that at least several of the proteins found in mammalian centrosomes, gamma-tubulin, centrin, pericentrin, and polypeptides recognized by the monoclonal antibodies MPM-2, 6C6, and C9 also recognize putative lower land plant MTOCs, indicating shared mechanisms of nucleation/organization in plants and animals. The most recent data from tubulin incorporation in vivo, mutants with altered MT organization, and molecular studies indicate the potential of these research tools in investigation of MTOCs in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- K C Vaughn
- Southern Weed Science Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Stoneville, Mississippi 38776, USA
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39
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Nick P. Signaling to The Microtubular Cytoskeleton in Plants. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 1998. [DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(08)62178-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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40
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Yu HG, Hiatt EN, Chan A, Sweeney M, Dawe RK. Neocentromere-mediated chromosome movement in maize. J Cell Biol 1997; 139:831-40. [PMID: 9362502 PMCID: PMC2139958 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.139.4.831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/1997] [Revised: 09/19/1997] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Neocentromere activity is a classic example of nonkinetochore chromosome movement. In maize, neocentromeres are induced by a gene or genes on Abnormal chromosome 10 (Ab10) which causes heterochromatic knobs to move poleward at meiotic anaphase. Here we describe experiments that test how neocentromere activity affects the function of linked centromere/kinetochores (kinetochores) and whether neocentromeres and kinetochores are mobilized on the spindle by the same mechanism. Using a newly developed system for observing meiotic chromosome congression and segregation in living maize cells, we show that neocentromeres are active from prometaphase through anaphase. During mid-anaphase, normal chromosomes move on the spindle at an average rate of 0.79 micron/min. The presence of Ab10 does not affect the rate of normal chromosome movement but propels neocentromeres poleward at rates as high as 1.4 micron/min. Kinetochore-mediated chromosome movement is only marginally affected by the activity of a linked neocentromere. Combined in situ hybridization/immunocytochemistry is used to demonstrate that unlike kinetochores, neocentromeres associate laterally with microtubules and that neocentromere movement is correlated with knob size. These data suggest that microtubule depolymerization is not required for neocentromere motility. We argue that neocentromeres are mobilized on microtubules by the activity of minus end-directed motor proteins that interact either directly or indirectly with knob DNA sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- H G Yu
- Department of Botany, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
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41
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Khodjakov A, Cole RW, Bajer AS, Rieder CL. The force for poleward chromosome motion in Haemanthus cells acts along the length of the chromosome during metaphase but only at the kinetochore during anaphase. J Biophys Biochem Cytol 1996; 132:1093-104. [PMID: 8601587 PMCID: PMC2120764 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.132.6.1093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The force for poleward chromosome motion during mitosis is thought to act, in all higher organisms, exclusively through the kinetochore. We have used time-lapse. video-enhanced, differential interference contrast light microscopy to determine the behavior of kinetochore-free "acentric" chromosome fragments and "monocentric" chromosomes containing one kinetochore, created at various stages of mitosis in living higher plant (Haemanthus) cells by laser microsurgery. Acentric fragments and monocentric chromosomes generated during spindle formation and metaphase both moved towards the closest spindle pole at a rate (approximately 1.0 microm/min) similar to the poleward motion of anaphase chromosomes. This poleward transport of chromosome fragments ceased near the onset of anaphase and was replaced. near midanaphase, by another force that now transported the fragments to the spindle equator at 1.5-2.0 microm/min. These fragments then remained near the spindle midzone until phragmoplast development, at which time they were again transported randomly poleward but now at approximately 3 microm/min. This behavior of acentric chromosome fragments on anastral plant spindles differs from that reported for the astral spindles of vertebrate cells, and demonstrates that in forming plant spindles, a force for poleward chromosome motion is generated independent of the kinetochore. The data further suggest that the three stages of non-kinetochore chromosome transport we observed are all mediated by the spindle microtubules. Finally, our findings reveal that there are fundamental differences between the transport properties of forming mitotic spindles in plants and vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Khodjakov
- Laboratory of Cell Regulation, Wadsworth Center for Laboratories and Research, Albany, New York 12201-0509, USA
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Levy YY, Lai EY, Remillard SP, Heintzelman MB, Fulton C. Centrin is a conserved protein that forms diverse associations with centrioles and MTOCs in Naegleria and other organisms. CELL MOTILITY AND THE CYTOSKELETON 1996; 33:298-323. [PMID: 8801035 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0169(1996)33:4<298::aid-cm6>3.0.co;2-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Centrin, a approximately or equal to 20 kDa calcium-binding protein also known as caltractin, is a component of centrosome-associated algal flagellar roots capable of calcium-mediated contraction, and is also found in the centrosomes of vertebrate cells. Our analysis of a centrin gene from a protist, the amoeboflagellate Naegleria gruberi, reveals conserved features that distinguish centrins from calmodulin. Antibodies to bacterially expressed Naegleria centrin, which also recognize yeast Cdc31p, were employed to localize centrin immunoreactivity in selected organisms possessing specialized microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) or accessory structures. There is a striking morphological diversity of such structures. In the simplest associations, as found in Naegleria flagellates and vertebrates tracheal epithelium, centrin is intimately associated with the cylinder of the basal bodies. In cells with unfocused mitotic spindles, Naegleria amoebae and onion root tips, no localization of centrin was detected. In Dictyostelium discoideum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which lack centrioles, centrin immunoreactivity was observed as punctate cytoplasmic bodies but not associated with spindle pole MTOCs. In Paramecium multimicronucleatum, centrin immunoreactivity is localized to the infraciliary lattice, previously shown to exhibit calcium-mediated contraction. In Vorticella microstoma, known for the calcium-induced rapid contraction of its stalk, centrin immunoreactivity is localized to the contractile spasmoneme and myonemes. Similar antigens from Paramecium and Vorticella are detected by anti-centrin and anti-spasmin. The pattern of localization of centrin immunoreactivity supports the conjecture that a contractile system involving centrin, initially associated with centriolar structures, was recruited during evolution to build specialized organelles in different organisms and cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Y Levy
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02254-9110, USA
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Balczon R. The centrosome in animal cells and its functional homologs in plant and yeast cells. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 1996; 169:25-82. [PMID: 8843652 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(08)61984-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The centrosome is the principal microtubule-organizing center in mammalian cells. Until recently, the centrosome could only be studied at the ultrastructural level and defined as a functional entity. However, during the past decade a number of clever experimental strategies have been used to identify numerous molecular components of the centrosome. The identification of biochemical subunits of the centrosome complex has allowed the centrosome to be investigated in much more detail, resulting in important advances being made in our understanding of microtubule nucleation events, spindle formation, the assembly and replication of the centrosome, and the nature of the microtubule-organizing centers in plant cells and lower eukaryotes. The next several years should see additional rapid progress in our understanding of the microtubule cytoskeleton as investigators begin to assign functions to the centrosome proteins that have already been reported and as additional centrosome components are discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Balczon
- Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile 36688, USA
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Guhl B, Roos UP. Mitosis in Amoebae of the cellular slime mold (Mycetozoan) Protostelium mycophaga. Eur J Protistol 1995. [DOI: 10.1016/s0932-4739(11)80438-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Abstract
The mitotic spindle contains the machinery responsible for sister chromatid segregation. It is composed of a complex and dynamic array of microtubules, which are nucleated from the spindle poles. Studies of yeast spindle functions by molecular genetic analysis and by in vitro functional analysis have identified proteins that are mitosis-specific and present at very low concentrations in the cell, and have revealed the molecular bases of several processes required for the formation and functioning of the mitotic spindle. Here I review the current knowledge of the processes that are common to most eukaryotes: microtubule nucleation at the spindle poles, bipolar spindle assembly, maintenance of the spindle structure, chromosome attachment to the spindle and chromosome separation on the spindle.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Masuda
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Saitama, Japan
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Smirnova EA, Cox DL, Bajer AS. Antibody against phosphorylated proteins (MPM-2) recognizes mitotic microtubules in endosperm cells of higher plant Haemanthus. CELL MOTILITY AND THE CYTOSKELETON 1995; 31:34-44. [PMID: 7553900 DOI: 10.1002/cm.970310105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
In diverse cell types, monoclonal antibody MPM-2 recognizes a class of phosphorylated proteins related to microtubule organizing centers and abundant during mitosis. We have used this antibody in an attempt to identify the spatial and temporal localization of putative microtubule organizing centers in endosperm cells of the higher plant Haemanthus. Our results show that MPM-2 recognized epitope is present in interphase cells and enriched in mitotic cells. In interphase the antibody usually stains cytoplasmic granules. During the interphase-prophase transition immunoreactive material appears in the nucleus, at the nuclear envelope, and in association with microtubules. Concomitantly, we observed an increase of immunoreactivity of the cytoplasm. During mitosis the phosphorproteins recognized by MPM-2 are detected in the cytoplasm, in association with microtubules of the spindle, the phragmoplast, and in the newly-formed cell plate. After completion of mitosis, only the cell plate and cytoplasmic granules are MPM-2 positive. Extraction of the cells with Triton X-100 prior to fixation removes staining of the cytoplasm by MPM-2. The detergent resistant immunoreactive material remains associated with surrounding the nucleus microtubules of the prophase spindle, the core of kinetochore fibers, and the phragmoplast. In the phragmoplast, however, segments of microtubules which are distal to the cell plate are depleted of MPM-2. These data demonstrate that microtubule arrays of endosperm cells are phosphorylated during mitosis. Thus, similar to animal cells, interphase and mitotic microtubules of higher plants have different properties. Additionally, the localization of detergent resistant MPM-2 antigen points to the difference in microtubule nucleation/organization between higher plant and animal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Smirnova
- Biology Faculty, Moscow State University, Russia
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Liu B, Joshi HC, Palevitz BA. Experimental manipulation of gamma-tubulin distribution in Arabidopsis using anti-microtubule drugs. CELL MOTILITY AND THE CYTOSKELETON 1995; 31:113-29. [PMID: 7553905 DOI: 10.1002/cm.970310204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
gamma-Tubulin-specific antibodies stain the microtubule (Mt) arrays of Arabidopsis suspension cells in a punctate or patchy manner. During division, staining of kinetochore fibers and the phragmoplast is extensive, except in the vicinity of the plus ends at the metaphase plate and cell plate. gamma-Tubulin localization responds to low levels of colchicine, with staining receding farther toward the minus (pole) ends of kinetochore fibers. At higher drug concentrations, gamma-tubulin also associates with abnormal Mt foci as well as with the surface of the daughter nuclei facing the phragmoplast. During UV-induced recovery from colchicine, gamma-tubulin increases along the presumptive minus ends of mitotic Mts as well as the phragmoplast near the daughter nuclei. With CIPC, immunostaining is concentrated around the centers of focal Mt arrays in multipolar spindles. In the presence of taxol, Mts are more prominent but the mitotic apparatus and phragmoplast are abnormal. As with CIPC, gamma-tubulin is concentrated at focal arrays. Increased punctate staining is also present in interphase arrays, with fluorescent dots often located at the ends of Mts. These results support a preferential association between gamma-tubulin and Mt minus ends, but are also consistent with more general binding along the walls of Mts. Thus, minus ends (and Mt nucleation sites) may be present throughout plant Mt arrays, but gamma-tubulin may also serve another function, such as in structural stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Liu
- Department of Botany, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-7271, USA
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Schmit AC, Stoppin V, Chevrier V, Job D, Lambert AM. Cell cycle dependent distribution of a centrosomal antigen at the perinuclear MTOC or at the kinetochores of higher plant cells. Chromosoma 1994; 103:343-51. [PMID: 7821090 DOI: 10.1007/bf00417882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Compelling evidence has been obtained in favour of the idea that the nuclear surface of higher plant cells is a microtubule-nucleating and/or organizing site (MTOC), in the absence of defined centrosomes. How these plant MTOC proteins are redistributed and function during the progression of the cell cycle remains entirely unknown. Using a monoclonal antibody (mAb 6C6) raised against isolated calf thymus centrosomes and showing apparent reaction with the plant nuclear surface, we followed the targeted antigen distribution during mitosis and meiosis of higher plants. Immunoblot analysis of protein fractions from Allium root meristematic cell extracts probed with mAb 6C6 reveals a polypeptide of an apparent Mr of 78000. In calf centrosome extracts, a polypeptide of comparable molecular mass is found in addition to a major antigen of Mr 180000 after mAb 6C6 immunoblotting. During mitotic initiation, the plant antigen is prominent on the periphery of the prophase nucleus. When the nuclear envelope breaks down, the antigen suddenly becomes associated with the centromere-kinetochores until late anaphase. In telophase, when the nuclear envelope is being reconstructed, it is no longer detected at the kinetochores but is solely associated again with the nuclear surface. This antigen displays a unique spatial and temporal distribution, which may reflect the pathway of plant protein(s) between the nuclear surface and the kinetochores under cell cycle control. So far, such processes have not been described in higher plant cells. These observations shed light on the putative activity of the plant kinetochore as a protein transporter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Schmit
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
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Smirnova EA, Bajer AS. Microtubule converging centers and reorganization of the interphase cytoskeleton and the mitotic spindle in higher plant Haemanthus. CELL MOTILITY AND THE CYTOSKELETON 1994; 27:219-33. [PMID: 8020108 DOI: 10.1002/cm.970270304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
We analyzed the distribution and orientation of transitory microtubule structures, microtubule converging centers, during interphase and mitosis in endosperm of the higher plant Haemanthus. In interphase the pointed tips of microtubule converging centers are associated with the nuclear envelope. Their orientation gradually reverses during prophase, and the tips tend to point away from the nucleus. From prometaphase through early telophase, microtubule converging centers are present predominantly in the cytoplasm at the polar region. They are either "free" or associated with chromosomes or microtubule bundles. In late telophase, pointed tips of microtubule converging centers are again associated with the reconstructed nuclear envelope and, additionally, they often appear in the phragmoplast area. The orientation of microtubule converging centers seems to be directly correlated to the previously determined microtubule polarity, with the converging tip being minus and the diverging one, plus. Elevated temperature (35 degrees-37 degrees C) enhances the number of microtubule converging centers in the cytoplasm and at the nuclear envelope. This is especially pronounced during the telophase-interphase transition and in some interphase cells, indicating temperature and stage dependence. Our data imply that microtubule converging centers bind together MT minus ends and, thus, control the predominant direction of elongation and shortening of microtubule arrays. We argue that these configurations are instrumental during the reorganization of interphase cytoskeleton and mitotic spindle in Haemanthus endosperm.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Smirnova
- Biology Faculty, Department of Cytology and Histology, Moscow University, Russia
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