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Rosfelter A, de Labbey G, Chenevert J, Dumollard R, Schaub S, Machaty Z, Besnardeau L, Gonzalez Suarez D, Hebras C, Turlier H, Burgess DR, McDougall A. Reduction of cortical pulling at mitotic entry facilitates aster centration. J Cell Sci 2024; 137:jcs262037. [PMID: 38469748 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.262037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Equal cell division relies upon astral microtubule-based centering mechanisms, yet how the interplay between mitotic entry, cortical force generation and long astral microtubules leads to symmetric cell division is not resolved. We report that a cortically located sperm aster displaying long astral microtubules that penetrate the whole zygote does not undergo centration until mitotic entry. At mitotic entry, we find that microtubule-based cortical pulling is lost. Quantitative measurements of cortical pulling and cytoplasmic pulling together with physical simulations suggested that a wavelike loss of cortical pulling at mitotic entry leads to aster centration based on cytoplasmic pulling. Cortical actin is lost from the cortex at mitotic entry coincident with a fall in cortical tension from ∼300pN/µm to ∼100pN/µm. Following the loss of cortical force generators at mitotic entry, long microtubule-based cytoplasmic pulling is sufficient to displace the aster towards the cell center. These data reveal how mitotic aster centration is coordinated with mitotic entry in chordate zygotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Rosfelter
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Developpement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-mer, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Ghislain de Labbey
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), Collège de France, CNRS UMR7241 / INSERM U1050, Université PSL, 75002 Paris, France
| | - Janet Chenevert
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Developpement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-mer, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Rémi Dumollard
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Developpement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-mer, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Sebastien Schaub
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Developpement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-mer, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Zoltan Machaty
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Developpement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-mer, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Lydia Besnardeau
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Developpement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-mer, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Daniel Gonzalez Suarez
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Developpement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-mer, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Céline Hebras
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Developpement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-mer, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Hervé Turlier
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), Collège de France, CNRS UMR7241 / INSERM U1050, Université PSL, 75002 Paris, France
| | - David R Burgess
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Alex McDougall
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Developpement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-mer, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer, France
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2
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Arjona MI, Najafi J, Minc N. Cytoplasm mechanics and cellular organization. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2023; 85:102278. [PMID: 37979412 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2023.102278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
As cells organize spatially or divide, they translocate many micron-scale organelles in their cytoplasm. These include endomembrane vesicles, nuclei, microtubule asters, mitotic spindles, or chromosomes. Organelle motion is powered by cytoskeleton forces but is opposed by viscoelastic forces imparted by the surrounding crowded cytoplasm medium. These resistive forces associated to cytoplasm physcial properties remain generally underappreciated, yet reach significant values to slow down organelle motion or even limit their displacement by springing them back towards their original position. The cytoplasm may also be itself organized in time and space, being for example stiffer or more fluid at certain locations or during particular cell cycle phases. Thus, cytoplasm mechanics may be viewed as a labile module that contributes to organize cells. We here review emerging methods, mechanisms, and concepts to study cytoplasm mechanical properties and their function in organelle positioning, cellular organization and division.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Isabel Arjona
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée LIGUE Contre le Cancer, France
| | - Javad Najafi
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée LIGUE Contre le Cancer, France
| | - Nicolas Minc
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée LIGUE Contre le Cancer, France.
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3
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Chen P, Levy DL. Regulation of organelle size and organization during development. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 133:53-64. [PMID: 35148938 PMCID: PMC9357868 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
During early embryogenesis, as cells divide in the developing embryo, the size of intracellular organelles generally decreases to scale with the decrease in overall cell size. Organelle size scaling is thought to be important to establish and maintain proper cellular function, and defective scaling may lead to impaired development and disease. However, how the cell regulates organelle size and organization are largely unanswered questions. In this review, we summarize the process of size scaling at both the cell and organelle levels and discuss recently discovered mechanisms that regulate this process during early embryogenesis. In addition, we describe how some recently developed techniques and Xenopus as an animal model can be used to investigate the underlying mechanisms of size regulation and to uncover the significance of proper organelle size scaling and organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Chen
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, China.
| | - Daniel L Levy
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
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Kelkar M, Bohec P, Smith MB, Sreenivasan V, Lisica A, Valon L, Ferber E, Baum B, Salbreux G, Charras G. Spindle reorientation in response to mechanical stress is an emergent property of the spindle positioning mechanisms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2121868119. [PMID: 35727980 PMCID: PMC9245638 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121868119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Proper orientation of the mitotic spindle plays a crucial role in embryos, during tissue development, and in adults, where it functions to dissipate mechanical stress to maintain tissue integrity and homeostasis. While mitotic spindles have been shown to reorient in response to external mechanical stresses, the subcellular cues that mediate spindle reorientation remain unclear. Here, we used a combination of optogenetics and computational modeling to investigate how mitotic spindles respond to inhomogeneous tension within the actomyosin cortex. Strikingly, we found that the optogenetic activation of RhoA only influences spindle orientation when it is induced at both poles of the cell. Under these conditions, the sudden local increase in cortical tension induced by RhoA activation reduces pulling forces exerted by cortical regulators on astral microtubules. This leads to a perturbation of the balance of torques exerted on the spindle, which causes it to rotate. Thus, spindle rotation in response to mechanical stress is an emergent phenomenon arising from the interaction between the spindle positioning machinery and the cell cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manasi Kelkar
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1H 0AH, United Kingdom
| | - Pierre Bohec
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1H 0AH, United Kingdom
| | | | - Varun Sreenivasan
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Lisica
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1H 0AH, United Kingdom
| | - Léo Valon
- Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3738, 75015 Paris , France
| | - Emma Ferber
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1H 0AH, United Kingdom
| | - Buzz Baum
- Medical Research Council Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Division of Cell Biology, Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
- Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Guillaume Salbreux
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Guillaume Charras
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1H 0AH, United Kingdom
- Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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Contribution of cytoplasm viscoelastic properties to mitotic spindle positioning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2115593119. [PMID: 35169074 PMCID: PMC8872784 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2115593119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The regulation of mitotic spindle positioning is a key process for tissue architecture, embryo development, and stem cells. To date, most models have assumed that spindles are positioned by forces exerted by polar cytoskeleton networks, like microtubule asters or actomyosin bundles. Here, using in situ magnetic tweezers to apply calibrated forces and torques to mitotic spindles in live dividing sea urchin cells, we found that the viscoelastic properties of the cytoplasm medium in which spindles are embedded can hold spindles in place and move them back if their original position is perturbed. These viscoelastic forces are large and may significantly participate in the force balance that position and orient mitotic spindles in many cell types. Cells are filled with macromolecules and polymer networks that set scale-dependent viscous and elastic properties to the cytoplasm. Although the role of these parameters in molecular diffusion, reaction kinetics, and cellular biochemistry is being increasingly recognized, their contributions to the motion and positioning of larger organelles, such as mitotic spindles for cell division, remain unknown. Here, using magnetic tweezers to displace and rotate mitotic spindles in living embryos, we uncovered that the cytoplasm can impart viscoelastic reactive forces that move spindles, or passive objects with similar size, back to their original positions. These forces are independent of cytoskeletal force generators yet reach hundreds of piconewtons and scale with cytoplasm crowding. Spindle motion shears and fluidizes the cytoplasm, dissipating elastic energy and limiting spindle recoils with functional implications for asymmetric and oriented divisions. These findings suggest that bulk cytoplasm material properties may constitute important control elements for the regulation of division positioning and cellular organization.
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Lacroix B, Dumont J. Spatial and Temporal Scaling of Microtubules and Mitotic Spindles. Cells 2022; 11:cells11020248. [PMID: 35053364 PMCID: PMC8774166 DOI: 10.3390/cells11020248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
During cell division, the mitotic spindle, a macromolecular structure primarily comprised of microtubules, drives chromosome alignment and partitioning between daughter cells. Mitotic spindles can sense cellular dimensions in order to adapt their length and mass to cell size. This scaling capacity is particularly remarkable during early embryo cleavage when cells divide rapidly in the absence of cell growth, thus leading to a reduction of cell volume at each division. Although mitotic spindle size scaling can occur over an order of magnitude in early embryos, in many species the duration of mitosis is relatively short, constant throughout early development and independent of cell size. Therefore, a key challenge for cells during embryo cleavage is not only to assemble a spindle of proper size, but also to do it in an appropriate time window which is compatible with embryo development. How spatial and temporal scaling of the mitotic spindle is achieved and coordinated with the duration of mitosis remains elusive. In this review, we will focus on the mechanisms that support mitotic spindle spatial and temporal scaling over a wide range of cell sizes and cellular contexts. We will present current models and propose alternative mechanisms allowing cells to spatially and temporally coordinate microtubule and mitotic spindle assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Lacroix
- Centre de Recherche de Biologie Cellulaire de Montpellier (CRBM), CNRS UMR 5237, Université de Montpellier, 1919 Route de Mende, CEDEX 5, 34293 Montpellier, France
- Correspondence:
| | - Julien Dumont
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75013 Paris, France;
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Cell division geometries as central organizers of early embryo development. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 130:3-11. [PMID: 34419349 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Early cellular patterning is a critical step of embryonic development that determines the proper progression of morphogenesis in all metazoans. It relies on a series of rapid reductive divisions occurring simultaneously with the specification of the fate of different subsets of cells. Multiple species developmental strategies emerged in the form of a unique cleavage pattern with stereotyped division geometries. Cleavage geometries have long been associated to the emergence of canonical developmental features such as cell cycle asynchrony, zygotic genome activation and fate specification. Yet, the direct causal role of division positioning on blastomere cell behavior remain partially understood. Oriented and/or asymmetric divisions define blastomere cell sizes, contacts and positions, with potential immediate impact on cellular decisions, lineage specification and morphogenesis. Division positions also instruct daughter cells polarity, mechanics and geometries, thereby influencing subsequent division events, in an emergent interplay that may pattern early embryos independently of firm deterministic genetic programs. We here review the recent literature which helped to delineate mechanisms and functions of division positioning in early embryos.
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Pelletier JF, Field CM, Fürthauer S, Sonnett M, Mitchison TJ. Co-movement of astral microtubules, organelles and F-actin by dynein and actomyosin forces in frog egg cytoplasm. eLife 2020; 9:e60047. [PMID: 33284105 PMCID: PMC7759381 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
How bulk cytoplasm generates forces to separate post-anaphase microtubule (MT) asters in Xenopus laevis and other large eggs remains unclear. Previous models proposed that dynein-based, inward organelle transport generates length-dependent pulling forces that move centrosomes and MTs outwards, while other components of cytoplasm are static. We imaged aster movement by dynein and actomyosin forces in Xenopus egg extracts and observed outward co-movement of MTs, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria, acidic organelles, F-actin, keratin, and soluble fluorescein. Organelles exhibited a burst of dynein-dependent inward movement at the growing aster periphery, then mostly halted inside the aster, while dynein-coated beads moved to the aster center at a constant rate, suggesting organelle movement is limited by brake proteins or other sources of drag. These observations call for new models in which all components of the cytoplasm comprise a mechanically integrated aster gel that moves collectively in response to dynein and actomyosin forces.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Pelletier
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Marine Biological LaboratoryWoods HoleUnited States
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Christine M Field
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Marine Biological LaboratoryWoods HoleUnited States
| | | | - Matthew Sonnett
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Timothy J Mitchison
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Marine Biological LaboratoryWoods HoleUnited States
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