Stu2p: A microtubule-binding protein that is an essential component of the yeast spindle pole body

Structure of the native γ-tubulin ring complex capping spindle microtubules

Microtubule (MT) filaments, composed of α/β-tubulin dimers, are fundamental to cellular architecture, function and organismal development. They are nucleated from MT organizing centers by the evolutionarily conserved γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC). However, the molecular mechanism of nucleation remains elusive. Here we used cryo-electron tomography to determine the structure of the native γTuRC capping the minus end of a MT in the context of enriched budding yeast spindles. In our structure, γTuRC presents a ring of γ-tubulin subunits to seed nucleation of exclusively 13-protofilament MTs, adopting an active closed conformation to function as a perfect geometric template for MT nucleation. Our cryo-electron tomography reconstruction revealed that a coiled-coil protein staples the first row of α/β-tubulin of the MT to alternating positions along the γ-tubulin ring of γTuRC. This positioning of α/β-tubulin onto γTuRC suggests a role for the coiled-coil protein in augmenting γTuRC-mediated MT nucleation. Based on our results, we describe a molecular model for budding yeast γTuRC activation and MT nucleation.

A model for the catalytic activity of microtubule polymerases

A XMAP215/Stu2/Alp14 polymerase can catalyze processively the tubulin addition to the microtubule (MT) plus end. In this work, a model is proposed for the underlying molecular mechanism of the polymerase activity, where the polymerase can not only catalyze processively the tubulin addition to but also promote the tubulin removal from the MT plus end. Based on the model the dynamics of both the wild-type and mutant polymerases is studied theoretically, explaining consistently and well various available experimental data. To further test the model, predicted results are provided.

MAPping tubulin mutations

Microtubules are filamentous structures that play a critical role in a diverse array of cellular functions including, mitosis, nuclear translocation, trafficking of organelles and cell shape. They are composed of α/β-tubulin heterodimers which are encoded by a large multigene family that has been implicated in an umbrella of disease states collectively known as the tubulinopathies. De novo mutations in different tubulin genes are known to cause lissencephaly, microcephaly, polymicrogyria, motor neuron disease, and female infertility. The diverse clinical features associated with these maladies have been attributed to the expression pattern of individual tubulin genes, as well as their distinct Functional repertoire. Recent studies, however, have highlighted the impact of tubulin mutations on microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). MAPs can be classified according to their effect on microtubules and include polymer stabilizers (e.g., tau, MAP2, doublecortin), destabilizers (e.g., spastin, katanin), plus-end binding proteins (e.g., EB1-3, XMAP215, CLASPs) and motor proteins (e.g., dyneins, kinesins). In this review we analyse mutation-specific disease mechanisms that influence MAP binding and their phenotypic consequences, and discuss methods by which we can exploit genetic variation to identify novel MAPs.

APC/CCdc20-mediated degradation of Clb4 prompts astral microtubule stabilization at anaphase onset

Key for accurate chromosome partitioning to the offspring is the ability of mitotic spindle microtubules to respond to different molecular signals and remodel their dynamics accordingly. Spindle microtubules are conventionally divided into three classes: kinetochore, interpolar, and astral microtubules (kMTs, iMTs, and aMTs, respectively). Among all, aMT regulation remains elusive. Here, we show that aMT dynamics are tightly regulated. aMTs remain unstable up to metaphase and are stabilized at anaphase onset. This switch in aMT dynamics, important for proper spindle orientation, specifically requires the degradation of the mitotic cyclin Clb4 by the Anaphase Promoting Complex bound to its activator subunit Cdc20 (APC/CCdc20). These data highlight a unique role for mitotic cyclin Clb4 in controlling aMT regulating factors, of which Kip2 is a prime candidate, provide a framework to understand aMT regulation in vertebrates, and uncover mechanistic principles of how the APC/CCdc20 choreographs the timing of late mitotic events by sequentially impacting on the three classes of spindle microtubules.

The TOG protein Stu2 is regulated by acetylation

Stu2 in S. cerevisiae is a member of the XMAP215/Dis1/CKAP5/ch-TOG family of MAPs and has multiple functions in controlling microtubules, including microtubule polymerization, microtubule depolymerization, linking chromosomes to the kinetochore, and assembly of γ-TuSCs at the SPB. Whereas phosphorylation has been shown to be critical for Stu2 localization at the kinetochore, other regulatory mechanisms that control Stu2 function are still poorly understood. Here, we show that a novel form of Stu2 regulation occurs through the acetylation of three lysine residues at K252, K469, and K870, which are located in three distinct domains of Stu2. Alteration of acetylation through acetyl-mimetic and acetyl-blocking mutations did not impact the essential function of Stu2. Instead, these mutations lead to a decrease in chromosome stability, as well as changes in resistance to the microtubule depolymerization drug, benomyl. In agreement with our in silico modeling, several acetylation-mimetic mutants displayed increased interactions with γ-tubulin. Taken together, these data suggest that Stu2 acetylation can govern multiple Stu2 functions, including chromosome stability and interactions at the SPB.

Microtubules are proteinaceous polymers that play several important roles in cell division and segregation of the genetic material to each daughter cell. The functions of microtubules are critically dependent upon their dynamic properties in which tubulin subunits are added or removed from the microtubule end, allowing microtubules to grow or shorten in length. These dynamic properties are controlled by several types of microtubule associated proteins. In this study using bakers yeast, we describe our discovery of a previously unappreciated way to regulate the microtubule associated protein Stu2 by a modification called acetylation. When we created mutations in the Stu2 protein that can’t be properly acetylated, the cell lost some of its chromosomes. Some of these mutations actually caused the microtubules to be resistant to drugs that normally disassemble the microtubule polymer. As similar versions of the Stu2 protein are found in diverse organisms that range from yeast and fungus, to plants, insects, mammals and humans, our work could provide unique insights into how microtubules malfunction in some human diseases. With further studies, this may provide a new understanding of chromosome loss in birth defects and/or cancer.

Tubulinopathy mutations in TUBA1A that disrupt neuronal morphogenesis and migration override XMAP215/Stu2 regulation of microtubule dynamics

Heterozygous, missense mutations in α- or β-tubulin genes are associated with a wide range of human brain malformations, known as tubulinopathies. We seek to understand whether a mutation’s impact at the molecular and cellular levels scale with the severity of brain malformation. Here, we focus on two mutations at the valine 409 residue of TUBA1A, V409I, and V409A, identified in patients with pachygyria or lissencephaly, respectively. We find that ectopic expression of TUBA1A-V409I/A mutants disrupt neuronal migration in mice and promote excessive neurite branching and a decrease in the number of neurite retraction events in primary rat neuronal cultures. These neuronal phenotypes are accompanied by increased microtubule acetylation and polymerization rates. To determine the molecular mechanisms, we modeled the V409I/A mutants in budding yeast and found that they promote intrinsically faster microtubule polymerization rates in cells and in reconstitution experiments with purified tubulin. In addition, V409I/A mutants decrease the recruitment of XMAP215/Stu2 to plus ends in budding yeast and ablate tubulin binding to TOG (tumor overexpressed gene) domains. In each assay tested, the TUBA1A-V409I mutant exhibits an intermediate phenotype between wild type and the more severe TUBA1A-V409A, reflecting the severity observed in brain malformations. Together, our data support a model in which the V409I/A mutations disrupt microtubule regulation typically conferred by XMAP215 proteins during neuronal morphogenesis and migration, and this impact on tubulin activity at the molecular level scales with the impact at the cellular and tissue levels.

Proteins are molecules made up of long chains of building blocks called amino acids. When a mutation changes one of these amino acids, it can lead to the protein malfunctioning, which can have many effects at the cell and tissue level. Given that human proteins are made up of 20 different amino acids, each building block in a protein could mutate to any of the other 19 amino acids, and each mutations could have different effects.

Tubulins are proteins that form microtubules, thin tubes that help give cells their shape and allow them to migrate. These proteins are added or removed to microtubules depending on the cell’s needs, meaning that microtubules can grow or shrink depending on the situation. Mutations in the tubulin proteins have been linked to malformations of varying severities involving the formation of ridges and folds on the surface of the brain, including lissencephaly, pachygyria or polymicrogyria.

Hoff et al. wanted to establish links between tubulin mutations and the effects observed at both cell and tissue level in the brain. They focused on two mutations in the tubulin protein TUBA1A that affect the amino acid in position 409 in the protein, which is normally a valine. One of the mutations turns this valine into an amino acid called isoleucine. This mutation is associated with pachygyria, which leads to the brain developing few ridges that are broad and flat. The second mutation turns the valine into an alanine, and is linked to lissencephaly, a more severe condition in which the brain develops no ridges, appearing smooth.

Hoff et al. found that both mutations interfere with the development of the brain by stopping neurons from migrating properly, which prevents them from forming the folds in the brain correctly. At the cellular level, the mutations lead to tubulins becoming harder to remove from microtubules, making microtubules more stable than usual. This results in longer microtubules that are harder for the cell to shorten or destroy as needed. Additionally, Hoff et al. showed that the mutant versions of TUBA1A have weaker interactions with a protein called XMAP215, which controls the addition of tubulin to microtubules. This causes the microtubules to grow uncontrollably.

Hoff et al. also established that the magnitude of the effects of each mutation on microtubule growth scale with the severity of the disorder they cause. Specifically, cells in which TUBA1A is not mutated have microtubules that grow at a normal rate, and lead to typical brain development. Meanwhile, cells carrying the mutation that turns a valine into an alanine, which is linked to the more severe condition lissencephaly, have microtubules that grow very fast. Finally, cells in which the valine is mutated to an isoleucine – the mutation associated with the less severe malformation pachygyria – have microtubules that grow at an intermediate rate.

These findings provide a link between mutations in tubulin proteins and larger effects on cell movement that lead to brain malformations. Additionally, they also link the severity of the malformation to the severity of the microtubule defect caused by each mutation. Further work could examine whether microtubule stabilization is also seen in other similar diseases, which, in the long term, could reveal ways to detect and treat these illnesses.

The Dictyostelium Centrosome

The centrosome of Dictyostelium amoebae contains no centrioles and consists of a cylindrical layered core structure surrounded by a corona harboring microtubule-nucleating γ-tubulin complexes. It is the major centrosomal model beyond animals and yeasts. Proteomics, protein interaction studies by BioID and superresolution microscopy methods led to considerable progress in our understanding of the composition, structure and function of this centrosome type. We discuss all currently known components of the Dictyostelium centrosome in comparison to other centrosomes of animals and yeasts.

Structural basis of Stu2 recruitment to yeast kinetochores

Chromosome segregation during cell division requires engagement of kinetochores of sister chromatids with microtubules emanating from opposite poles. As the corresponding microtubules shorten, these 'bioriented' sister kinetochores experience tension-dependent stabilization of microtubule attachments. The yeast XMAP215 family member and microtubule polymerase, Stu2, associates with kinetochores and contributes to tension-dependent stabilization in vitro. We show here that a C-terminal segment of Stu2 binds the four-way junction of the Ndc80 complex (Ndc80c) and that residues conserved both in yeast Stu2 orthologs and in their metazoan counterparts make specific contacts with Ndc80 and Spc24. Mutations that perturb this interaction prevent association of Stu2 with kinetochores, impair cell viability, produce biorientation defects, and delay cell cycle progression. Ectopic tethering of the mutant Stu2 species to the Ndc80c junction restores wild-type function in vivo. These findings show that the role of Stu2 in tension-sensing depends on its association with kinetochores by binding with Ndc80c.

Impact of the 'tubulin economy' on the formation and function of the microtubule cytoskeleton

The microtubule cytoskeleton is assembled from a finite pool of α,β-tubulin, the size of which is controlled by an autoregulation mechanism. Cells also tightly regulate the architecture and dynamic behavior of microtubule arrays. Here, we discuss progress in our understanding of how tubulin autoregulation is achieved and highlight work showing that tubulin, in its unassembled state, is relevant for regulating the formation and organization of microtubules. Emerging evidence suggests that tubulin regulates microtubule-associated proteins and kinesin motors that are critical for microtubule nucleation, dynamics, and function. These relationships create feedback loops that connect the tubulin assembly cycle to the organization and dynamics of microtubule networks. We term this concept the 'tubulin economy', which emphasizes the idea that tubulin is a resource that can be deployed for the immediate purpose of creating polymers, or alternatively as a signaling molecule that has more far-reaching consequences for the organization of microtubule arrays.

chTOG is a conserved mitotic error correction factor

Accurate chromosome segregation requires kinetochores on duplicated chromatids to biorient by attaching to dynamic microtubules from opposite spindle poles, which exerts forces to bring kinetochores under tension. However, kinetochores initially bind to microtubules indiscriminately, resulting in errors that must be corrected. While the Aurora B protein kinase destabilizes low-tension attachments by phosphorylating kinetochores, low-tension attachments are intrinsically less stable than those under higher tension in vitro independent of Aurora activity. Intrinsic tension-sensitive behavior requires the microtubule regulator Stu2 (budding yeast Dis1/XMAP215 ortholog), which we demonstrate here is likely a conserved function for the TOG protein family. The human TOG protein, chTOG, localizes to kinetochores independent of microtubules by interacting with Hec1. We identify a chTOG mutant that regulates microtubule dynamics but accumulates erroneous kinetochore-microtubule attachments that are not destabilized by Aurora B. Thus, TOG proteins confer a unique, intrinsic error correction activity to kinetochores that ensures accurate chromosome segregation.

The Dis1/Stu2/XMAP215 Family Gene FgStu2 Is Involved in Vegetative Growth, Morphology, Sexual and Asexual Reproduction, Pathogenicity and DON Production of Fusarium graminearum

The conserved Dis1/Stu2/XMAP215 microtubule association proteins (MAPs) family plays an important role in microtubule dynamics, nucleation, and kinetochore-microtubule attachments. However, function of Dis1/Stu2/XMAP215 homolog in plant pathogenic fungi has not been determined. Here, we identified and investigated the Dis1/Stu2/XMAP215 homolog (FGSG_10528) in Fusarium graminearum (FgStu2p). Co-localization experiment and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay demonstrated that FgStu2p is a microtubule associated protein. Besides, FgStu2 could also interact with Fgγ-tubulin and presumed FgNdc80, which suggested that the FgStu2 gene might associate with microtubule nucleation and kinetochore-microtubule attachments like Dis1/Stu2/XMAP215 homologs in other species. Moreover, the FgStu2 promoter replacement mutants (FgStu2-Si mutants) produced twisted hyphae and decreased growth rate. Microscope examination further showed that the microtubule polymerization was reduced in FgStu2-Si mutants, which could account for the aberrant morphology. Although the microtubule polymerization was affected in FgStu2-Si mutants, the FgStu2-Si mutants didn't show highly increased sensitivity to anti-microtubule fungicide carbendazim (methyl benzimidazol-2-ylcarbamate [MBC]). In addition, the FgStu2-Si mutants exhibited curved conidia, decreased number of conidial production, blocked ability of perithecia production, decreased pathogenicity and deoxynivalenol (DON) production. Taken together, these results indicate that the FgStu2 gene plays a crucial role in vegetative growth, morphology, sexual reproduction, asexual reproduction, virulence and deoxynivalenol (DON) production of F. graminearum, which brings new insights into the functions of Dis1/Stu2/XMAP215 homolog in plant pathogenic fungi.

Kinetochore-associated Stu2 promotes chromosome biorientation in vivo

Accurate segregation of chromosomes to daughter cells is a critical aspect of cell division. It requires the kinetochores on duplicated chromosomes to biorient, attaching to microtubules from opposite poles of the cell. Bioriented attachments come under tension, while incorrect attachments lack tension and must be released to allow proper attachments to form. A well-studied error correction pathway is mediated by the Aurora B kinase, which destabilizes low tension-bearing attachments. We recently discovered that in vitro, kinetochores display an additional intrinsic tension-sensing pathway that utilizes Stu2. The contribution of kinetochore-associated Stu2 to error correction in cells, however, was unknown. Here, we identify a Stu2 mutant that abolishes its kinetochore function and show that it causes biorientation defects in vivo. We also show that this Stu2-mediated pathway functions together with the Aurora B-mediated pathway. Altogether, our work indicates that cells employ multiple pathways to ensure biorientation and the accuracy of chromosome segregation.

The precise regulation of cell division is critical to processes such as self-renewal, proliferation and development. A key event in the cell cycle is the partitioning of every pair of duplicated chromosomes to daughter cells. Defects in chromosome partitioning lead to aneuploidy, a condition that is a common hallmark of cancer cells and the cause of some birth defects. Chromosomes segregate using their kinetochores, the specialized protein structures that are assembled on centromeric DNA sequences and attach to spindle microtubules. Here, we report that a protein that associates with kinetochores called Stu2 ensures that each kinetochore attaches to the proper microtubules. We identified a Stu2 mutant that does not associate with kinetochores and found that it generates aneuploidy. Together, our work identifies a previously unknown mechanism where cells ensure that chromosomes are accurately inherited during cell division.

Structural basis of tubulin recruitment and assembly by microtubule polymerases with tumor overexpressed gene (TOG) domain arrays

XMAP215/Stu2/Alp14 proteins accelerate microtubule plus-end polymerization by recruiting tubulins via arrays of tumor overexpressed gene (TOG) domains, yet their mechanism remains unknown. Here, we describe the biochemical and structural basis for TOG arrays in recruiting and polymerizing tubulins. Alp14 binds four tubulins via dimeric TOG1-TOG2 subunits, in which each domain exhibits a distinct exchange rate for tubulin. X-ray structures revealed square-shaped assemblies composed of pseudo-dimeric TOG1-TOG2 subunits assembled head-to-tail, positioning four unpolymerized tubulins in a polarized wheel-like configuration. Crosslinking and electron microscopy show Alp14-tubulin forms square assemblies in solution, and inactivating their interfaces destabilize this organization without influencing tubulin binding. An X-ray structure determined using approach to modulate tubulin polymerization revealed an unfurled assembly, in which TOG1-TOG2 uniquely bind to two polymerized tubulins. Our findings suggest a new microtubule polymerase model in which TOG arrays recruit tubulins by forming square assemblies that then unfurl, facilitating their concerted polymerization into protofilaments.

Microtubule dynamics regulation reconstituted in budding yeast lysates

Microtubules (MTs) are important for cellular structure, transport of cargoes and segregation of chromosomes and organelles during mitosis. The stochastic growth and shrinkage of MTs, known as dynamic instability, is necessary for these functions. Previous studies to determine how individual MT-associated proteins (MAPs) affect MT dynamics have been performed either through in vivo studies, which provide limited opportunity for observation of individual MTs or manipulation of conditions, or in vitro studies, which focus either on purified proteins, and therefore lack cellular complexity, or on cell extracts made from genetically intractable organisms. In order to investigate the ensemble activities of all MAPs on MT dynamics using lysates made from a genetically tractable organism, we developed a cell-free assay for budding yeast lysates using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy. Lysates were prepared from yeast strains expressing GFP-tubulin. MT polymerization from pre-assembled MT seeds adhered to a coverslip was observed in real time. Through use of cell division cycle (cdc) and MT depolymerase mutants, we found that MT polymerization and dynamic instability are dependent on the cell cycle state and the activities of specific MAPs.

The microtubule polymerase Stu2 promotes oligomerization of the γ-TuSC for cytoplasmic microtubule nucleation

Stu2/XMAP215/ZYG-9/Dis1/Alp14/Msps/ch-TOG family members in association with with γ-tubulin complexes nucleate microtubules, but we know little about the interplay of these nucleation factors. Here, we show that the budding yeast Stu2 in complex with the γ-tubulin receptor Spc72 nucleates microtubules in vitro without the small γ-tubulin complex (γ-TuSC). Upon γ-TuSC addition, Stu2 facilitates Spc72–γ-TuSC interaction by binding to Spc72 and γ-TuSC. Stu2 together with Spc72–γ-TuSC increases microtubule nucleation in a process that is dependent on the TOG domains of Stu2. Importantly, these activities are also important for microtubule nucleation in vivo. Stu2 stabilizes Spc72–γ-TuSC at the minus end of cytoplasmic microtubules (cMTs) and an in vivo assay indicates that cMT nucleation requires the TOG domains of Stu2. Upon γ-tubulin depletion, we observed efficient cMT nucleation away from the spindle pole body (SPB), which was dependent on Stu2. Thus, γ-TuSC restricts cMT assembly to the SPB whereas Stu2 nucleates cMTs together with γ-TuSC and stabilizes γ-TuSC at the cMT minus end.

The TOG protein Stu2/XMAP215 interacts covalently and noncovalently with SUMO

Stu2p is the yeast member of the XMAP215/Dis1/ch‐TOG family of microtubule‐associated proteins that promote microtubule polymerization. However, the factors that regulate its activity are not clearly understood. Here we report that Stu2p in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae interacts with SUMO by covalent and noncovalent mechanisms. Stu2p interacted by two‐hybrid analysis with the yeast SUMO Smt3p, its E2 Ubc9p, and the E3 Nfi1p. A region of Stu2p containing the dimerization domain was both necessary and sufficient for interaction with SUMO and Ubc9p. Stu2p was found to be sumoylated both in vitro and in vivo. Stu2p copurified with SUMO in a pull‐down assay and vice versa. Stu2p also bound to a nonconjugatable form of SUMO, suggesting that Stu2p can interact noncovalently with SUMO. In addition, Stu2p interacted with the STUbL enzyme Ris1p. Stu2p also copurified with ubiquitin in a pull‐down assay, suggesting that it can be modified by both SUMO and ubiquitin. Tubulin, a major binding partner of Stu2p, also interacted noncovalently with SUMO. By two‐hybrid analysis, the beta‐tubulin Tub2p interacted with SUMO independently of the microtubule stressor, benomyl. Together, these findings raise the possibility that the microtubule polymerization activities mediated by Stu2p are regulated through sumoylation pathways.

Microtubule dynamics: an interplay of biochemistry and mechanics

Microtubules are dynamic polymers of αβ-tubulin that are essential for intracellular organization, organelle trafficking and chromosome segregation. Microtubule growth and shrinkage occur via addition and loss of αβ-tubulin subunits, which are biochemical processes. Dynamic microtubules can also engage in mechanical processes, such as exerting forces by pushing or pulling against a load. Recent advances at the intersection of biochemistry and mechanics have revealed the existence of multiple conformations of αβ-tubulin subunits and their central role in dictating the mechanisms of microtubule dynamics and force generation. It has become apparent that microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) selectively target specific tubulin conformations to regulate microtubule dynamics, and mechanical forces can also influence microtubule dynamics by altering the balance of tubulin conformations. Importantly, the conformational states of tubulin dimers are likely to be coupled throughout the lattice: the conformation of one dimer can influence the conformation of its nearest neighbours, and this effect can propagate over longer distances. This coupling provides a long-range mechanism by which MAPs and forces can modulate microtubule growth and shrinkage. These findings provide evidence that the interplay between biochemistry and mechanics is essential for the cellular functions of microtubules.

Design principles of a microtubule polymerase

Stu2/XMAP215 microtubule polymerases use multiple tubulin-binding TOG domains and a lattice-binding basic region to processively promote faster elongation. How the domain composition and organization of these proteins dictate polymerase activity, end localization, and processivity is unknown. We show that polymerase activity does not require different kinds of TOGs, nor are there strict requirements for how the TOGs are linked. We identify an unexpected antagonism between the tubulin-binding TOGs and the lattice-binding basic region: lattice binding by the basic region is weak when at least two TOGs engage tubulins, strong when TOGs are empty. End-localization of Stu2 requires unpolymerized tubulin, at least two TOGs, and polymerase competence. We propose a ‘ratcheting’ model for processivity: transfer of tubulin from TOGs to the lattice activates the basic region, retaining the polymerase at the end for subsequent rounds of tubulin binding and incorporation. These results clarify design principles of the polymerase.

Stu2 uses a 15-nm parallel coiled coil for kinetochore localization and concomitant regulation of the mitotic spindle

XMAP215/Dis1 family proteins are potent microtubule polymerases, critical for mitotic spindle structure and dynamics. While microtubule polymerase activity is driven by an N-terminal tumor overexpressed gene (TOG) domain array, proper cellular localization is a requisite for full activity and is mediated by a C-terminal domain. Structural insight into the C-terminal domain's architecture and localization mechanism remain outstanding. We present the crystal structure of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Stu2 C-terminal domain, revealing a 15-nm parallel homodimeric coiled coil. The parallel architecture of the coiled coil has mechanistic implications for the arrangement of the homodimer's N-terminal TOG domains during microtubule polymerization. The coiled coil has two spatially distinct conserved regions: CRI and CRII. Mutations in CRI and CRII perturb the distribution and localization of Stu2 along the mitotic spindle and yield defects in spindle morphology including increased frequencies of mispositioned and fragmented spindles. Collectively, these data highlight roles for the Stu2 dimerization domain as a scaffold for factor binding that optimally positions Stu2 on the mitotic spindle to promote proper spindle structure and dynamics.

Anaphase A: Disassembling Microtubules Move Chromosomes toward Spindle Poles

The separation of sister chromatids during anaphase is the culmination of mitosis and one of the most strikingly beautiful examples of cellular movement. It consists of two distinct processes: Anaphase A, the movement of chromosomes toward spindle poles via shortening of the connecting fibers, and anaphase B, separation of the two poles from one another via spindle elongation. I focus here on anaphase A chromosome-to-pole movement. The chapter begins by summarizing classical observations of chromosome movements, which support the current understanding of anaphase mechanisms. Live cell fluorescence microscopy studies showed that poleward chromosome movement is associated with disassembly of the kinetochore-attached microtubule fibers that link chromosomes to poles. Microtubule-marking techniques established that kinetochore-fiber disassembly often occurs through loss of tubulin subunits from the kinetochore-attached plus ends. In addition, kinetochore-fiber disassembly in many cells occurs partly through 'flux', where the microtubules flow continuously toward the poles and tubulin subunits are lost from minus ends. Molecular mechanistic models for how load-bearing attachments are maintained to disassembling microtubule ends, and how the forces are generated to drive these disassembly-coupled movements, are discussed.

Microtubule-associated proteins, Bik1 and Bim1, are required for faithful partitioning of the endogenous 2 micron plasmids in budding yeast

The 2 μ plasmid of budding yeast shows high mitotic stability similar to that of chromosomes by using its self-encoded systems, namely partitioning and amplification. The partitioning system consists of the plasmid-borne proteins Rep1, Rep2 and a cis-acting locus STB that, along with several host factors, ensures efficient segregation of the plasmid. The plasmids show high stability as they presumably co-segregate with chromosomes through utilization of various host factors. To acquire these host factors, the plasmids are thought to localize to a certain sub-nuclear locale probably assisted by the motor protein, Kip1 and microtubules. Here, we show that the microtubule-associated proteins Bik1 and Bim1 are also important host factors in this process, perhaps by acting as an adapter between the plasmid and the motor and thus helping to anchor the plasmid to microtubules. Abrogation of Kip1 recruitment at STB in the absence of Bik1 argues for its function at STB upstream of Kip1. Consistent with this, both Bik1 and Bim1 associate with plasmids without any assistance from the Rep proteins. As observed earlier with other host factors, lack of Bik1 or Bim1 also causes a cohesion defect between sister plasmids leading to plasmid missegregation.

Regulation of Microtubule Growth and Catastrophe: Unifying Theory and Experiment

Recent studies have found that microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) can regulate the dynamical properties of microtubules in unexpected ways. For most MAPs, there is an inverse relationship between their effects on the speed of growth and the frequency of catastrophe, the conversion of a growing microtubule to a shrinking one. Such a negative correlation is predicted by the standard GTP-cap model, which posits that catastrophe is due to loss of a stabilizing cap of GTP-tubulin at the end of a growing microtubule. However, many other MAPs, notably Kinesin-4 and combinations of EB1 with XMAP215, contradict this general rule. In this review, we show that a more nuanced, but still simple, GTP-cap model, can account for the diverse regulatory activities of MAPs.

A TOG Protein Confers Tension Sensitivity to Kinetochore-Microtubule Attachments

The development and survival of all organisms depends on equal partitioning of their genomes during cell division. Accurate chromosome segregation requires selective stabilization of kinetochore-microtubule attachments that come under tension due to opposing pulling forces exerted on sister kinetochores by dynamic microtubule tips. Here, we show that the XMAP215 family member, Stu2, makes a major contribution to kinetochore-microtubule coupling. Stu2 and its human ortholog, ch-TOG, exhibit a conserved interaction with the Ndc80 kinetochore complex that strengthens its attachment to microtubule tips. Strikingly, Stu2 can either stabilize or destabilize kinetochore attachments, depending on the level of kinetochore tension and whether the microtubule tip is assembling or disassembling. These dichotomous effects of Stu2 are independent of its previously studied regulation of microtubule dynamics. Altogether, our results demonstrate how a kinetochore-associated factor can confer opposing, tension-dependent effects to selectively stabilize tension-bearing attachments, providing mechanistic insight into the basis for accuracy during chromosome segregation.

A mutation uncouples the tubulin conformational and GTPase cycles, revealing allosteric control of microtubule dynamics

Microtubule dynamic instability depends on the GTPase activity of the polymerizing αβ-tubulin subunits, which cycle through at least three distinct conformations as they move into and out of microtubules. How this conformational cycle contributes to microtubule growing, shrinking, and switching remains unknown. Here, we report that a buried mutation in αβ-tubulin yields microtubules with dramatically reduced shrinking rate and catastrophe frequency. The mutation causes these effects by suppressing a conformational change that normally occurs in response to GTP hydrolysis in the lattice, without detectably changing the conformation of unpolymerized αβ-tubulin. Thus, the mutation weakens the coupling between the conformational and GTPase cycles of αβ-tubulin. By showing that the mutation predominantly affects post-GTPase conformational and dynamic properties of microtubules, our data reveal that the strength of the allosteric response to GDP in the lattice dictates the frequency of catastrophe and the severity of rapid shrinking.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10113.001

Protein filaments called microtubules help move cargo around inside cells. Chromosomes, which contain the cell’s genetic blueprints, are the microtubule’s most precious cargo. Before a cell divides, microtubules grow from the ends of the dividing cell towards the middle, where they attach to the chromosomes that are lined up along the centerline. Then the microtubules shrink and drag the chromosomes back to the opposite ends of the cell. This allows each of the new cells to get one copy of each chromosome.

When the microtubules are growing, a molecule called guanosine triphosphate (or GTP) is attached to the proteins at the end of the filament. This acts like a cap and protects the microtubule from shrinking. Later a chemical reaction converts GTP into GDP (short for guanosine diphosphate). Without the protective GTP cap, the microtubule quickly shrinks. At the same time, the proteins that make up the microtubule also change shape. In the microtubule, the proteins adopt a straight shape when GTP is attached. The proteins favor a different shape in the microtubule when GDP is attached. However, it is unclear if or how these shape changes contribute to how a microtubule grows or shrinks.

Geyer et al. now show how this shape shifting can influence microtubule shrinking, by first identifying a mutation in yeast microtubule proteins that cause the proteins to remain straight even when GDP is attached. Next, powerful microscopes were used to make time-lapse videos of the mutated microtubules. This allowed Geyer et al. to observe how the mutated microtubules behaved and compare this to the behavior of normal microtubules.

The experiments revealed that the mutated microtubules were less likely to begin shrinking than typical microtubules. The mutated microtubules also shrunk more slowly. These findings indicate that the shape changes control the speed of shrinking and frequency of entering the shrinking phase. These new details about the control of microtubule growth and shrinkage may help scientists studying how cell division happens in both healthy and cancerous cells.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10113.002

A sensitised RNAi screen reveals a ch-TOG genetic interaction network required for spindle assembly

How multiple spindle assembly pathways are integrated to drive bipolar spindle assembly is poorly understood. We performed an image-based double RNAi screen to identify genes encoding Microtubule-Associated Proteins (MAPs) that interact with the highly conserved ch-TOG gene to regulate bipolar spindle assembly in human cells. We identified a ch-TOG centred network of genetic interactions which promotes ensures centrosome-mediated microtubule polymerisation, leading to the incorporation of microtubules polymerised by all pathways into a bipolar structure. Our genetic screen also reveals that ch-TOG maintains a dynamic microtubule population, in part, through modulating HSET activity. ch-TOG ensures that spindle assembly is robust to perturbation but sufficiently dynamic such that spindles can explore a diverse shape space in search of structures that can align chromosomes.

Drosophila melanogaster mini spindles TOG3 utilizes unique structural elements to promote domain stability and maintain a TOG1- and TOG2-like tubulin-binding surface

Microtubule-associated proteins regulate microtubule (MT) dynamics spatially and temporally, which is essential for proper formation of the bipolar mitotic spindle. The XMAP215 family is comprised of conserved microtubule-associated proteins that use an array of tubulin-binding tumor overexpressed gene (TOG) domains, consisting of six (A-F) Huntingtin, elongation factor 3, protein phosphatase 2A, target of rapamycin (HEAT) repeats, to robustly increase MT plus-end polymerization rates. Recent work showed that TOG domains have differentially conserved architectures across the array, with implications for position-dependent TOG domain tubulin binding activities and function within the XMAP215 MT polymerization mechanism. Although TOG domains 1, 2, and 4 are well described, structural and mechanistic information characterizing TOG domains 3 and 5 is outstanding. Here, we present the structure and characterization of Drosophila melanogaster Mini spindles (Msps) TOG3. Msps TOG3 has two unique features as follows: the first is a C-terminal tail that stabilizes the ultimate four HEAT repeats (HRs), and the second is a unique architecture in HR B. Structural alignments of TOG3 with other TOG domain structures show that the architecture of TOG3 is most similar to TOG domains 1 and 2 and diverges from TOG4. Docking TOG3 onto recently solved Stu2 TOG1· and TOG2·tubulin complex structures suggests that TOG3 uses similarly conserved tubulin-binding intra-HEAT loop residues to engage α- and β-tubulin. This indicates that TOG3 has maintained a TOG1- and TOG2-like TOG-tubulin binding mode despite structural divergence. The similarity of TOG domains 1-3 and the divergence of TOG4 suggest that a TOG domain array with polarized structural diversity may play a key mechanistic role in XMAP215-dependent MT polymerization activity.

A flipped ion pair at the dynein-microtubule interface is critical for dynein motility and ATPase activation

Dynein is a motor protein that moves on microtubules (MTs) using the energy of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis. To understand its motility mechanism, it is crucial to know how the signal of MT binding is transmitted to the ATPase domain to enhance ATP hydrolysis. However, the molecular basis of signal transmission at the dynein-MT interface remains unclear. Scanning mutagenesis of tubulin identified two residues in α-tubulin, R403 and E416, that are critical for ATPase activation and directional movement of dynein. Electron cryomicroscopy and biochemical analyses revealed that these residues form salt bridges with the residues in the dynein MT-binding domain (MTBD) that work in concert to induce registry change in the stalk coiled coil and activate the ATPase. The R403-E3390 salt bridge functions as a switch for this mechanism because of its reversed charge relative to other residues at the interface. This study unveils the structural basis for coupling between MT binding and ATPase activation and implicates the MTBD in the control of directional movement.

The contribution of αβ-tubulin curvature to microtubule dynamics

Microtubules are dynamic polymers of αβ-tubulin that form diverse cellular structures, such as the mitotic spindle for cell division, the backbone of neurons, and axonemes. To control the architecture of microtubule networks, microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) and motor proteins regulate microtubule growth, shrinkage, and the transitions between these states. Recent evidence shows that many MAPs exert their effects by selectively binding to distinct conformations of polymerized or unpolymerized αβ-tubulin. The ability of αβ-tubulin to adopt distinct conformations contributes to the intrinsic polymerization dynamics of microtubules. αβ-Tubulin conformation is a fundamental property that MAPs monitor and control to build proper microtubule networks.

Microtubule plus-end tracking proteins and their roles in cell division

Microtubules are cellular components that are required for a variety of essential processes such as cell motility, mitosis, and intracellular transport. This is possible because of the inherent dynamic properties of microtubules. Many of these properties are tightly regulated by a number of microtubule plus-end-binding proteins or +TIPs. These proteins recognize the distal end of microtubules and are thus in the right context to control microtubule dynamics. In this review, we address how microtubule dynamics are regulated by different +TIP families, focusing on how functionally diverse +TIPs spatially and temporally regulate microtubule dynamics during animal cell division.

A tethered delivery mechanism explains the catalytic action of a microtubule polymerase

Stu2p/XMAP215 proteins are essential microtubule polymerases that use multiple αβ-tubulin-interacting TOG domains to bind microtubule plus ends and catalyze fast microtubule growth. We report here the structure of the TOG2 domain from Stu2p bound to yeast αβ-tubulin. Like TOG1, TOG2 binds selectively to a fully 'curved' conformation of αβ-tubulin, incompatible with a microtubule lattice. We also show that TOG1-TOG2 binds non-cooperatively to two αβ-tubulins. Preferential interactions between TOGs and fully curved αβ-tubulin that cannot exist elsewhere in the microtubule explain how these polymerases localize to the extreme microtubule end. We propose that these polymerases promote elongation because their linked TOG domains concentrate unpolymerized αβ-tubulin near curved subunits already bound at the microtubule end. This tethering model can explain catalyst-like behavior and also predicts that the polymerase action changes the configuration of the microtubule end.

Assembling the protein architecture of the budding yeast kinetochore-microtubule attachment using FRET

BACKGROUND

The kinetochore is a multiprotein machine that couples chromosome movement to microtubule (MT) polymerization and depolymerization. It uses numerous copies of at least three MT-binding proteins to generate bidirectional movement. The nanoscale organization of these proteins within the kinetochore plays an important role in shaping the mechanisms that drive persistent, bidirectional movement of the kinetochore.

RESULTS

We used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between genetically encoded fluorescent proteins fused to kinetochore subunits to reconstruct the nanoscale organization of the budding yeast kinetochore. We performed >60 FRET and high-resolution colocalization measurements involving the essential MT-binding kinetochore components: Ndc80, Dam1, Spc105, and Stu2. These measurements reveal that neighboring Ndc80 complexes within the kinetochore are narrowly distributed along the length of the MT. Dam1 complex molecules are concentrated near the MT-binding domains of Ndc80. Stu2 localizes in high abundance within a narrowly defined territory within the kinetochore centered ∼20 nm on the centromeric side of the Dam1 complex.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show that the MT attachment site of the budding yeast kinetochore is well organized. Ndc80, Dam1, and Stu2 are all narrowly distributed about their average positions along the kinetochore-MT axis. The relative organization of these components, their narrow distributions, and their known MT-binding properties together elucidate how their combined actions generate persistent, bidirectional kinetochore movement coupled to MT polymerization and depolymerization.

The composition, functions, and regulation of the budding yeast kinetochore

The propagation of all organisms depends on the accurate and orderly segregation of chromosomes in mitosis and meiosis. Budding yeast has long served as an outstanding model organism to identify the components and underlying mechanisms that regulate chromosome segregation. This review focuses on the kinetochore, the macromolecular protein complex that assembles on centromeric chromatin and maintains persistent load-bearing attachments to the dynamic tips of spindle microtubules. The kinetochore also serves as a regulatory hub for the spindle checkpoint, ensuring that cell cycle progression is coupled to the achievement of proper microtubule-kinetochore attachments. Progress in understanding the composition and overall architecture of the kinetochore, as well as its properties in making and regulating microtubule attachments and the spindle checkpoint, is discussed.

S. cerevisiae chromosomes biorient via gradual resolution of syntely between S phase and anaphase

Following DNA replication, eukaryotic cells must biorient all sister chromatids prior to cohesion cleavage at anaphase. In animal cells, sister chromatids gradually biorient during prometaphase, but current models of mitosis in S. cerevisiae assume that biorientation is established shortly after S phase. This assumption is based on the observation of a bilobed distribution of yeast kinetochores early in mitosis and suggests fundamental differences between yeast mitosis and mitosis in animal cells. By applying super-resolution imaging methods, we show that yeast and animal cells share the key property of gradual and stochastic chromosome biorientation. The characteristic bilobed distribution of yeast kinetochores, hitherto considered synonymous for biorientation, arises from kinetochores in mixed attachment states to microtubules, the length of which discriminates bioriented from syntelic attachments. Our results offer a revised view of mitotic progression in S. cerevisiae that augments the relevance of mechanistic information obtained in this powerful genetic system for mammalian mitosis.

The growth speed of microtubules with XMAP215-coated beads coupled to their ends is increased by tensile force

The generation of pulling and pushing forces is one of the important functions of microtubules, which are dynamic and polarized structures. The ends of dynamic microtubules are able to form relatively stable links to cellular structures, so that when a microtubule grows it can exert a pushing force and when it shrinks it can exert a pulling force. Microtubule growth and shrinkage are tightly regulated by microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) that bind to microtubule ends. Given their localization, MAPs may be exposed to compressive and tensile forces. The effect of such forces on MAP function, however, is poorly understood. Here we show that beads coated with the microtubule polymerizing protein XMAP215, the Xenopus homolog of Dis1 and chTOG, are able to link stably to the plus ends of microtubules, even when the ends are growing or shrinking; at growing ends, the beads increase the polymerization rate. Using optical tweezers, we found that tensile force further increased the microtubule polymerization rate. These results show that physical forces can regulate the activity of MAPs. Furthermore, our results show that XMAP215 can be used as a handle to sense and mechanically manipulate the dynamics of the microtubule tip.

Coordination of chromatid separation and spindle elongation by antagonistic activities of mitotic and S-phase CDKs

Because cohesion prevents sister-chromatid separation and spindle elongation, cohesion dissolution may trigger these two events simultaneously. However, the relatively normal spindle elongation kinetics in yeast cohesin mutants indicates an additional mechanism for the temporal control of spindle elongation. Here we show evidence indicating that S-phase CDK (cyclin dependent kinase) negatively regulates spindle elongation. In contrast, mitotic CDK promotes spindle elongation by activating Cdc14 phosphatase, which reverses the protein phosphorylation imposed by S-phase CDK. Our data suggest that S-phase CDK negatively regulates spindle elongation partly through its phosphorylation of a spindle pole body (SPB) protein Spc110. We also show that hyperactive S-phase CDK compromises the microtubule localization of Stu2, a processive microtubule polymerase essential for spindle elongation. Strikingly, we found that hyperactive mitotic CDK induces uncoupled spindle elongation and sister-chromatid separation in securin mutants (pds1Δ), and we speculate that asynchronous chromosome segregation in pds1Δ cells contributes to this phenotype. Therefore, the tight temporal control of spindle elongation and cohesin cleavage assure orchestrated chromosome separation and spindle elongation.

A TOG:αβ-tubulin complex structure reveals conformation-based mechanisms for a microtubule polymerase

Stu2p/XMAP215/Dis1 family proteins are evolutionarily conserved regulatory factors that use αβ-tubulin-interacting tumor overexpressed gene (TOG) domains to catalyze fast microtubule growth. Catalysis requires that these polymerases discriminate between unpolymerized and polymerized forms of αβ-tubulin, but the mechanism by which they do so has remained unclear. Here, we report the structure of the TOG1 domain from Stu2p bound to yeast αβ-tubulin. TOG1 binds αβ-tubulin in a way that excludes equivalent binding of a second TOG domain. Furthermore, TOG1 preferentially binds a curved conformation of αβ-tubulin that cannot be incorporated into microtubules, contacting α- and β-tubulin surfaces that do not participate in microtubule assembly. Conformation-selective interactions with αβ-tubulin explain how TOG-containing polymerases discriminate between unpolymerized and polymerized forms of αβ-tubulin and how they selectively recognize the growing end of the microtubule.

The N-terminal TOG domain of Arabidopsis MOR1 modulates affinity for microtubule polymers

Microtubule-associated proteins of the highly conserved XMAP215/Dis1 family promote both microtubule growth and shrinkage, and move with the dynamic microtubule ends. The plant homologue, MOR1, is predicted to form a long linear molecule with five N-terminal TOG domains. Within the first (TOG1) domain, the mor1-1 leucine to phenylalanine (L174F) substitution causes temperature-dependent disorganization of microtubule arrays and reduces microtubule growth and shrinkage rates. By expressing the two N-terminal TOG domains (TOG12) of MOR1, both in planta for analysis in living cells and in bacteria for in vitro microtubule-binding and polymerization assays, we determined that the N-terminal domain of MOR1 is crucial for microtubule polymer binding. Tagging TOG12 at the N-terminus interfered with its ability to bind microtubules when stably expressed in Arabidopsis or when transiently overexpressed in leek epidermal cells, and impeded polymerase activity in vitro. In contrast, TOG12 tagged at the C-terminus interacted with microtubules in vivo, rescued the temperature-sensitive mor1-1 phenotype, and promoted microtubule polymerization in vitro. TOG12 constructs containing the L174F mor1-1 point mutation caused microtubule disruption when transiently overexpressed in leek epidermis and increased the affinity of TOG12 for microtubules in vitro. This suggests that the mor1-1 mutant protein makes microtubules less dynamic by binding the microtubule lattice too strongly to support rapid plus-end tracking. We conclude from our results that a balanced microtubule affinity in the N-terminal TOG domain is crucial for the polymerase activity of MOR1.

Kinetochore-dependent microtubule rescue ensures their efficient and sustained interactions in early mitosis

How kinetochores regulate microtubule dynamics to ensure proper kinetochore-microtubule interactions is unknown. Here, we studied this during early mitosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When a microtubule shrinks and its plus end reaches a kinetochore bound to its lateral surface, the microtubule end attempts to tether the kinetochore. This process often fails and, responding to this failure, microtubule rescue (conversion from shrinkage to growth) occurs, preventing kinetochore detachment from the microtubule end. This rescue is promoted by Stu2 transfer (ortholog of vertebrate XMAP215/ch-TOG) from the kinetochore to the microtubule end. Meanwhile, microtubule rescue distal to the kinetochore is also promoted by Stu2, which is transported by a kinesin-8 motor Kip3 along the microtubule from the kinetochore. Microtubule extension following rescue facilitates interaction with other widely scattered kinetochores, diminishing long delays in collecting the complete set of kinetochores by microtubules. Thus, kinetochore-dependent microtubule rescue ensures efficient and sustained kinetochore-microtubule interactions in early mitosis.

Regulation of microtubule dynamics by TOG-domain proteins XMAP215/Dis1 and CLASP

The molecular mechanisms by which microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) regulate the dynamic properties of microtubules (MTs) are still poorly understood. We review recent advances in our understanding of two conserved families of MAPs, the XMAP215/Dis1 and CLASP family of proteins. In vivo and in vitro studies show that XMAP215 proteins act as microtubule polymerases at MT plus ends to accelerate MT assembly, and CLASP proteins promote MT rescue and suppress MT catastrophe events. These are structurally related proteins that use conserved TOG domains to recruit tubulin dimers to MTs. We discuss models for how these proteins might use these individual tubulin dimers to regulate dynamic behavior of MT plus ends.

XMAP215 polymerase activity is built by combining multiple tubulin-binding TOG domains and a basic lattice-binding region

XMAP215/Dis1 family proteins positively regulate microtubule growth. Repeats at their N termini, called TOG domains, are important for this function. While TOG domains directly bind tubulin dimers, it is unclear how this interaction translates to polymerase activity. Understanding the functional roles of TOG domains is further complicated by the fact that the number of these domains present in the proteins of different species varies. Here, we take advantage of a recent crystal structure of the third TOG domain from Caenorhabditis elegans, Zyg9, and mutate key residues in each TOG domain of XMAP215 that are predicted to be important for interaction with the tubulin heterodimer. We determined the contributions of the individual TOG domains to microtubule growth. We show that the TOG domains are absolutely required to bind free tubulin and that the domains differentially contribute to XMAP215's overall affinity for free tubulin. The mutants' overall affinity for free tubulin correlates well with polymerase activity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that an additional basic region is important for targeting to the microtubule lattice and is critical for XMAP215 to function at physiological concentrations. Using this information, we have engineered a "bonsai" protein, with two TOG domains and a basic region, that has almost full polymerase activity.

Activity of a C-terminal plant homeodomain (PHD) of Msc1 is essential for function

Msc1, a member of the Jarid1 family of putative histone demethylases, is required for chromosome stability in fission yeast. Msc1 associates with the Swr1 complex that facilitates deposition of histone H2A.Z into chromatin. To assess the function of Msc1 in the Swr1 complex, domains of Msc1 necessary for interaction with Swr1 were identified. The C-terminal plant homeodomain (PHD) 2 and PHD3 of Msc1 are sufficient to confer association with Swr1 and allow Msc1 to function in the context of kinetochore mutants. On the other hand, a mutant with a single amino acid substitution in PHD2 within the full-length Msc1 protein retains the ability to bind to Swr1 but eliminates the function of Msc1 in combination with kinetochore mutants. Thus, Swr1 association is critical but not sufficient for Msc1 function. An activity of Msc1 that depends on the cysteine residue within PHD2 of Msc1 is likewise critical for function. On the basis of our observation that the PHDs of Msc1 act as E3 ubiquitin ligases and that mutations of cysteine residues within those domains abolish ligase activity, we speculate that the ability of Msc1 to facilitate ubiquitin transfer is critical for the function it mediates through its association with Swr1.

Structural mutants of the spindle pole body cause distinct alteration of cytoplasmic microtubules and nuclear dynamics in multinucleated hyphae

To determine how microtubule (MT) nucleation and nuclear migration are controlled in multinucleated hyphae we deleted genes encoding MTOC subunits and AgStu2. The novel phenotypes we observed in these mutants compared with analogous deletions in budding yeast allowed us to assign functions to the two types of cMTs that we observe in A. gossypii.

In the multinucleate fungus Ashbya gossypii, cytoplasmic microtubules (cMTs) emerge from the spindle pole body outer plaque (OP) in perpendicular and tangential directions. To elucidate the role of cMTs in forward/backward movements (oscillations) and bypassing of nuclei, we constructed mutants potentially affecting cMT nucleation or stability. Hyphae lacking the OP components AgSpc72, AgNud1, AgCnm67, or the microtubule-stabilizing factor AgStu2 grew like wild- type but showed substantial alterations in the number, length, and/or nucleation sites of cMTs. These mutants differently influenced nuclear oscillation and bypassing. In Agspc72Δ, only long cMTs were observed, which emanate tangentially from reduced OPs; nuclei mainly moved with the cytoplasmic stream but some performed rapid bypassing. Agnud1Δ and Agcnm67Δ lack OPs; short and long cMTs emerged from the spindle pole body bridge/half-bridge structures, explaining nuclear oscillation and bypassing in these mutants. In Agstu2Δ only very short cMTs emanated from structurally intact OPs; all nuclei moved with the cytoplasmic stream. Therefore, long tangential cMTs promote nuclear bypassing and short cMTs are important for nuclear oscillation. Our electron microscopy ultrastructural analysis also indicated that assembly of the OP occurs in a stepwise manner, starting with AgCnm67, followed by AgNud1 and lastly AgSpc72.

Roles for the conserved spc105p/kre28p complex in kinetochore-microtubule binding and the spindle assembly checkpoint

BACKGROUND

Kinetochores attach sister chromatids to microtubules of the mitotic spindle and orchestrate chromosome disjunction at anaphase. Although S. cerevisiae has the simplest known kinetochores, they nonetheless contain approximately 70 subunits that assemble on centromeric DNA in a hierarchical manner. Developing an accurate picture of the DNA-binding, linker and microtubule-binding layers of kinetochores, including the functions of individual proteins in these layers, is a key challenge in the field of yeast chromosome segregation. Moreover, comparison of orthologous proteins in yeast and humans promises to extend insight obtained from the study of simple fungal kinetochores to complex animal cell kinetochores.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

We show that S. cerevisiae Spc105p forms a heterotrimeric complex with Kre28p, the likely orthologue of the metazoan kinetochore protein Zwint-1. Through systematic analysis of interdependencies among kinetochore complexes, focused on Spc105p/Kre28p, we develop a comprehensive picture of the assembly hierarchy of budding yeast kinetochores. We find Spc105p/Kre28p to comprise the third linker complex that, along with the Ndc80 and MIND linker complexes, is responsible for bridging between centromeric heterochromatin and kinetochore MAPs and motors. Like the Ndc80 complex, Spc105p/Kre28p is also essential for kinetochore binding by components of the spindle assembly checkpoint. Moreover, these functions are conserved in human cells.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

Spc105p/Kre28p is the last of the core linker complexes to be analyzed in yeast and we show it to be required for kinetochore binding by a discrete subset of kMAPs (Bim1p, Bik1p, Slk19p) and motors (Cin8p, Kar3p), all of which are nonessential. Strikingly, dissociation of these proteins from kinetochores prevents bipolar attachment, even though the Ndc80 and DASH complexes, the two best-studied kMAPs, are still present. The failure of Spc105 deficient kinetochores to bind correctly to spindle microtubules and to recruit checkpoint proteins in yeast and human cells explains the observed severity of missegregation phenotypes.

TOGp regulates microtubule assembly and density during mitosis and contributes to chromosome directional instability

TOGp, a member of the XMAP215 MAP family, is required for bipolar mitotic spindle assembly. To understand how TOGp contributes to spindle assembly, we examined microtubule dynamics after depleting TOGp by siRNA. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching of GFP-tubulin demonstrated that spindle microtubule turnover is slowed two-fold in the absence of TOGp. Consistent with photobleaching results, microtubule regrowth after washout of the microtubule depolymerizing drug nocodazole was slower at the centrosomes and in the vicinity of mitotic chromatin in cells depleted of TOGp. The slower microtubule turnover is likely due to either nucleation or the transitions of dynamic instability because TOGp depletion did not effect the rate of plus end growth, measured by tracking EB1-GFP at microtubule ends. In contrast, microtubule regrowth after nocodazole washout was unaffected by prior depletion of TACC3, a centrosomal protein that interacts with TOGp. Kinetochore fibers in both untreated and TOGp-depleted cells were stable to incubation at 4 degrees C or lysis in buffer containing calcium indicating that stable kinetochore-microtubule attachments are formed in the absence of TOGp. Depletion of TOGp, but not TACC3, reduced kinetochore oscillations during prometaphase/metaphase. Defects in oscillations are not due simply to multipolarity or loss of centrosome focus in the TOGp-depleted cells, since kinetochore oscillations appear normal in cells treated with the proteosome inhibitor MG132, which also results in multipolar spindles and centrosome fragmentation. We hypothesize that TOGp is required for chromosome motility as a downstream consequence of reduced microtubule dynamics and/or density. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2009. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

HIV-1 integrase trafficking in S. cerevisiae: a useful model to dissect the microtubule network involvement of viral protein nuclear import

Intracellular transport of karyophilic cargos comprises translocation to the nuclear envelope and subsequent nuclear import. Small cargos such as isolated proteins can reach the nuclear envelope by diffusion but movement of larger structures depends on active translocation, typically using microtubules. Centripetal transport ends at the perinuclear microtubule organizing centre called the spindle pole body (SPB) in yeast. Previously, we found by two hybrids that the karyophilic lentiviral-encoded integrase (IN) interacts with two yeast microtubule-associated proteins, Dyn2p (dynein light chain protein) and Stu2p, a centrosomal protein (de Soultrait et al., 2002). Thus, to investigate the hinge between cytoplasmic retrograde transport and nuclear import, we decided to analyse HIV-1 IN trafficking in yeast as the model, since each of these biological mechanisms is evolutionarily conserved in eukaryotic cells. Here, we found an accumulation of IN at the SPB in yeast via Stu2p colocalization. Disruption of the microtubule network by nocodazole or IN expression in a dynein 2-deficient yeast strain prevented IN accumulation in the nuclear periphery and additionally inhibited IN transport into the nucleus. By mutagenesis, we showed that trafficking of IN towards the SPB requires the C-terminus of the molecule. Taking our findings together, we proposed a model in which IN nuclear import seems to depend on an essential intermediate step in the SPB. We found that Dyn2p and Stu2p play an important role in driving IN toward MTOC and could optimize nuclear entry of the retroviral enzyme. Our results suggest a new hypothesis in keeping with the current HIV-1 intracellular trafficking model.

Evaluating the microtubule cytoskeleton and its interacting proteins in monocots by mining the rice genome

BACKGROUND

Microtubules (MTs) are assembled by heterodimers of alpha- and beta-tubulins, which provide tracks for directional transport and frameworks for the spindle apparatus and the phragmoplast. MT nucleation and dynamics are regulated by components such as the gamma-tubulin complex which are conserved among eukaryotes, and other components which are unique to plants. Following remarkable progress made in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana toward revealing key components regulating MT activities, the completed rice (Oryza sativa) genome has prompted a survey of the MT cytoskeleton in this important crop as a model for monocots.

SCOPE

The rice genome contains three alpha-tubulin genes, eight beta-tubulin genes and a single gamma-tubulin gene. A functional gamma-tubulin ring complex is expected to form in rice as genes encoding all components of the complex are present. Among proteins that interact with MTs, compared with A. thaliana, rice has more genes encoding some members such as the MAP65/Ase1p/PRC1 family, but fewer for the motor kinesins, the end-binding protein EB1 and the mitotic kinase Aurora. Although most known MT-interacting factors have apparent orthologues in rice, no orthologues of arabidopsis RIC1 and MAP18 have been identified in rice. Among all proteins surveyed here, only a few have had their functions characterized by genetic means in rice. Elucidating functions of proteins of the rice MT cytoskeleton, aided by recent technical advances made in this model monocot, will greatly advance our knowledge of how monocots employ their MTs to regulate their growth and form.