Polo-like kinase is required for Golgi and bilobe biogenesis in Trypanosoma brucei

WDR2 regulates the orphan kinesin KIN-G to promote hook complex and Golgi biogenesis in Trypanosoma brucei

The flagellum in Trypanosoma brucei plays crucial roles in cell locomotion, cell morphogenesis, and cell division, and its inheritance depends on the faithful duplication of multiple flagellum-associated structures. One of such cytoskeletal structures is a hairpin-like structure termed the hook complex composed of a fishhook-like structure and a centrin arm structure, whose cellular functions remain poorly understood. We recently identified KIN-G, an orphan kinesin that promotes hook complex and Golgi biogenesis. Here we report a WD40 repeats-containing protein named WDR2, which interacts with and regulates KIN-G. WDR2 co-localizes with KIN-G at the centrin arm, and knockdown of WDR2 disrupts hook complex integrity and morphology, inhibits flagellum attachment zone elongation and flagellum positioning, and eventually arrests cytokinesis. Knockdown of WDR2 also disrupts the maturation of the centrin arm-associated Golgi, thereby impairing Golgi biogenesis. WDR2 interacts with KIN-G via its N-terminal unknown motifs, the middle domain containing a coiled coil and a PB1 motif, and the C-terminal WD40 domain, and targets KIN-G to its subcellular location. These results uncover a regulatory role for WDR2 in recruiting KIN-G to regulate hook complex and Golgi biogenesis, thereby impacting flagellum inheritance and cell division plane positioning.

An orphan kinesin in Trypanosoma brucei regulates hook complex assembly and Golgi biogenesis

Kinesins are microtubule-based motor proteins that play diverse cellular functions by regulating microtubule dynamics and intracellular transport in eukaryotes. The early branching kinetoplastid protozoan Trypanosoma brucei has an expanded repertoire of kinetoplastid-specific kinesins and orphan kinesins, many of which have unknown functions. We report here the identification of an orphan kinesin named KIN-G that plays an essential role in maintaining hook complex integrity and promoting Golgi biogenesis in T. brucei. KIN-G localizes to the distal portion of the centrin arm of the flagellum-associated hook complex through association with the centrin arm protein TbCentrin4. Knockdown of KIN-G in T. brucei disrupts the integrity of the hook complex by reducing the length of the centrin arm and eliminating the shank part of the hook complex, thereby impairing flagellum attachment zone elongation and flagellum positioning, which leads to unequal cytokinesis. KIN-G associates with Golgi through a centrin arm-localized Golgi peripheral protein named CAAP1, which maintains Golgi-centrin arm association to facilitate Golgi biogenesis. Knockdown of KIN-G impairs Golgi biogenesis by disrupting CAAP1 at the centrin arm, thereby impairing the maturation of centrin arm-associated Golgi. In vitro microtubule gliding assays demonstrate that KIN-G is a plus end-directed motor protein, and its motor activity is required for hook complex assembly and Golgi biogenesis. Together, these results identify a kinesin motor protein for promoting hook complex assembly and uncover a control mechanism for Golgi biogenesis through KIN-G-mediated maintenance of Golgi-hook complex association.IMPORTANCETrypanosoma brucei has a motile flagellum, which controls cell motility, cell morphogenesis, cell division, and cell-cell communication, and a set of cytoskeletal structures, including the hook complex and the centrin arm, associates with the flagellum. Despite the essentiality of these flagellum-associated cytoskeletal structures, their mechanistic roles and the function of their associated proteins remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the orphan kinesin KIN-G functions to promote the biogenesis of the hook complex and the Golgi apparatus. KIN-G exerts this function by mediating the association between centrin arm and Golgi through the centrin arm protein TbCentrin4 and a novel Golgi scaffold protein named CAAP1, thereby bridging the two structures and maintaining their close association to facilitate the assembly of the two structures. These findings uncover the essential involvement of a kinesin motor protein in regulating the biogenesis of the hook complex and the Golgi in trypanosomes.

Distinguishing functions of trypanosomatid protein kinases

Trypanosomatid parasitic protozoa are divergent from opisthokont models and have evolved unique mechanisms to regulate their complex life cycles and to adapt to a range of hosts. Understanding how these organisms respond, adapt, and persist in their different hosts could reveal optimal drug-control strategies. Protein kinases are fundamental to many biological processes such as cell cycle control, adaptation to stress, and cellular differentiation. Therefore, we have focused this review on the features and functions of protein kinases that distinguish trypanosomatid kinomes from other eukaryotes. We describe the latest research, highlighting similarities and differences between two groups of trypanosomatid parasites, Leishmania and African trypanosomes.

Revealing spatio-temporal dynamics with long-term trypanosomatid live-cell imaging

Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis, is highly motile and must be able to move in all three dimensions for reliable cell division. These characteristics make long-term microscopic imaging of live T. brucei cells challenging, which has limited our understanding of important cellular events. To address this issue, we devised an imaging approach that confines cells in small volumes within cast agarose microwells that can be imaged continuously for up to 24 h. Individual T. brucei cells were imaged through multiple rounds of cell division with high spatial and temporal resolution. We developed a strategy that employs in-well “sentinel” cells to monitor potential imaging toxicity during loss-of-function experiments such as small-molecule inhibition and RNAi. Using our approach, we show that the asymmetric daughter cells produced during T. brucei division subsequently divide at different rates, with the old-flagellum daughter cell dividing first. The flagellar detachment phenotype that appears during inhibition of the Polo-like kinase homolog TbPLK occurs in a stepwise fashion, with the new flagellum initially linked by its tip to the old, attached flagellum. We probe the feasibility of a previously proposed “back-up” cytokinetic mechanism and show that cells that initiate this process do not appear to complete cell division. This live-cell imaging method will provide a novel avenue for studying a wide variety of cellular events in trypanosomatids that have previously been inaccessible.

Bhalin, an Essential Cytoskeleton-Associated Protein of Trypanosoma brucei Linking TbBILBO1 of the Flagellar Pocket Collar with the Hook Complex

Background: In most trypanosomes, endo and exocytosis only occur at a unique organelle called the flagellar pocket (FP) and the flagellum exits the cell via the FP. Investigations of essential cytoskeleton-associated structures located at this site have revealed a number of essential proteins. The protein TbBILBO1 is located at the neck of the FP in a structure called the flagellar pocket collar (FPC) and is essential for biogenesis of the FPC and parasite survival. TbMORN1 is a protein that is present on a closely linked structure called the hook complex (HC) and is located anterior to and overlapping the collar. TbMORN1 is essential in the bloodstream form of T. brucei. We now describe the location and function of BHALIN, an essential, new FPC-HC protein. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we show that a newly characterised protein, BHALIN (BILBO1 Hook Associated LINker protein), is localised to both the FPC and HC and has a TbBILBO1 binding domain, which was confirmed in vitro. Knockdown of BHALIN by RNAi in the bloodstream form parasites led to cell death, indicating an essential role in cell viability. Conclusions/Significance: Our results demonstrate the essential role of a newly characterised hook complex protein, BHALIN, that influences flagellar pocket organisation and function in bloodstream form T. brucei parasites.

Alternate histories of cytokinesis: lessons from the trypanosomatids

Popular culture has recently produced several “alternate histories” that describe worlds where key historical events had different outcomes. Beyond entertainment, asking “could this have happened a different way?” and “what would the consequences be?” are valuable approaches for exploring molecular mechanisms in many areas of research, including cell biology. Analogous to alternate histories, studying how the evolutionary trajectories of related organisms have been selected to provide a range of outcomes can tell us about the plasticity and potential contained within the genome of the ancestral cell. Among eukaryotes, a group of model organisms has been employed with great success to identify a core, conserved framework of proteins that segregate the duplicated cellular organelles into two daughter cells during cell division, a process known as cytokinesis. However, these organisms provide relatively sparse sampling across the broad evolutionary distances that exist, which has limited our understanding of the true potential of the ancestral eukaryotic toolkit. Recent work on the trypanosomatids, a group of eukaryotic parasites, exemplifies alternate historical routes for cytokinesis that illustrate the range of eukaryotic diversity, especially among unicellular organisms.

The kinetoplastid-specific phosphatase KPP1 attenuates PLK activity to facilitate flagellum inheritance in Trypanosoma brucei

Trypanosoma brucei, an important human parasite, has a flagellum that controls cell motility, morphogenesis, proliferation, and cell-cell communication. Inheritance of the newly assembled flagellum during the cell cycle requires the Polo-like kinase homolog TbPLK and the kinetoplastid-specific protein phosphatase KPP1, although whether TbPLK acts on KPP1 or vice versa has been unclear. Here, we showed that dephosphorylation of TbPLK on Thr¹²⁵ by KPP1 maintained low TbPLK activity in the flagellum-associated hook complex structure, thereby ensuring proper flagellum positioning and attachment. This dephosphorylation event required the recognition of phosphorylated Thr¹⁹⁸ in the activation loop of TbPLK by the N-terminal Plus3 domain of KPP1 and the dephosphorylation of phosphorylated Thr¹²⁵ in TbPLK by the C-terminal catalytic domain of KPP1. Dephosphorylation of TbPLK by KPP1 prevented hyperphosphorylation of the hook complex protein TbCentrin2, thereby allowing timely dephosphorylation of phosphorylated TbCentrin2 for hook complex duplication and flagellum positioning and attachment. Thus, KPP1 attenuates TbPLK activity by dephosphorylating TbPLK to facilitate flagellum inheritance.

Polo-like kinase in trypanosomes: an odd member out of the Polo family

Polo-like kinases (Plks) are evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine protein kinases playing crucial roles during multiple stages of mitosis and cytokinesis in yeast and animals. Plks are characterized by a unique Polo-box domain, which plays regulatory roles in controlling Plk activation, interacting with substrates and targeting Plk to specific subcellular locations. Plk activity and protein abundance are subject to temporal and spatial control through transcription, phosphorylation and proteolysis. In the early branching protists, Plk orthologues are present in some taxa, such as kinetoplastids and Giardia, but are lost in apicomplexans, such as Plasmodium. Works from characterizing a Plk orthologue in Trypanosoma brucei, a kinetoplastid protozoan, discover its essential roles in regulating the inheritance of flagellum-associated cytoskeleton and the initiation of cytokinesis, but not any stage of mitosis. These studies reveal evolutionarily conserved and species-specific features in the control of Plk activation, substrate recognition and protein abundance, and suggest the divergence of Plk function and regulation for specialized needs in this flagellated unicellular eukaryote.

Maintenance of hook complex integrity and centrin arm assembly facilitates flagellum inheritance in Trypanosoma brucei

Inheritance of the newly assembled flagellum in the human parasite Trypanosoma brucei depends on the faithful duplication and segregation of multiple flagellum-associated cytoskeletal structures, including the hook complex and its associated centrin arm. The biological functions of this unique hook complex-centrin arm assembly remain poorly understood. Here, we report a hook complex-associated protein named BOH2 that plays an essential role in promoting flagellum inheritance. BOH2 localizes to the hooked part of the hook complex by bridging the hook complex, the centrin arm, and the flagellum attachment zone filament. Depletion of BOH2 caused the loss of the shank part of the hook complex and its associated protein TbSmee1, disrupted the assembly of the centrin arm and the recruitment of centrin arm-associated protein CAAP1, inhibited the assembly of the flagellum attachment zone, and caused flagellum mispositioning and detachment. These results demonstrate crucial roles of BOH2 in maintaining hook complex integrity and promoting centrin arm formation and suggest that proper assembly of the hook complex-centrin arm structure facilitates flagellum inheritance.

Trypanosomes have divergent kinesin-2 proteins that function differentially in flagellum biosynthesis and cell viability

Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness, has a flagellum that is crucial for motility, pathogenicity, and viability. In most eukaryotes, the intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery drives flagellum biogenesis, and anterograde IFT requires kinesin-2 motor proteins. In this study, we investigated the function of the two T. brucei kinesin-2 proteins, TbKin2a and TbKin2b, in bloodstream form trypanosomes. We found that, compared to kinesin-2 proteins across other phyla, TbKin2a and TbKin2b show greater variation in neck, stalk and tail domain sequences. Both kinesins contributed additively to flagellar lengthening. Silencing TbKin2a inhibited cell proliferation, cytokinesis and motility, whereas silencing TbKin2b did not. TbKin2a was localized on the flagellum and colocalized with IFT components near the basal body, consistent with it performing a role in IFT. TbKin2a was also detected on the flagellar attachment zone, a specialized structure that connects the flagellum to the cell body. Our results indicate that kinesin-2 proteins in trypanosomes play conserved roles in flagellar biosynthesis and exhibit a specialized localization, emphasizing the evolutionary flexibility of motor protein function in an organism with a large complement of kinesins.

Organising the cell cycle in the absence of transcriptional control: Dynamic phosphorylation co-ordinates the Trypanosoma brucei cell cycle post-transcriptionally

The cell division cycle of the unicellular eukaryote Trypanosome brucei is tightly regulated despite the paucity of transcriptional control that results from the arrangement of genes in polycistronic units and lack of dynamically regulated transcription factors. To identify the contribution of dynamic phosphorylation to T. brucei cell cycle control we have combined cell cycle synchronisation by centrifugal elutriation with quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis. Cell cycle regulated changes in phosphorylation site abundance (917 sites, average 5-fold change) were more widespread and of a larger magnitude than changes in protein abundance (443 proteins, average 2-fold change) and were mostly independent of each other. Hierarchical clustering of co-regulated phosphorylation sites according to their cell cycle profile revealed that a bulk increase in phosphorylation occurs across the cell cycle, with a significant enrichment of known cell cycle regulators and RNA binding proteins (RBPs) within the largest clusters. Cell cycle regulated changes in essential cell cycle kinases are temporally co-ordinated with differential phosphorylation of components of the kinetochore and eukaryotic initiation factors, along with many RBPs not previously linked to the cell cycle such as eight PSP1-C terminal domain containing proteins. The temporal profiles demonstrate the importance of dynamic phosphorylation in co-ordinating progression through the cell cycle, and provide evidence that RBPs play a central role in post-transcriptional regulation of the T. brucei cell cycle. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD013488.

Who Needs a Contractile Actomyosin Ring? The Plethora of Alternative Ways to Divide a Protozoan Parasite

Cytokinesis, or the division of the cytoplasm, following the end of mitosis or meiosis, is accomplished in animal cells, fungi, and amoebae, by the constriction of an actomyosin contractile ring, comprising filamentous actin, myosin II, and associated proteins. However, despite this being the best-studied mode of cytokinesis, it is restricted to the Opisthokonta and Amoebozoa, since members of other evolutionary supergroups lack myosin II and must, therefore, employ different mechanisms. In particular, parasitic protozoa, many of which cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans and animals as well as considerable economic losses, employ a wide diversity of mechanisms to divide, few, if any, of which involve myosin II. In some cases, cell division is not only myosin II-independent, but actin-independent too. Mechanisms employed range from primitive mechanical cell rupture (cytofission), to motility- and/or microtubule remodeling-dependent mechanisms, to budding involving the constriction of divergent contractile rings, to hijacking host cell division machinery, with some species able to utilize multiple mechanisms. Here, I review current knowledge of cytokinesis mechanisms and their molecular control in mammalian-infective parasitic protozoa from the Excavata, Alveolata, and Amoebozoa supergroups, highlighting their often-underappreciated diversity and complexity. Billions of people and animals across the world are at risk from these pathogens, for which vaccines and/or optimal treatments are often not available. Exploiting the divergent cell division machinery in these parasites may provide new avenues for the treatment of protozoal disease.

The trypanosome-specific proteins FPRC and CIF4 regulate cytokinesis initiation by recruiting CIF1 to the cytokinesis initiation site

The evolutionarily early divergent human parasite Trypanosoma brucei proliferates through binary cell fission in both its tsetse fly vector and mammalian host. The parasite divides unidirectionally along the longitudinal cell axis from the anterior cell tip toward the posterior cell tip through a mechanism distinct from that in the cells of its human host. Initiation of cytokinesis in T. brucei is regulated by two evolutionarily conserved protein kinases, the Polo-like kinase TbPLK and the Aurora B kinase TbAUK1, and a cohort of trypanosome-specific proteins, including the three cytokinesis initiation factors CIF1, CIF2, and CIF3. Here, using RNAi, in situ epitope tagging of proteins, GST pulldown, and coimmunoprecipitation assays, and immunofluorescence and scanning electron microscopy analyses, we report the identification and functional characterization of two trypanosome-specific proteins, flagellum attachment zone tip-localizing protein required for cytokinesis (FPRC) and CIF4. We found that the two proteins colocalize to the distal tips of the new and the old flagellum attachment zones and are required for cytokinesis initiation. Knockdown of FPRC or CIF4 disrupted the localization of CIF1, suggesting that they function upstream of CIF1. Moreover, depletion of CIF4 abolished FPRC localization, indicating that CIF4 acts upstream of FPRC. Together, these results identify two new cytokinesis regulators in T. brucei and integrate them into the CIF1-mediated cytokinesis regulatory pathway. These findings highlight the existence of a cytokinesis pathway in T. brucei that is different from that of its mammalian host and therefore suggest that cytokinesis in T. brucei could potentially be exploited as a new drug target.

The CIF1 protein is a master orchestrator of trypanosome cytokinesis that recruits several cytokinesis regulators to the cytokinesis initiation site

To proliferate, the parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei undergoes binary fission in a unidirectional manner along the cell's longitudinal axis from the cell anterior toward the cell posterior. This unusual mode of cell division is controlled by a regulatory pathway composed of two evolutionarily conserved protein kinases, Polo-like kinase and Aurora B kinase, and three trypanosome-specific proteins, CIF1, CIF2, and CIF3, which act in concert at the cytokinesis initiation site located at the distal tip of the newly assembled flagellum attachment zone (FAZ). However, additional regulators that function in this cytokinesis signaling cascade remain to be identified and characterized. Using proximity biotinylation, co-immunofluorescence microscopy, and co-immunoprecipitation, we identified 52 CIF1-associated proteins and validated six CIF1-interacting proteins, including the putative protein phosphatase KPP1, the katanin p80 subunit KAT80, the cleavage furrow-localized proteins KLIF and FRW1, and the FAZ tip-localized proteins FAZ20 and FPRC. Further analyses of the functional interplay between CIF1 and its associated proteins revealed a requirement of CIF1 for localization of a set of CIF1-associated proteins, an interdependence between KPP1 and CIF1, and an essential role of katanin in the completion of cleavage furrow ingression. Together, these results suggest that CIF1 acts as a master regulator of cytokinesis in T. brucei by recruiting a cohort of cytokinesis regulatory proteins to the cytokinesis initiation site.

Identification of TOEFAZ1-interacting proteins reveals key regulators of Trypanosoma brucei cytokinesis

The protist parasite Trypanosoma brucei is an obligate extracellular pathogen that retains its highly polarized morphology during cell division and has evolved a novel cytokinetic process independent of non-muscle myosin II. The polo-like kinase homolog TbPLK is essential for transmission of cell polarity during division and for cytokinesis. We previously identified a putative TbPLK substrate named Tip of the Extending FAZ 1 (TOEFAZ1) as an essential kinetoplastid-specific component of the T. brucei cytokinetic machinery. We performed a proximity-dependent biotinylation identification (BioID) screen using TOEFAZ1 as a means to identify additional proteins that are involved in cytokinesis. Using quantitative proteomic methods, we identified nearly 500 TOEFAZ1-proximal proteins and characterized 59 in further detail. Among the candidates, we identified an essential putative phosphatase that regulates the expression level and localization of both TOEFAZ1 and TbPLK, a previously uncharacterized protein that is necessary for the assembly of a new cell posterior, and a microtubule plus-end directed orphan kinesin that is required for completing cleavage furrow ingression. The identification of these proteins provides new insight into T. brucei cytokinesis and establishes TOEFAZ1 as a key component of this essential and uniquely configured process in kinetoplastids.

Flagellum inheritance in Trypanosoma brucei requires a kinetoplastid-specific protein phosphatase

Trypanosoma brucei causes sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle in sub-Saharan Africa and alternates between its mammalian hosts and its insect vector, the tsetse fly. T. brucei uses a flagellum for motility, cell division, and cell-cell communication. Proper positioning and attachment of the newly assembled flagellum rely on the faithful duplication and segregation of flagellum-associated cytoskeletal structures. These processes are regulated by the polo-like kinase homolog TbPLK, whose activity and abundance are under stringent control to ensure spatiotemporally regulated phosphorylation of its substrates. However, it remains unclear whether a protein phosphatase that counteracts TbPLK activity is also involved in this regulation. Here, we report that a putative kinetoplastid-specific protein phosphatase, named KPP1, has essential roles in regulating flagellum positioning and attachment in T. brucei KPP1 localized to multiple flagellum-associated cytoskeletal structures and co-localized with TbPLK in several cytoskeletal structures at different cell-cycle stages. KPP1 depletion abolished basal body segregation, inhibited the duplication of the centrin arm and the hook complex of the bilobe structure, and disrupted the elongation of the flagellum attachment zone, leading to flagellum misplacement and detachment and cytokinesis arrest. Importantly, KPP1-depleted cells lacked dephosphorylation of TbCentrin2, a TbPLK substrate, at late cell-cycle stages. Together, these results suggest that KPP1-mediated protein dephosphorylation regulates the duplication and segregation of flagellum-associated cytoskeletal structures, thereby promoting flagellum positioning and attachment. These findings highlight the requirement of reversible protein phosphorylation, mediated by TbPLK and KPP1, in regulating flagellum inheritance in T. brucei.

TbSmee1 regulates hook complex morphology and the rate of flagellar pocket uptake in Trypanosoma brucei

Trypanosoma brucei uses multiple mechanisms to evade detection by its insect and mammalian hosts. The flagellar pocket (FP) is the exclusive site of uptake from the environment in trypanosomes and shields receptors from exposure to the host. The FP neck is tightly associated with the flagellum via a series of cytoskeletal structures that include the hook complex (HC) and the centrin arm. These structures are implicated in facilitating macromolecule entry into the FP and nucleating the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ), which adheres the flagellum to the cell surface. TbSmee1 (Tb927.10.8820) is a component of the HC and a putative substrate of polo-like kinase (TbPLK), which is essential for centrin arm and FAZ duplication. We show that depletion of TbSmee1 in the insect-resident (procyclic) form of the parasite causes a 40% growth decrease and the appearance of multinucleated cells that result from defective cytokinesis. Cells lacking TbSmee1 contain HCs with aberrant morphology and show delayed uptake of both fluid-phase and membrane markers. TbPLK localization to the tip of the new FAZ is also blocked. These results argue that TbSmee1 is necessary for maintaining HC morphology, which is important for the parasite's ability to take up molecules from its environment.

Interaction between the flagellar pocket collar and the hook complex via a novel microtubule-binding protein in Trypanosoma brucei

Trypanosoma brucei belongs to a group of unicellular, flagellated parasites that are responsible for human African trypanosomiasis. An essential aspect of parasite pathogenicity is cytoskeleton remodelling, which occurs during the life cycle of the parasite and is accompanied by major changes in morphology and organelle positioning. The flagellum originates from the basal bodies and exits the cell body through the flagellar pocket (FP) but remains attached to the cell body via the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ). The FP is an invagination of the pellicular membrane and is the sole site for endo- and exocytosis. The FAZ is a large complex of cytoskeletal proteins, plus an intracellular set of four specialised microtubules (MtQ) that elongate from the basal bodies to the anterior end of the cell. At the distal end of the FP, an essential, intracellular, cytoskeletal structure called the flagellar pocket collar (FPC) circumvents the flagellum. Overlapping the FPC is the hook complex (HC) (a sub-structure of the previously named bilobe) that is also essential and is thought to be involved in protein FP entry. BILBO1 is the only functionally characterised FPC protein and is necessary for FPC and FP biogenesis. Here, we used a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches to identify and characterize a new BILBO1 partner protein-FPC4. We demonstrate that FPC4 localises to the FPC, the HC, and possibly to a proximal portion of the MtQ. We found that the C-terminal domain of FPC4 interacts with the BILBO1 N-terminal domain, and we identified the key amino acids required for this interaction. Interestingly, the FPC4 N-terminal domain was found to bind microtubules. Over-expression studies highlight the role of FPC4 in its association with the FPC, HC and FPC segregation. Our data suggest a tripartite association between the FPC, the HC and the MtQ.

A functional analysis of TOEFAZ1 uncovers protein domains essential for cytokinesis in Trypanosoma brucei

The parasite Trypanosoma brucei is highly polarized, including a flagellum that is attached along the cell surface by the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ). During cell division, the new FAZ positions the cleavage furrow, which ingresses from the anterior tip of the cell towards the posterior. We recently identified TOEFAZ1 (for 'Tip of the Extending FAZ protein 1') as an essential protein in trypanosome cytokinesis. Here, we analyzed the localization and function of TOEFAZ1 domains by performing overexpression and RNAi complementation experiments. TOEFAZ1 comprises three domains with separable functions: an N-terminal α-helical domain that may be involved in FAZ recruitment, a central intrinsically disordered domain that keeps the morphogenic kinase TbPLK at the new FAZ tip, and a C-terminal zinc finger domain necessary for TOEFAZ1 oligomerization. Both the N-terminal and C-terminal domains are essential for TOEFAZ1 function, but TbPLK retention at the FAZ is not necessary for cytokinesis. The feasibility of alternative cytokinetic pathways that do not employ TOEFAZ1 are also assessed. Our results show that TOEFAZ1 is a multimeric scaffold for recruiting proteins that control the timing and location of cleavage furrow ingression.

Myosin-independent cytokinesis in Giardia utilizes flagella to coordinate force generation and direct membrane trafficking

Devoid of all known canonical actin-binding proteins, the prevalent parasite Giardia lamblia uses an alternative mechanism for cytokinesis. Unique aspects of this mechanism can potentially be leveraged for therapeutic development. Here, live-cell imaging methods were developed for Giardia to establish division kinetics and the core division machinery. Surprisingly, Giardia cytokinesis occurred with a median time that is ∼60 times faster than mammalian cells. In contrast to cells that use a contractile ring, actin was not concentrated in the furrow and was not directly required for furrow progression. Live-cell imaging and morpholino depletion of axonemal Paralyzed Flagella 16 indicated that flagella-based forces initiated daughter cell separation and provided a source for membrane tension. Inhibition of membrane partitioning blocked furrow progression, indicating a requirement for membrane trafficking to support furrow advancement. Rab11 was found to load onto the intracytoplasmic axonemes late in mitosis and to accumulate near the ends of nascent axonemes. These developing axonemes were positioned to coordinate trafficking into the furrow and mark the center of the cell in lieu of a midbody/phragmoplast. We show that flagella motility, Rab11, and actin coordination are necessary for proper abscission. Organisms representing three of the five eukaryotic supergroups lack myosin II of the actomyosin contractile ring. These results support an emerging view that flagella play a central role in cell division among protists that lack myosin II and additionally implicate the broad use of membrane tension as a mechanism to drive abscission.

CRL4WDR1 Controls Polo-like Kinase Protein Abundance to Promote Bilobe Duplication, Basal Body Segregation and Flagellum Attachment in Trypanosoma brucei

The Polo-like kinase homolog in Trypanosoma brucei, TbPLK, plays essential roles in basal body segregation, flagellum attachment and cytokinesis. The level of TbPLK protein is tightly controlled, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report a Cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase composed of Cullin4, the DNA damage-binding protein 1 homolog TbDDB1 and a WD40-repeat protein WDR1 that controls TbPLK abundance in the basal body and the bilobe. WDR1, through its C-terminal domain, interacts with the PEST motif in TbPLK and, through its N-terminal WD40 motif, binds to TbDDB1. Depletion of WDR1 inhibits bilobe duplication and basal body segregation, disrupts the assembly of the new flagellum attachment zone filament and detaches the new flagellum. Consistent with its role in TbPLK degradation, depletion of WDR1 causes excessive accumulation of TbPLK in the basal body and the bilobe, leading to continuous phosphorylation of TbCentrin2 in the bilobe at late cell cycle stages. Together, these results identify a novel WD40-repeat protein as a TbPLK receptor in the Cullin4-DDB1 ubiquitin ligase complex for degrading TbPLK in the basal body and the bilobe after the G1/S cell cycle transition, thereby promoting bilobe duplication, basal body separation and flagellum-cell body adhesion.

A unified approach towards Trypanosoma brucei functional genomics using Gibson assembly

Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis and nagana in cattle. Recent advances in high throughput phenotypic and interaction screens have identified a wealth of novel candidate proteins for diverse functions such as drug resistance, life cycle progression, and cytoskeletal biogenesis. Characterization of these proteins will allow a more mechanistic understanding of the biology of this important pathogen and could identify novel drug targets. However, methods for rapidly validating and prioritizing these potential targets are still being developed. While gene tagging via homologous recombination and RNA interference are available in T. brucei, a general strategy for creating the most effective constructs for these approaches is lacking. Here, we adapt Gibson assembly, a one-step isothermal process that rapidly assembles multiple DNA segments in a single reaction, to create endogenous tagging, overexpression, and long hairpin RNAi constructs that are compatible with well-established T. brucei vectors. The generality of the Gibson approach has several advantages over current methodologies and substantially increases the speed and ease with which these constructs can be assembled.

An EF-hand-containing Protein in Trypanosoma brucei Regulates Cytokinesis Initiation by Maintaining the Stability of the Cytokinesis Initiation Factor CIF1

Trypanosoma brucei undergoes cytokinesis uni-directionally from the anterior tip of the new flagellum attachment zone (FAZ) toward the posterior end of the cell. We recently delineated a novel signaling pathway composed of polo-like kinase, cytokinesis initiation factor 1 (CIF1), and aurora B kinase that acts in concert at the new FAZ tip to regulate cytokinesis initiation. To identify new cytokinesis regulators, we carried out proximity-dependent biotin identification and identified many CIF1 binding partners and near neighbors. Here we report a novel CIF1-binding protein, named CIF2, and its mechanistic role in cytokinesis initiation. CIF2 interacts with CIF1 in vivo and co-localizes with CIF1 at the new FAZ tip during early cell cycle stages. RNAi of CIF2 inhibited the normal, anterior-to-posterior cytokinesis but activated an alternative, posterior-to-anterior cytokinesis. CIF2 depletion destabilized CIF1 and disrupted the localization of polo-like kinase and aurora B kinase to the new FAZ tip, thus revealing the mechanistic role of CIF2 in cytokinesis initiation. Surprisingly, overexpression of CIF2 also inhibited the normal, anterior-to-posterior cytokinesis and triggered the alternative, posterior-to-anterior cytokinesis, suggesting a tight control of CIF2 protein abundance. These results identified a new regulator in the cytokinesis regulatory pathway and reiterated that a backup cytokinesis pathway is activated by inhibiting the normal cytokinesis pathway.

The Trypanosome Flagellar Pocket Collar and Its Ring Forming Protein-TbBILBO1

Sub-species of Trypanosoma brucei are the causal agents of human African sleeping sickness and Nagana in domesticated livestock. These pathogens have developed an organelle-like compartment called the flagellar pocket (FP). The FP carries out endo- and exocytosis and is the only structure this parasite has evolved to do so. The FP is essential for parasite viability, making it an interesting structure to evaluate as a drug target, especially since it has an indispensible cytoskeleton component called the flagellar pocket collar (FPC). The FPC is located at the neck of the FP where the flagellum exits the cell. The FPC has a complex architecture and division cycle, but little is known concerning its organization. Recent work has focused on understanding how the FP and the FPC are formed and as a result of these studies an important calcium-binding, polymer-forming protein named TbBILBO1 was identified. Cellular biology analysis of TbBILBO1 has demonstrated its uniqueness as a FPC component and until recently, it was unknown what structural role it played in forming the FPC. This review summarizes the recent data on the polymer forming properties of TbBILBO1 and how these are correlated to the FP cytoskeleton.

Two distinct cytokinesis pathways drive trypanosome cell division initiation from opposite cell ends

Cytokinesis in Trypanosoma brucei, an early branching protozoan, occurs along its longitudinal axis uni-directionally from the anterior tip of the new flagellum attachment zone filament toward the cell's posterior end. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we report that cytokinesis in T. brucei is regulated by a concerted action of Polo-like kinase, Aurora B kinase, and a trypanosome-specific protein CIF1. Phosphorylation of CIF1 by Polo-like kinase targets it to the anterior tip of the new flagellum attachment zone filament, where it subsequently recruits Aurora B kinase to initiate cytokinesis. Consistent with its role, CIF1 depletion inhibits cytokinesis initiation from the anterior end of the cell, but, surprisingly, triggers cytokinesis initiation from the posterior end of the cell, suggesting the activation of an alternative cytokinesis from the opposite cell end. Our results reveal the mechanistic roles of CIF1 and Polo-like kinase in cytokinesis initiation and elucidate the mechanism underlying the recruitment of Aurora B kinase to the cytokinesis initiation site at late anaphase. These findings also delineate a signaling cascade controlling cytokinesis initiation from the anterior end of the cell and uncover a backup cytokinesis that is initiated from the posterior end of the cell when the typical anterior-to-posterior cytokinesis is compromised.

Form, Fabric, and Function of a Flagellum-Associated Cytoskeletal Structure

Trypanosoma brucei is a uniflagellated protist and the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease. The single flagellum of T. brucei is essential to a number of cellular processes such as motility, and has been a longstanding focus of scientific enquiry. A number of cytoskeletal structures are associated with the flagellum in T. brucei, and one such structure—a multiprotein complex containing the repeat motif protein TbMORN1—is the focus of this review. The TbMORN1-containing complex, which was discovered less than ten years ago, is essential for the viability of the mammalian-infective form of T. brucei. The complex has an unusual asymmetric morphology, and is coiled around the flagellum to form a hook shape. Proteomic analysis using the proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID) technique has elucidated a number of its components. Recent work has uncovered a role for TbMORN1 in facilitating protein entry into the cell, thus providing a link between the cytoskeleton and the endomembrane system. This review summarises the extant data on the complex, highlights the outstanding questions for future enquiry, and provides speculation as to its possible role in a size-exclusion mechanism for regulating protein entry. The review additionally clarifies the nomenclature associated with this topic, and proposes the adoption of the term “hook complex” to replace the former name “bilobe” to describe the complex.

SAS-4 Protein in Trypanosoma brucei Controls Life Cycle Transitions by Modulating the Length of the Flagellum Attachment Zone Filament

The evolutionarily conserved centriole/basal body protein SAS-4 regulates centriole duplication in metazoa and basal body duplication in flagellated and ciliated organisms. Here, we report that the SAS-4 homolog in the flagellated protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, TbSAS-4, plays an unusual role in controlling life cycle transitions by regulating the length of the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ) filament, a specialized cytoskeletal structure required for flagellum adhesion and cell morphogenesis. TbSAS-4 is concentrated at the distal tip of the FAZ filament, and depletion of TbSAS-4 in the trypomastigote form disrupts the elongation of the new FAZ filament, generating cells with a shorter FAZ associated with a longer unattached flagellum and repositioned kinetoplast and basal body, reminiscent of epimastigote-like morphology. Further, we show that TbSAS-4 associates with six additional FAZ tip proteins, and depletion of TbSAS-4 disrupts the enrichment of these FAZ tip proteins at the new FAZ tip, suggesting a role of TbSAS-4 in maintaining the integrity of this FAZ tip protein complex. Together, these results uncover a novel function of TbSAS-4 in regulating the length of the FAZ filament to control basal body positioning and life cycle transitions in T. brucei.

A Novel Basal Body Protein That Is a Polo-like Kinase Substrate Is Required for Basal Body Segregation and Flagellum Adhesion in Trypanosoma brucei

The Polo-like kinase (PLK) in Trypanosoma brucei plays multiple roles in basal body segregation, flagellum attachment, and cytokinesis. However, the mechanistic role of TbPLK remains elusive, mainly because most of its substrates are not known. Here, we report a new substrate of TbPLK, SPBB1, and its essential roles in T. brucei. SPBB1 was identified through yeast two-hybrid screening with the kinase-dead TbPLK as the bait. It interacts with TbPLK in vitro and in vivo, and is phosphorylated by TbPLK in vitro. SPBB1 localizes to both the mature basal body and the probasal body throughout the cell cycle, and co-localizes with TbPLK at the basal body during early cell cycle stages. RNAi against SPBB1 in procyclic trypanosomes inhibited basal body segregation, disrupted the new flagellum attachment zone filament, detached the new flagellum, and caused defective cytokinesis. Moreover, RNAi of SPBB1 confined TbPLK at the basal body and the bilobe structure, resulting in constitutive phosphorylation of TbCentrin2 at the bilobe. Altogether, these results identified a basal body protein as a TbPLK substrate and its essential role in promoting basal body segregation and flagellum attachment zone filament assembly for flagellum adhesion and cytokinesis initiation.

Proteomic identification of novel cytoskeletal proteins associated with TbPLK, an essential regulator of cell morphogenesis in Trypanosoma brucei

Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African sleeping sickness, a devastating disease endemic to sub-Saharan Africa with few effective treatment options. The parasite is highly polarized, including a single flagellum that is nucleated at the posterior of the cell and adhered along the cell surface. These features are essential and must be transmitted to the daughter cells during division. Recently we identified the T. brucei homologue of polo-like kinase (TbPLK) as an essential morphogenic regulator. In the present work, we conduct proteomic screens to identify potential TbPLK binding partners and substrates to better understand the molecular mechanisms of kinase function. These screens identify a cohort of proteins, most of which are completely uncharacterized, which localize to key cytoskeletal organelles involved in establishing cell morphology, including the flagella connector, flagellum attachment zone, and bilobe structure. Depletion of these proteins causes substantial changes in cell division, including mispositioning of the kinetoplast, loss of flagellar connection, and prevention of cytokinesis. The proteins identified in these screens provide the foundation for establishing the molecular networks through which TbPLK directs cell morphogenesis in T. brucei.

The Centriole Cartwheel Protein SAS-6 in Trypanosoma brucei Is Required for Probasal Body Biogenesis and Flagellum Assembly

The centriole in eukaryotes functions as the cell's microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) to nucleate spindle assembly, and its biogenesis requires an evolutionarily conserved protein, SAS-6, which assembles the centriole cartwheel. Trypanosoma brucei, an early branching protozoan, possesses the basal body as its MTOC to nucleate flagellum biogenesis. However, little is known about the components of the basal body and their roles in basal body biogenesis and flagellum assembly. Here, we report that the T. brucei SAS-6 homolog, TbSAS-6, is localized to the mature basal body and the probasal body throughout the cell cycle. RNA interference (RNAi) of TbSAS-6 inhibited probasal body biogenesis, compromised flagellum assembly, and caused cytokinesis arrest. Surprisingly, overexpression of TbSAS-6 in T. brucei also impaired probasal body duplication and flagellum assembly, contrary to SAS-6 overexpression in humans, which produces supernumerary centrioles. Furthermore, we showed that depletion of T. brucei Polo-like kinase, TbPLK, or inhibition of TbPLK activity did not abolish TbSAS-6 localization to the basal body, in contrast to the essential role of Polo-like kinase in recruiting SAS-6 to centrioles in animals. Altogether, these results identified the essential role of TbSAS-6 in probasal body biogenesis and flagellum assembly and suggest the presence of a TbPLK-independent pathway governing basal body duplication in T. brucei.

Proteomic analyses of a bi-lobed structure in Trypanosoma brucei

The position and function of the Golgi apparatus are tightly coupled with the microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) that play important roles in cell growth and polarity. In the unicellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the single Golgi apparatus is adjacent to a novel, bilobed structure located at the proximal base of the flagellum, near to the basal body that nucleates the flagellar axoneme. The duplication and segregation of the bilobed structure are tightly coupled to the duplication and segregation of Golgi, ER exit site, basal bodies, and flagellum, suggesting a role of this unique structure in the precise positioning, biogenesis, and inheritance of these single-copied structures during the cell cycle of procyclic T. brucei. Here, we describe in details two different isolation and proteomic methods to characterize the protein components present on or associated with the bilobed structure, which allow further understanding of its function and association with other membranous and cytoskeletal organelles in the parasite.

New insights into the molecular mechanisms of mitosis and cytokinesis in trypanosomes

Trypanosoma brucei, a unicellular eukaryote and the causative agent of human sleeping sickness, possesses multiple single-copy organelles that all need to be duplicated and segregated during cell division. Trypanosomes undergo a closed mitosis in which the mitotic spindle is anchored on the nuclear envelope and connects the kinetochores made of novel protein components. Cytokinesis in trypanosomes is initiated from the anterior tip of the new flagellum attachment zone, and proceeds along the longitudinal axis without the involvement of the actomyosin contractile ring, the well-recognized cytokinesis machinery conserved from yeast to humans. Trypanosome appears to employ both evolutionarily conserved and trypanosome-specific proteins to regulate its cell cycle, and has evolved certain cell cycle regulatory pathways that are either distinct between its life cycle stages or different from its human host. Understanding the mechanisms of mitosis and cytokinesis in trypanosomes not only would shed novel light on the evolution of cell cycle control, but also could provide new drug targets for chemotherapy.

The Aurora B kinase in Trypanosoma brucei undergoes post-translational modifications and is targeted to various subcellular locations through binding to TbCPC1

The chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) in animals, consisting of Aurora B kinase and three evolutionarily conserved proteins, plays crucial roles in mitosis and cytokinesis. However, Trypanosoma brucei expresses an unusual CPC consisting of an Aurora-like kinase, TbAUK1, and two kinetoplastid-specific proteins, TbCPC1 and TbCPC2. Despite their essential functions, little is known about the regulation of TbAUK1 and the roles of TbCPC1 and TbCPC2. Here, we investigate the effect of post-translational modification on the activity and spatiotemporal control of TbAUK1, and demonstrate that phosphorylation of two conserved threonine residues in the activation loop of the kinase domain contributes to TbAUK1 activation and function. TbAUK1 is SUMOylated in vivo, and mutation of the SUMO-conjugation site compromises TbAUK1 function. Degradation of TbAUK1 requires two destruction boxes and is mediated by the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), whereas degradation of TbCPC1 and TbCPC2 is not dependent on the predicted destruction boxes and is APC/C-independent. Moreover, we determine the domains in CPC subunits that mediate the pairwise interactions, and show that disruption of the interaction impairs the localization of TbAUK1 and TbCPC2 but not TbCPC1. Our results demonstrate the requirement of post-translational modifications for TbAUK1 function and a crucial role of TbCPC1 in mediating TbAUK1 localization.

Distinct roles of a mitogen-activated protein kinase in cytokinesis between different life cycle forms of Trypanosoma brucei

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) modules are evolutionarily conserved signaling cascades that function in response to the environment and play crucial roles in intracellular signal transduction in eukaryotes. The involvement of a MAP kinase in regulating cytokinesis in yeast, animals, and plants has been reported, but the requirement for a MAP kinase for cytokinesis in the early-branching protozoa is not documented. Here, we show that a MAP kinase homolog (TbMAPK6) from Trypanosoma brucei plays distinct roles in cytokinesis in two life cycle forms of T. brucei. TbMAPK6 is distributed throughout the cytosol in the procyclic form but is localized in both the cytosol and the nucleus in the bloodstream form. RNA interference (RNAi) of TbMAPK6 results in moderate growth inhibition in the procyclic form but severe growth defects and rapid cell death in the bloodstream form. Moreover, TbMAPK6 appears to be implicated in furrow ingression and cytokinesis completion in the procyclic form but is essential for cytokinesis initiation in the bloodstream form. Despite the distinct defects in cytokinesis in the two forms, RNAi of TbMAPK6 also caused defective basal body duplication/segregation in a small cell population in both life cycle forms. Altogether, our results demonstrate the involvement of the TbMAPK6-mediated pathway in regulating cytokinesis in trypanosomes and suggest distinct roles of TbMAPK6 in cytokinesis between different life cycle stages of T. brucei.

Polo-like kinase phosphorylation of bilobe-resident TbCentrin2 facilitates flagellar inheritance in Trypanosoma brucei

In the protist parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the single Polo-like kinase (TbPLK) controls the inheritance of a suite of organelles that help position the parasite's single flagellum. These include the basal bodies, the bilobe, and the flagellar attachment zone (FAZ). TbCentrin2 was previously shown to be a target for TbPLK in vitro, and this is extended in this study to in vivo studies, highlighting a crucial role for serine 54 in the N-terminal domain. Duplication of the bilobe correlates with the presence of TbPLK and phospho-TbCentrin2, identified using phosphospecific antiserum. Mutation of S54 leads to slow growth (S54A) or no growth (S54D), the latter suggesting that dephosphorylation is needed to complete bilobe duplication and subsequent downstream events necessary for flagellum inheritance.

Evolutionary cell biology of chromosome segregation: insights from trypanosomes

Faithful transmission of genetic material is essential for the survival of all organisms. Eukaryotic chromosome segregation is driven by the kinetochore that assembles onto centromeric DNA to capture spindle microtubules and govern the movement of chromosomes. Its molecular mechanism has been actively studied in conventional model eukaryotes, such as yeasts, worms, flies and human. However, these organisms are closely related in the evolutionary time scale and it therefore remains unclear whether all eukaryotes use a similar mechanism. The evolutionary origins of the segregation apparatus also remain enigmatic. To gain insights into these questions, it is critical to perform comparative studies. Here, we review our current understanding of the mitotic mechanism in Trypanosoma brucei, an experimentally tractable kinetoplastid parasite that branched early in eukaryotic history. No canonical kinetochore component has been identified, and the design principle of kinetochores might be fundamentally different in kinetoplastids. Furthermore, these organisms do not appear to possess a functional spindle checkpoint that monitors kinetochore-microtubule attachments. With these unique features and the long evolutionary distance from other eukaryotes, understanding the mechanism of chromosome segregation in T. brucei should reveal fundamental requirements for the eukaryotic segregation machinery, and may also provide hints about the origin and evolution of the segregation apparatus.

An analogue-sensitive approach identifies basal body rotation and flagellum attachment zone elongation as key functions of PLK in Trypanosoma brucei

The Polo-like kinase homologue in Trypanosoma brucei (TbPLK) regulates the assembly of a series of organelles necessary for positioning the parasite's flagellum. An analogue-sensitive strategy is used to acutely and specifically inhibit the kinase with a small molecule, making it possible to identify novel TbPLK functions.

Polo-like kinases are important regulators of cell division, playing diverse roles in mitosis and cytoskeletal inheritance. In the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the single PLK homologue TbPLK is necessary for the assembly of a series of essential organelles that position and adhere the flagellum to the cell surface. Previous work relied on RNA interference or inhibitors of undefined specificity to inhibit TbPLK, both of which have significant experimental limitations. Here we use an analogue-sensitive approach to selectively and acutely inhibit TbPLK. T. brucei cells expressing only analogue-sensitive TbPLK (TbPLK^as) grow normally, but upon treatment with inhibitor develop defects in flagellar attachment and cytokinesis. TbPLK cannot migrate effectively when inhibited and remains trapped in the posterior of the cell throughout the cell cycle. Using synchronized cells, we show that active TbPLK is a direct requirement for the assembly and extension of the flagellum attachment zone, which adheres the flagellum to the cell surface, and for the rotation of the duplicated basal bodies, which positions the new flagellum so that it can extend without impinging on the old flagellum. This approach should be applicable to the many kinases found in the T. brucei genome that lack an ascribed function.

Regulation of the cell division cycle in Trypanosoma brucei

The cell division cycle is tightly regulated by the activation and inactivation of a series of proteins that control the replication and segregation of organelles to the daughter cells. During the past decade, we have witnessed significant advances in our understanding of the cell cycle in Trypanosoma brucei and how the cycle is regulated by various regulatory proteins. However, many other regulators, especially those unique to trypanosomes, remain to be identified, and we are just beginning to delineate the signaling pathways that drive the transitions through different cell cycle stages, such as the G(1)/S transition, G(2)/M transition, and mitosis-cytokinesis transition. Trypanosomes appear to employ both evolutionarily conserved and trypanosome-specific molecules to regulate the various stages of its cell cycle, including DNA replication initiation, spindle assembly, chromosome segregation, and cytokinesis initiation and completion. Strikingly, trypanosomes lack some crucial regulators that are well conserved across evolution, such as Cdc6 and Cdt1, which are involved in DNA replication licensing, the spindle motor kinesin-5, which is required for spindle assembly, the central spindlin complex, which has been implicated in cytokinesis initiation, and the actomyosin contractile ring, which is located at the cleavage furrow. Conversely, trypanosomes possess certain regulators, such as cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases, and mitotic centromere-associated kinesins, that are greatly expanded and likely play diverse cellular functions. Overall, trypanosomes apparently have integrated unique regulators into the evolutionarily conserved pathways to compensate for the absence of those conserved molecules and, additionally, have evolved certain cell cycle regulatory pathways that are either different from its human host or distinct between its own life cycle forms.

Polo-like kinase is necessary for flagellum inheritance in Trypanosoma brucei

Polo-like kinases play an important role in a variety of mitotic events in mammalian cells, ranging from centriole separation and chromosome congression to abscission. To fulfill these roles, Polo-like kinase homologs move to different cellular locations as the cell cycle progresses, starting at the centrosome, progressing to the spindle poles and then the midbody. In the protist parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the single polo-like kinase homolog T. brucei PLK (TbPLK) is essential for cytokinesis and is necessary for the correct duplication of a centrin-containing cytoskeletal structure known as the bilobe. We show that TbPLK has a dynamic localization pattern during the cell cycle. The kinase localizes to the basal body, which nucleates the flagellum, and then successively localizes to a series of cytoskeletal structures that regulate the position and attachment of the flagellum to the cell body. The kinase localizes to each of these structures as they are duplicating. TbPLK associates with a specialized set of microtubules, known as the microtubule quartet, which might transport the kinase during its migration. Depletion of TbPLK causes defects in basal body segregation and blocks the duplication of the regulators that position the flagellum, suggesting that its presence on these structures might be necessary for their proper biogenesis. TbPLK migrates throughout the cell in T. brucei, but the specific locations to which it targets and its functions are geared towards the inheritance of a properly positioned and attached flagellum.

Structure-function relationship of the Polo-like kinase in Trypanosoma brucei

Polo-like kinases (Plks) play multiple roles in mitosis and cytokinesis in eukaryotes and are characterized by the C-terminal Polo-box domain (PBD), which is implicated in binding to Plk substrates, targeting Plk and regulating Plk activity. The Plk homolog in Trypanosoma brucei (TbPLK) possesses a similar architecture, but it lacks the crucial residues involved in substrate binding and regulates cytokinesis but not mitosis. Little is known about the regulation of TbPLK and the role of the PBD in TbPLK localization and function. Here, we addressed the requirement of the kinase activity and the PBD for TbPLK localization and function through coupling RNAi of endogenous TbPLK with ectopic expression of TbPLK mutants. We demonstrate that the kinase activity and phosphorylation of two threonine residues, Thr198 and Thr202, in the activation loop (T-loop) of the kinase domain are essential for TbPLK function but not for TbPLK localization. Deletion of the PBD abolishes TbPLK localization, but the PBD itself is not correctly targeted, indicating that TbPLK localization requires both the PBD and the kinase domain. Surprisingly, the kinase domain of TbPLK, but not the PBD, binds to its substrates TbCentrin2 and p110, suggesting that TbPLK might interact with its substrate through different mechanisms. Finally, the PBD interacts with the kinase domain of TbPLK and inhibits its activity, and this inhibition is relieved when Thr198 is phosphorylated. Together, these results suggest an essential role of T-loop phosphorylation in TbPLK activation and crucial roles of the PBD in regulating TbPLK activity and localization.

An interplay between Centrin2 and Centrin4 on the bi-lobed structure in Trypanosoma brucei

Centrins are conserved calcium-binding proteins important for various regulatory functions. In procyclic Trypanosoma brucei, TbCentrin2 and TbCentrin4 have distinct effects on cell division but both localize to the basal bodies that seed the flagellum, and a bi-lobed structure important for organelle duplication and cell division. Here we show that TbCentrin2 and TbCentrin4 both bind to the basal bodies and bi-lobed structure through the conserved C-terminal domain. Molecular genetic manipulation of TbCentrin4 levels greatly affects TbCentrin2 association with the bi-lobed structure. Using established synchronization methods, TbCentrin2 expression level is shown to be relatively constant throughout the cell cycle while TbCentrin4 level fluctuates, decreasing most during early S-phase when the bi-lobe undergoes duplication. These results thus suggest a co-ordinated action between these two centrin proteins, where the cell cycle-dependent TbCentrin4 expression could regulate the abundance of TbCentrin2 on the bi-lobed structure.

The Polo-like kinase PLKA in Aspergillus nidulans is not essential but plays important roles during vegetative growth and development

The Polo-like kinases (Plks) are conserved, multifunctional cell cycle regulators that are induced in many forms of cancer and play additional roles in metazoan development. We previously identified plkA in Aspergillus nidulans, the only Plk investigated in filamentous fungi to date, and partially characterized its function through overexpression. Here, we report the plkA null phenotype. Surprisingly, plkA was not essential, unlike Plks in other organisms that contain a single homologue. A subset of cells lacking PLKA contained defects in spindle formation and chromosome organization, supporting some conservation in cell cycle function. However, septa were present, suggesting that PLKA, unlike other Plks, is not a central regulator of septation. Colonies lacking PLKA were compact with multibranched hyphae, implying a role for this factor in aspects of hyphal morphogenesis. These defects were suppressed by high temperature or low concentrations of benomyl, suggesting that PLKA may function during vegetative growth by influencing microtubule dynamics. However, the colonies also showed reduced conidiation and precocious formation of sexual Hülle cells in a benomyl- and temperature-insensitive manner. This result suggests that PLKA may influence reproduction through distinct mechanisms and represents the first example of a link between Plk function and development in fungi. Finally, filamentous fungal Plks have distinct features, and phylogenetic analyses reveal that they may group more closely with metazoan PLK4. In contrast, yeast Plks are more similar to metazoan proteins PLK1 to PLK3. Thus, A. nidulans PLKA shows some conservation in cell cycle function but may also play novel roles during hyphal morphogenesis and development.

The structural basis of localizing polo-like kinase to the flagellum attachment zone in Trypanosoma brucei

The polo-like kinase in the deep branching eukaryote Trypanosoma brucei (TbPlk) has many unique features. Unlike all the other polo-like kinases known to associate with the nucleus and controlling both mitosis and cytokinesis, TbPlk localizes to the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ) and regulates only cytokinesis in T. brucei. TbPlk was, however, previously found capable of complementing all the multiple Plk (Cdc5) functions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, indicating that it has acquired all the functions of Cdc5. In the present study, Cdc5 tagged with an enhanced yellow fluorescence protein (EYFP) localized exclusively in the FAZ of T. brucei, suggesting that the unusual localization and limited function of TbPlk are probably attributed to the particular environment in T. brucei cells. Structural basis for the FAZ localization of TbPlk was further investigated with TbPlk and TbPlk mutants tagged with EYFP and expressed in T. brucei. The results indicated that a kinase-inactive mutant N169A and a TbPlk mutant with the entire kinase domain (KD) deleted both localized to the FAZ. Substantial association with FAZ was also maintained when one of the two polo-boxes (PB1 or 2) or the linker region between them was deleted from TbPlk. But a deletion of both polo-boxes led to a complete exclusion of the protein from FAZ. All the deletion mutants retained the kinase activity, further indicating that the TbPlk kinase function does not play a role for FAZ localization. The two polo boxes in TbPlk are most likely instrumental in localizing the protein to FAZ through potential interactions with certain FAZ structural component(s). A putative cryptic bipartite nuclear targeting signal was identified in TbPlk, which was capable of directing TbPlk into the nucleus when either the kinase activity was lost or the PB1 was deleted from the protein.

Replication of the ERES:Golgi junction in bloodstream-form African trypanosomes

The biogenesis of the ER Exit Site/Golgi Junction (EGJ) in bloodstream-form African trypanosomes is investigated using tagged markers for ER Exit Sites, the Golgi and the bilobe structure. The typical pattern is two EGJ in G1 phase (1 kinetoplast/1 nucleus, 1K1N) through S-phase (2K1N), duplication to four EGJ in post-mitotic cells (2K2N) and segregation of two EGJ to each daughter. Lesser cell percentages have elevated EGJ copy numbers in all stages, and blocking cell cycle progression results in even higher copy numbers. EGJs are closely aligned with the flagellar attachment zone (FAZ) indicating nucleation on the FAZ-associated ER (FAZ:ER). Only the most posterior EGJ in each cell is in proximity to the bilobe, which is located at the base of the FAZ filament near the mouth of the flagellar pocket. These results indicate that EGJ replication in bloodstream trypanosomes is not tightly coupled to the cell cycle. Furthermore, segregation of EGJ is not obligately mediated by the bilobe, rather assembly of the EGJ on the FAZ:ER, which is coupled to the flagellar cytoskeleton, apparently ensures segregation with fidelity during cytokinesis. These findings differ markedly from procyclic-form trypanosomes, and models highlighting these stage-specific differences in EGJ biogenesis are proposed.

Polo-like kinase guides cytokinesis in Trypanosoma brucei through an indirect means

Polo-like kinase in Trypanosoma brucei (TbPLK) is confined to the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ) and regulates only cytokinetic initiation. However, it apparently diffuses into the cytoplasm before the trans-localization of chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) from the midzone of central spindle to FAZ, which is known to be required for initiating cytokinesis. Synchronized T. brucei procyclic cells treated with a TbPLK inhibitor, GW843682X (GW), in late S phase were found to go through a full cell cycle at a normal pace before being arrested at cytokinetic initiation in the second cycle. However, synchronized cells treated with GW in G(1) phase were arrested at cytokinetic initiation within the first cell cycle, suggesting that inhibition of TbPLK at its emergence blocks cytokinesis within the same cell cycle. To rule out potential off-target effects from GW, TbPLK RNA interference (RNAi) was induced to deplete TbPLK, and the progression of synchronized cells from late S phase was also found to be arrested at cytokinetic initiation within the first cell cycle. Apparently, TbPLK has accomplished its role in guiding cytokinesis before the late S phase, presumably by phosphorylating a certain substrate(s) during S phase, which may play a critical role in initiating the subsequent cytokinesis.

A comparative proteomic analysis reveals a new bi-lobe protein required for bi-lobe duplication and cell division in Trypanosoma brucei

A Golgi-associated bi-lobed structure was previously found to be important for Golgi duplication and cell division in Trypanosoma brucei. To further understand its functions, comparative proteomics was performed on extracted flagellar complexes (including the flagellum and flagellum-associated structures such as the basal bodies and the bi-lobe) and purified flagella to identify new bi-lobe proteins. A leucine-rich repeats containing protein, TbLRRP1, was characterized as a new bi-lobe component. The anterior part of the TbLRRP1-labeled bi-lobe is adjacent to the single Golgi apparatus, and the posterior side is tightly associated with the flagellar pocket collar marked by TbBILBO1. Inducible depletion of TbLRRP1 by RNA interference inhibited duplication of the bi-lobe as well as the adjacent Golgi apparatus and flagellar pocket collar. Formation of a new flagellum attachment zone and subsequent cell division were also inhibited, suggesting a central role of bi-lobe in Golgi, flagellar pocket collar and flagellum attachment zone biogenesis.

Graham Warren: Gaining ground on the Golgi. Interview by Caitlin Sedwick

Warren's studies of the Golgi have yielded a rich trove of insights.

Origin of the cell nucleus, mitosis and sex: roles of intracellular coevolution

BACKGROUND

The transition from prokaryotes to eukaryotes was the most radical change in cell organisation since life began, with the largest ever burst of gene duplication and novelty. According to the coevolutionary theory of eukaryote origins, the fundamental innovations were the concerted origins of the endomembrane system and cytoskeleton, subsequently recruited to form the cell nucleus and coevolving mitotic apparatus, with numerous genetic eukaryotic novelties inevitable consequences of this compartmentation and novel DNA segregation mechanism. Physical and mutational mechanisms of origin of the nucleus are seldom considered beyond the long-standing assumption that it involved wrapping pre-existing endomembranes around chromatin. Discussions on the origin of sex typically overlook its association with protozoan entry into dormant walled cysts and the likely simultaneous coevolutionary, not sequential, origin of mitosis and meiosis.

RESULTS

I elucidate nuclear and mitotic coevolution, explaining the origins of dicer and small centromeric RNAs for positionally controlling centromeric heterochromatin, and how 27 major features of the cell nucleus evolved in four logical stages, making both mechanisms and selective advantages explicit: two initial stages (origin of 30 nm chromatin fibres, enabling DNA compaction; and firmer attachment of endomembranes to heterochromatin) protected DNA and nascent RNA from shearing by novel molecular motors mediating vesicle transport, division, and cytoplasmic motility. Then octagonal nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) arguably evolved from COPII coated vesicle proteins trapped in clumps by Ran GTPase-mediated cisternal fusion that generated the fenestrated nuclear envelope, preventing lethal complete cisternal fusion, and allowing passive protein and RNA exchange. Finally, plugging NPC lumens by an FG-nucleoporin meshwork and adopting karyopherins for nucleocytoplasmic exchange conferred compartmentation advantages. These successive changes took place in naked growing cells, probably as indirect consequences of the origin of phagotrophy. The first eukaryote had 1-2 cilia and also walled resting cysts; I outline how encystation may have promoted the origin of meiotic sex. I also explain why many alternative ideas are inadequate.

CONCLUSION

Nuclear pore complexes are evolutionary chimaeras of endomembrane- and mitosis-related chromatin-associated proteins. The keys to understanding eukaryogenesis are a proper phylogenetic context and understanding organelle coevolution: how innovations in one cell component caused repercussions on others.