Different levels of Bfa1/Bub2 GAP activity are required to prevent mitotic exit of budding yeast depending on the type of perturbations

The N-Terminal Domain of Bfa1 Coordinates Mitotic Exit Independent of GAP Activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The spindle position checkpoint (SPOC) of budding yeast delays mitotic exit in response to misaligned spindles to ensure cell survival and the maintenance of genomic stability. The GTPase-activating protein (GAP) complex Bfa1–Bub2, a key SPOC component, inhibits the GTPase Tem1 to induce mitotic arrest in response to DNA and spindle damage, as well as spindle misorientation. However, previous results strongly suggest that Bfa1 exerts a GAP-independent function in blocking mitotic exit in response to misaligned spindles. Thus, the molecular mechanism by which Bfa1 controls mitotic exit in response to misaligned spindles remains unclear. Here, we observed that overexpression of the N-terminal domain of Bfa1 (Bfa1-D16), which lacks GAP activity and cannot localize to the spindle pole body (SPB), induced cell cycle arrest along with hyper-elongation of astral microtubules (aMTs) as Bfa1 overexpression in Δbub2. We found that Δbub2 cells overexpressing Bfa1 or Bfa1-D16 inhibited activation of Mob1, which is responsible for mitotic exit. In anaphase-arrested cells, Bfa1-D16 overexpression inhibited Tem1 binding to the SPB as well as Bfa1 overexpression. Additionally, endogenous levels of Bfa1-D16 showed minor SPOC activity that was not regulated by Kin4. These results suggested that Bfa1-D16 may block mitotic exit through inhibiting Tem1 activity outside of SPBs. Alternatively, Bfa1-D16 dispersed out of SPBs may block Tem1 binding to SPBs by physically interacting with Tem1 as previously reported. Moreover, we observed hyper-elongated aMTs in tem1-3, cdc15-2, and dbf2-2 mutants that induce anaphase arrest and cannot undergo mitotic exit at restrictive temperatures, suggesting that aMT dynamics are closely related to the regulation of mitotic exit. Altogether, these observations suggest that Bfa1 can control the SPOC independent of its GAP activity and SPB localization.

A Novel Hyperactive Nud1 Mitotic Exit Network Scaffold Causes Spindle Position Checkpoint Bypass in Budding Yeast

Mitotic exit is a critical cell cycle transition that requires the careful coordination of nuclear positioning and cyclin B destruction in budding yeast for the maintenance of genome integrity. The mitotic exit network (MEN) is a Ras-like signal transduction pathway that promotes this process during anaphase. A crucial step in MEN activation occurs when the Dbf2-Mob1 protein kinase complex associates with the Nud1 scaffold protein at the yeast spindle pole bodies (SPBs; centrosome equivalents) and thereby becomes activated. This requires prior priming phosphorylation of Nud1 by Cdc15 at SPBs. Cdc15 activation, in turn, requires both the Tem1 GTPase and the Polo kinase Cdc5, but how Cdc15 associates with SPBs is not well understood. We have identified a hyperactive allele of NUD1, nud1-A308T, that recruits Cdc15 to SPBs in all stages of the cell cycle in a CDC5-independent manner. This allele leads to early recruitment of Dbf2-Mob1 during metaphase and requires known Cdc15 phospho-sites on Nud1. The presence of nud1-A308T leads to loss of coupling between nuclear position and mitotic exit in cells with mispositioned spindles. Our findings highlight the importance of scaffold regulation in signaling pathways to prevent improper activation.

Regulation of Mitotic Exit by Cell Cycle Checkpoints: Lessons From Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In order to preserve genome integrity and their ploidy, cells must ensure that the duplicated genome has been faithfully replicated and evenly distributed before they complete their division by mitosis. To this end, cells have developed highly elaborated checkpoints that halt mitotic progression when problems in DNA integrity or chromosome segregation arise, providing them with time to fix these issues before advancing further into the cell cycle. Remarkably, exit from mitosis constitutes a key cell cycle transition that is targeted by the main mitotic checkpoints, despite these surveillance mechanisms being activated by specific intracellular signals and acting at different stages of cell division. Focusing primarily on research carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism, the aim of this review is to provide a general overview of the molecular mechanisms by which the major cell cycle checkpoints control mitotic exit and to highlight the importance of the proper regulation of this process for the maintenance of genome stability during the distribution of the duplicated chromosomes between the dividing cells.

Budding Yeast BFA1 Has Multiple Positive Roles in Directing Late Mitotic Events

The proper regulation of cell cycle transitions is paramount to the maintenance of cellular genome integrity. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the mitotic exit network (MEN) is a Ras-like signaling cascade that effects the transition from M phase to G1 during the cell division cycle in budding yeast. MEN activation is tightly regulated. It occurs during anaphase and is coupled to mitotic spindle position by the spindle position checkpoint (SPoC). Bfa1 is a key component of the SPoC and functions as part of a two-component GAP complex along with Bub2 The GAP activity of Bfa1-Bub2 keeps the MEN GTPase Tem1 inactive in cells with mispositioned spindles, thereby preventing inappropriate mitotic exit and preserving genome integrity. Interestingly, a GAP-independent role for Bfa1 in mitotic exit regulation has been previously identified. However the nature of this Bub2-independent role and its biological significance are not understood. Here we show that Bfa1 also activates the MEN by promoting the localization of Tem1 primarily to the daughter spindle pole body (dSPB). We demonstrate that the overexpression of BFA1 is lethal due to defects in Tem1 localization, which is required for its activity. In addition, our studies demonstrate a Tem1-independent role for Bfa1 in promoting proper cytokinesis. Cells lacking TEM1, in which the essential mitotic exit function is bypassed, exhibit cytokinesis defects. These defects are suppressed by the overexpression of BFA1 We conclude that Bfa1 functions to both inhibit and activate late mitotic events.

Asymmetric Localization of Components and Regulators of the Mitotic Exit Network at Spindle Pole Bodies

Most proteins of the Mitotic Exit Network (MEN) and their upstream regulators localize at spindle pole bodies (SPBs) at least in some stages of the cell cycle. Studying the SPB localization of MEN factors has been extremely useful to elucidate their biological roles, organize them in a hierarchical pathway, and define their dynamics under different conditions.Recruitment to SPBs of the small GTPase Tem1 and the downstream kinases Cdc15 and Mob1/Dbf2 is thought to be essential for Cdc14 activation and mitotic exit, while that of the upstream Tem1 regulators (the Kin4 kinase and the GTPase activating protein Bub2-Bfa1) is important for MEN inhibition upon spindle mispositioning. Here, we describe the detailed fluorescence microscopy procedures that we use in our lab to analyze the localization at SPBs of Mitotic Exit Network (MEN) components tagged with GFP or HA epitopes.

From START to FINISH: computational analysis of cell cycle control in budding yeast

In the cell division cycle of budding yeast, START refers to a set of tightly linked events that prepare a cell for budding and DNA replication, and FINISH denotes the interrelated events by which the cell exits from mitosis and divides into mother and daughter cells. On the basis of recent progress made by molecular biologists in characterizing the genes and proteins that control START and FINISH, we crafted a new mathematical model of cell cycle progression in yeast. Our model exploits a natural separation of time scales in the cell cycle control network to construct a system of differential-algebraic equations for protein synthesis and degradation, post-translational modifications, and rapid formation and dissociation of multimeric complexes. The model provides a unified account of the observed phenotypes of 257 mutant yeast strains (98% of the 263 strains in the data set used to constrain the model). We then use the model to predict the phenotypes of 30 novel combinations of mutant alleles. Our comprehensive model of the molecular events controlling cell cycle progression in budding yeast has both explanatory and predictive power. Future experimental tests of the model’s predictions will be useful to refine the underlying molecular mechanism, to constrain the adjustable parameters of the model, and to provide new insights into how the cell division cycle is regulated in budding yeast.

Colletotrichum orbiculare Regulates Cell Cycle G1/S Progression via a Two-Component GAP and a GTPase to Establish Plant Infection

Morphogenesis in filamentous fungi depends on appropriate cell cycle progression. Here, we report that cells of the cucumber anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum orbiculare regulate G1/S progression via a two-component GAP, consisting of Budding-uninhibited-by-benomyl-2 (Bub2) and Byr-four-alike-1 (Bfa1) as well as its GTPase Termination-of-M-phase-1 (Tem1) to establish successful infection. In a random insertional mutagenesis screen of infection-related morphogenesis, we isolated a homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, BUB2, which encodes a two-component Rab GAP protein that forms a GAP complex with Bfa1p and negatively regulates mitotic exit. Interestingly, disruption of either Co BUB2 or Co BFA1 resulted in earlier onset of nuclear division and decreased the time of phase progression from G1 to S during appressorium development. S. cerevisiae GTPase Tem1p is the downstream target of the Bub2p/Bfa1p GAP complex. Introducing the dominant-negative form of Co Tem1 into Co bub2Δ or Co bfa1Δ complemented the defect in G1/S progression, indicating that Co Bub2/Co Bfa1 regulates G1/S progression via Co Tem1. Based on a pathogenicity assay, we found that Co bub2Δ and Co bfa1Δ reduced pathogenesis by attenuating infection-related morphogenesis and enhancing the plant defense response. Thus, during appressorium development, C. orbiculare Bub2/Bfa1 regulates G1/S progression via Co Tem1, and this regulation is essential to establish plant infection.

Cdk1 promotes cytokinesis in fission yeast through activation of the septation initiation network

In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, late mitotic events are coordinated with cytokinesis by the septation initiation network (SIN), an essential spindle pole body (SPB)-associated kinase cascade, which controls the formation, maintenance, and constriction of the cytokinetic ring. It is not fully understood how SIN initiation is temporally regulated, but it depends on the activation of the GTPase Spg1, which is inhibited during interphase by the essential bipartite GTPase-activating protein Byr4-Cdc16. Cells are particularly sensitive to the modulation of Byr4, which undergoes cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation presumed to regulate its function. Polo-like kinase, which promotes SIN activation, is partially responsible for Byr4 phosphorylation. Here we show that Byr4 is also controlled by cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk1)-mediated phosphorylation. A Cdk1 nonphosphorylatable Byr4 phosphomutant displays severe cell division defects, including the formation of elongated, multinucleate cells, failure to maintain the cytokinetic ring, and compromised SPB association of the SIN kinase Cdc7. Our analyses show that Cdk1-mediated phosphoregulation of Byr4 facilitates complete removal of Byr4 from metaphase SPBs in concert with Plo1, revealing an unexpected role for Cdk1 in promoting cytokinesis through activation of the SIN pathway.

Cdc5-dependent asymmetric localization of bfa1 fine-tunes timely mitotic exit

In budding yeast, the major regulator of the mitotic exit network (MEN) is Tem1, a GTPase, which is inhibited by the GTPase-activating protein (GAP), Bfa1/Bub2. Asymmetric Bfa1 localization to the bud-directed spindle pole body (SPB) during metaphase also controls mitotic exit, but the molecular mechanism and function of this localization are not well understood, particularly in unperturbed cells. We identified four novel Cdc5 target residues within the Bfa1 C-terminus: (452)S, (453)S, (454)S, and (559)S. A Bfa1 mutant in which all of these residues had been changed to alanine (Bfa1(4A)) persisted on both SPBs at anaphase and was hypo-phosphorylated, despite retaining its GAP activity for Tem1. A Bfa1 phospho-mimetic mutant in which all of these residues were switched to aspartate (Bfa1(4D)) always localized asymmetrically to the SPB. These observations demonstrate that asymmetric localization of Bfa1 is tightly linked to its Cdc5-dependent phosphorylation, but not to its GAP activity. Consistent with this, in kinase-defective cdc5-2 cells Bfa1 was not phosphorylated and localized to both SPBs, whereas Bfa1(4D) was asymmetrically localized. BFA1(4A) cells progressed through anaphase normally but displayed delayed mitotic exit in unperturbed cell cycles, while BFA1(4D) cells underwent mitotic exit with the same kinetics as wild-type cells. We suggest that Cdc5 induces the asymmetric distribution of Bfa1 to the bud-directed SPB independently of Bfa1 GAP activity at anaphase and that Bfa1 asymmetry fine-tunes the timing of MEN activation in unperturbed cell cycles.

Tem1 localization to the spindle pole bodies is essential for mitotic exit and impairs spindle checkpoint function

Alteration of the normal pattern and dynamics of Tem1 localization interferes with spindle checkpoint function and demonstrates that MEN signaling must initiate in the SPBs.

The mitotic exit network (MEN) is a signaling cascade that triggers inactivation of the mitotic cyclin-dependent kinases and exit from mitosis. The GTPase Tem1 localizes on the spindle pole bodies (SPBs) and initiates MEN signaling. Tem1 activity is inhibited until anaphase by Bfa1-Bub2. These proteins are also part of the spindle position checkpoint (SPOC), a surveillance mechanism that restrains mitotic exit until the spindle is correctly positioned. Here, we show that regulation of Tem1 localization is essential for the proper function of the MEN and the SPOC. We demonstrate that the dynamics of Tem1 loading onto SPBs determine the recruitment of other MEN components to this structure, and reevaluate the interdependence in the localization of Tem1, Bfa1, and Bub2. We also find that removal of Tem1 from the SPBs is critical for the SPOC to impede cell cycle progression. Finally, we demonstrate for the first time that localization of Tem1 to the SPBs is a requirement for mitotic exit.

Monitoring spindle orientation: Spindle position checkpoint in charge

Every cell division in budding yeast is inherently asymmetric and counts on the correct positioning of the mitotic spindle along the mother-daughter polarity axis for faithful chromosome segregation. A surveillance mechanism named the spindle position checkpoint (SPOC), monitors the orientation of the mitotic spindle and prevents cells from exiting mitosis when the spindle fails to align along the mother-daughter axis. SPOC is essential for maintenance of ploidy in budding yeast and similar mechanisms might exist in higher eukaryotes to ensure faithful asymmetric cell division. Here, we review the current model of SPOC activation and highlight the importance of protein localization and phosphorylation for SPOC function.

Lte1 contributes to Bfa1 localization rather than stimulating nucleotide exchange by Tem1

Lte1 is a mitotic regulator long envisaged as a guanosine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Tem1, the small guanosine triphosphatase governing activity of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitotic exit network. We demonstrate that this model requires reevaluation. No GEF activity was detectable in vitro, and mutational analysis of Lte1's putative GEF domain indicated that Lte1 activity relies on interaction with Ras for localization at the bud cortex rather than providing nucleotide exchange. Instead, we found that Lte1 can determine the subcellular localization of Bfa1 at spindle pole bodies (SPBs). Under conditions in which Lte1 is essential, Lte1 promoted the loss of Bfa1 from the maternal SPB. Moreover, in cells with a misaligned spindle, mislocalization of Lte1 in the mother cell promoted loss of Bfa1 from one SPB and allowed bypass of the spindle position checkpoint. We observed that lte1 mutants display aberrant localization of the polarity cap, which is the organizer of the actin cytoskeleton. We propose that Lte1's role in cell polarization underlies its contribution to mitotic regulation.

Role of spindle asymmetry in cellular dynamics

The mitotic spindle is mostly perceived as a symmetric structure. However, in many cell divisions, the two poles of the spindle organize asters with different dynamics, associate with different biomolecules or subcellular domains, and perform different functions. In this chapter, we describe some of the most prominent examples of spindle asymmetry. These are encountered during cell-cycle progression in budding and fission yeast and during asymmetric cell divisions of stem cells and embryos. We analyze the molecular mechanisms that lead to generation of spindle asymmetry and discuss the importance of spindle-pole differentiation for the correct outcome of cell division.