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

Polo-like kinase and Aurora B kinase phosphorylate and cooperate with the CIF1-CIF2 complex to promote cytokinesis initiation in Trypanosoma brucei

Cytokinesis in eukaryotes is regulated by a Polo-like kinase-mediated and Aurora B kinase-mediated signalling pathway that promotes the assembly of the actomyosin contractile ring, a cytokinesis machinery conserved across evolution from yeast to humans. Trypanosoma brucei, an early divergent parasitic protozoan, employs an actomyosin-independent mechanism for its unusual cytokinesis that is controlled by a regulatory pathway comprising the Polo-like kinase TbPLK, the Aurora B kinase TbAUK1 and multiple trypanosomatid-specific regulators. However, whether any of these trypanosomatid-specific regulators function as substrates of TbPLK and/or TbAUK1 and how they cooperate with TbPLK and TbAUK1 to promote cytokinesis remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that TbPLK and TbAUK1 phosphorylate the cytokinesis regulators CIF1 and CIF2 on multiple sites within their intrinsically disordered regions. We further show that TbPLK localization depends on its interaction with CIF1 from S/G2 phases, that TbPLK maintains CIF1 and CIF2 localization from G2 phase until early mitosis, and that TbAUK1 maintains CIF1 and CIF2 localization from late mitosis. Finally, we demonstrate that the cytokinesis regulators CIF4 and FPRC are not substrates of TbPLK and TbAUK1, and that they function upstream of TbPLK and TbAUK1 in the cytokinesis regulatory pathway. Together, these results provide insights into the functional interplay and the order of actions between the two protein kinases and the trypanosomatid-specific cytokinesis regulators in T. brucei.

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.

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.

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 trypanosome-specific protein CIF3 cooperates with the CIF1 protein to promote cytokinesis in Trypanosoma brucei

Cytokinesis, the terminal step in cell division, in the protist human pathogen Trypanosoma brucei occurs along the longitudinal axis from the anterior tip of the new flagellum attachment zone (FAZ) toward the posterior cell tip. This process is regulated by a signaling cascade composed of the Polo-like kinase homolog TbPLK, the Aurora B kinase homolog TbAUK1, and the trypanosome-specific CIF1-CIF2 protein complex. However, the regulatory mechanism and the signaling pathway for this unusual mode of cytokinesis remain poorly understood. Here, we report another trypanosome-specific protein assembly, the CIF1-CIF3 complex, and its essential role in cytokinesis initiation. Through biochemical and genetic approaches, we demonstrate that CIF3 interacts with CIF1 in a TbPLK-dependent manner and maintains CIF1 localization at the new FAZ tip. Conversely, CIF1 maintains CIF3 stability at the new FAZ tip. We further show that TbPLK is required for CIF3 localization and that CIF3 is necessary for targeting TbAUK1 to the new FAZ tip during anaphase. These results suggest that two trypanosome-specific CIF1-containing protein complexes cooperate with the evolutionarily conserved Polo-like kinase and Aurora B kinase to promote cytokinesis 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hypothemycin, a fungal natural product, identifies therapeutic targets in Trypanosoma brucei [corrected]

Protein kinases are potentially attractive therapeutic targets for neglected parasitic diseases, including African trypanosomiasis caused by the protozoan, Trypanosoma brucei. How to prioritize T. brucei kinases and quantify their intracellular engagement by small-molecule inhibitors remain unsolved problems. Here, we combine chemoproteomics and RNA interference to interrogate trypanosome kinases bearing a Cys-Asp-Xaa-Gly motif (CDXG kinases). We discovered that hypothemycin, a fungal polyketide previously shown to covalently inactivate a subset of human CDXG kinases, kills T. brucei in culture and in infected mice. Quantitative chemoproteomic analysis with a hypothemycin-based probe revealed the relative sensitivity of endogenous CDXG kinases, including TbGSK3short and a previously uncharacterized kinase, TbCLK1. RNAi-mediated knockdown demonstrated that both kinases are essential, but only TbCLK1 is fully engaged by cytotoxic concentrations of hypothemycin in intact cells. Our study identifies TbCLK1 as a therapeutic target for African trypanosomiasis and establishes a new chemoproteomic tool for interrogating CDXG kinases in their native context.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00712.001

Human African trypanosomiasis—commonly known as sleeping sickness—is a debilitating and potentially fatal tropical disease that is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. It is caused by the single-celled parasite Trypanosoma brucei, which is transmitted to humans by the bite of the tsetse fly. The infection takes its name from the disruption of the circadian clock that occurs early on in the disorder and leads to sleep disturbances. If left untreated, T. brucei infection leads to coma, organ failure and death.

Most of the existing pharmaceutical treatments for sleeping sickness were developed more than 50 years ago. However, they are only weakly absorbed into the bloodstream—meaning that high doses must be used—and they lead to unpleasant side effects. Moreover, the T. brucei parasite is developing resistance to existing drugs, so further research is needed to identify new therapeutic targets.

One promising option could be the parasite’s protein kinases. These enzymes, which add phosphate-based chemical groups to proteins, have a key role in regulating protein function and many of them are already being investigated as therapeutic targets for cancers and autoimmune diseases. T. brucei has 182 different kinases, suggesting a wealth of potential new targets. However, many of these are similar to human enzymes, and inhibiting the latter could lead to harmful side effects.

Now, Nishino et al. have produced a synthetic version of a microbially derived kinase inhibitor, called hypothemycin, and have shown that it kills T. brucei cells grown in culture. Hypothemycin also killed T. brucei in infected mice, completely curing the infection in one third of animals, although high doses of the drug led to side effects. Using a chemical biology approach and quantitative mass spectrometry, Nishino et al. found that the main target of hypothemycin was a previously unknown kinase that is essential for T. brucei survival. Although hypothemycin itself is probably unsuitable as a treatment due to its lack of specificity, the work of Nishino et al. suggests that its kinase targets deserve further investigation.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00712.002

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.

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.

The Trypanosoma brucei AIR9-like protein is cytoskeleton-associated and is required for nucleus positioning and accurate cleavage furrow placement

AIR9 is a cytoskeleton-associated protein in Arabidopsis thaliana with roles in cytokinesis and cross wall maturation, and reported homologues in land plants and excavate protists, including trypanosomatids. We show that the Trypanosoma brucei AIR9-like protein, TbAIR9, is also cytoskeleton-associated and colocalizes with the subpellicular microtubules. We find it to be expressed in all life cycle stages and show that it is essential for normal proliferation of trypanosomes in vitro. Depletion of TbAIR9 from procyclic trypanosomes resulted in increased cell length due to increased microtubule extension at the cell posterior. Additionally, the nucleus was re-positioned to a location posterior to the kinetoplast, leading to defects in cytokinesis and the generation of aberrant progeny. In contrast, in bloodstream trypanosomes, depletion of TbAIR9 had little effect on nucleus positioning, but resulted in aberrant cleavage furrow placement and the generation of non-equivalent daughter cells following cytokinesis. Our data provide insight into the control of nucleus positioning in this important pathogen and emphasize differences in the cytoskeleton and cell cycle control between two life cycle stages of the T. brucei parasite.

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.

A kinetoplastid-specific kinesin is required for cytokinesis and for maintenance of cell morphology in Trypanosoma brucei

Kinesins are motor-based transport proteins that play diverse roles in various cellular processes. The trypanosome genome lacks the homologues of many conserved mitotic kinesins, but encodes a number of trypanosome-specific kinesins with unknown function. Here, we report the biochemical and functional characterization of TbKIN-C, a trypanosome-specific kinesin, which was initially identified through an RNAi screen for cytokinesis genes in T. brucei. TbKIN-C possesses in vitro ATPase activity and associates with cytoskeletal tubulin microtubules in vivo. It is distributed throughout the cytoskeleton with a focal enrichment at the posterior end of the cell during early cell cycle stages. RNAi of TbKIN-C resulted in distorted cell shape with an elongated posterior filled with tyrosinated tubulin microtubules. Silencing of TbKIN-C impaired the segregation of organelles and cytoskeletal structures and led to detachment of the new flagellum and a small portion of the cytoplasm. We also show that RNAi of TbKIN-C compromised cytokinesis and abolished the trans-localization of TbCPC1, a subunit of the chromosomal passenger complex, from the central spindle to the initiation site of cytokinesis. Our results suggest an essential role of TbKIN-C in maintaining cell morphology, likely through regulating microtubule dynamics at the posterior end of the cell.

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.