Phosphatases Generate Signal Specificity Downstream of Ssp1 Kinase in Fission Yeast

Regulation of sexual differentiation initiation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is an excellent model organism to explore cellular events owing to rich tools in genetics, molecular biology, cellular biology, and biochemistry. Schizosaccharomyces pombe proliferates continuously when nutrients are abundant but arrests in G1 phase upon depletion of nutrients such as nitrogen and glucose. When cells of opposite mating types are present, cells conjugate, fuse, undergo meiosis, and finally form 4 spores. This sexual differentiation process in S. pombe has been studied extensively. To execute sexual differentiation, the glucose-sensing cAMP-PKA (cyclic adenosine monophosphate-protein kinase A) pathway, nitrogen-sensing TOR (target of rapamycin) pathway, and SAPK (stress-activating protein kinase) pathway are crucial, and the MAPK (mitogen-activating protein kinase) cascade is essential for pheromone sensing. These signals regulate ste11 at the transcriptional and translational levels, and Ste11 is modified in multiple ways. This review summarizes the initiation of sexual differentiation in S. pombe based on results I have helped to obtain, including the work of many excellent researchers.

A role for the carbon source of the cell and protein kinase A in regulating the S. pombe septation initiation network

The septation initiation network (SIN) is a conserved signal transduction network, which is important for cytokinesis in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The SIN component Etd1p is required for association of some SIN proteins with the spindle pole body (SPB) during anaphase and for contractile ring formation. We show that tethering of Cdc7p or Sid1p to the SIN scaffold Cdc11p at the SPB, rescues etd1-Δ. Analysis of a suppressor of the mutant etd1-M9 revealed that SIN signalling is influenced by the carbon source of the cell. Growth on a non-fermentable carbon source glycerol reduces the requirement for SIN signalling but does not bypass it. The decreased need for SIN signalling is mediated largely by reduction of protein kinase A activity, and it is phenocopied by deletion of pka1 on glucose medium. We conclude that protein kinase A is an important regulator of the SIN, and that SIN signalling is regulated by the carbon source of the cell.

SAPS3 subunit of protein phosphatase 6 is an AMPK inhibitor and controls metabolic homeostasis upon dietary challenge in male mice

Inhibition of AMPK is tightly associated with metabolic perturbations upon over nutrition, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying are not clear. Here, we demonstrate the serine/threonine-protein phosphatase 6 regulatory subunit 3, SAPS3, is a negative regulator of AMPK. SAPS3 is induced under high fat diet (HFD) and recruits the PP6 catalytic subunit to deactivate phosphorylated-AMPK, thereby inhibiting AMPK-controlled metabolic pathways. Either whole-body or liver-specific deletion of SAPS3 protects male mice against HFD-induced detrimental consequences and reverses HFD-induced metabolic and transcriptional alterations while loss of SAPS3 has no effects on mice under balanced diets. Furthermore, genetic inhibition of AMPK is sufficient to block the protective phenotype in SAPS3 knockout mice under HFD. Together, our results reveal that SAPS3 is a negative regulator of AMPK and suppression of SAPS3 functions as a guardian when metabolism is perturbed and represents a potential therapeutic strategy to treat metabolic syndromes.

Interplays of AMPK and TOR in Autophagy Regulation in Yeast

Cells survey their environment and need to balance growth and anabolism with stress programmes and catabolism towards maximum cellular bioenergetics economy and survival. Nutrient-responsive pathways, such as the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) interact and cross-talk, continuously, with stress-responsive hubs such as the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) to regulate fundamental cellular processes such as transcription, protein translation, lipid and carbohydrate homeostasis. Especially in nutrient stresses or deprivations, cells tune their metabolism accordingly and, crucially, recycle materials through autophagy mechanisms. It has now become apparent that autophagy is pivotal in lifespan, health and cell survival as it is a gatekeeper of clearing damaged macromolecules and organelles and serving as quality assurance mechanism within cells. Autophagy is hard-wired with energy and nutrient levels as well as with damage-response, and yeasts have been instrumental in elucidating such connectivities. In this review, we briefly outline cross-talks and feedback loops that link growth and stress, mainly, in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a favourite model in cell and molecular biology.

Pak1 kinase controls cell shape through ribonucleoprotein granules

Fission yeast cells maintain a rod shape due to conserved signaling pathways that organize the cytoskeleton for polarized growth. We discovered a mechanism linking the conserved protein kinase Pak1 with cell shape through the RNA-binding protein Sts5. Pak1 (also called Shk1 and Orb2) prevents Sts5 association with P bodies by directly phosphorylating its intrinsically disordered region (IDR). Pak1 and the cell polarity kinase Orb6 both phosphorylate the Sts5 IDR but at distinct residues. Mutations preventing phosphorylation in the Sts5 IDR cause increased P body formation and defects in cell shape and polarity. Unexpectedly, when cells encounter glucose starvation, PKA signaling triggers Pak1 recruitment to stress granules with Sts5. Through retargeting experiments, we reveal that Pak1 localizes to stress granules to promote rapid dissolution of Sts5 upon glucose addition. Our work reveals a new role for Pak1 in regulating cell shape through ribonucleoprotein granules during normal and stressed growth conditions.

The phosphatase inhibitor Sds23 promotes symmetric spindle positioning in fission yeast

A hallmark of cell division in eukaryotic cells is the formation and elongation of a microtubule (MT)-based mitotic spindle. Proper positioning of the spindle is critical to ensure equal segregation of the genetic material to the resulting daughter cells. Both the timing of spindle elongation and constriction of the actomyosin contractile ring must be precisely coordinated to prevent missegregation or damage to the genetic material during cellular division. Here, we show that Sds23, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases, contributes to proper positioning of elongating spindles in fission yeast cells. We found that sds23∆ mutant cells exhibit asymmetric spindles that initially elongate asymmetrically toward one end of the dividing cell. Spindle asymmetry in sds23∆ cells results from a defect that is distinct from previously identified mechanisms, including MT protrusions and enlarged vacuoles. Combined with our previous work, this study demonstrates that Sds23, an inhibitor of PP2A-family protein phosphatases, promotes proper positioning of both the bipolar spindle and cytokinetic ring during fission yeast cell division. These two steps ensure the overall symmetry and fidelity of the cell division process.

Protein Phosphatases in G1 Regulation

Eukaryotic cells make the decision to proliferate, to differentiate or to cease dividing during G1, before passage through the restriction point or Start. Keeping cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity low during this period restricts commitment to a new cell cycle and is essential to provide the adequate timeframe for the sensing of environmental signals. Here, we review the role of protein phosphatases in the modulation of CDK activity and as the counteracting force for CDK-dependent substrate phosphorylation, in budding and fission yeast. Moreover, we discuss recent findings that place protein phosphatases in the interface between nutritional signalling pathways and the cell cycle machinery.

The phosphatase inhibitor Sds23 regulates cell division symmetry in fission yeast

Animal and fungal cells divide through the assembly, anchoring, and constriction of a contractile actomyosin ring (CAR) during cytokinesis. The timing and position of the CAR must be tightly controlled to prevent defects in cell division, but many of the underlying signaling events remain unknown. The conserved heterotrimeric protein phosphatase PP2A controls the timing of events in mitosis, and upstream pathways including Greatwall-Ensa regulate PP2A activity. A role for PP2A in CAR regulation has been less clear, although loss of PP2A in yeast causes defects in cytokinesis. Here, we report that Sds23, an inhibitor of PP2A family protein phosphatases, promotes the symmetric division of fission yeast cells through spatial control of cytokinesis. We found that sds23∆ cells divide asymmetrically due to misplaced CAR assembly, followed by sliding of the CAR away from its assembly site. These mutant cells exhibit delayed recruitment of putative CAR anchoring proteins including the glucan synthase Bgs1. Our observations likely reflect a broader role for regulation of PP2A in cell polarity and cytokinesis because sds23∆ phenotypes were exacerbated when combined with mutations in the fission yeast Ensa homologue, Igo1. These results identify the PP2A regulatory network as a critical component in the signaling pathways coordinating cytokinesis.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of CKIN/SnRK gene family in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The SnRK (Snf1-Related protein Kinase) gene family plays an important role in energy sensing and stress-adaptive responses in plant systems. In this study, Chlamydomonas CKIN family (SnRK in Arabidopsis) was defined after a genome-wide analysis of all sequenced Chlorophytes. Twenty-two sequences were defined as plant SnRK orthologs in Chlamydomonas and classified into two subfamilies: CKIN1 and CKIN2. While CKIN1 subfamily is reduced to one conserved member and a close protein (CKIN1L), a large CKIN2 subfamily clusters both plant-like and algae specific CKIN2s. The responsiveness of these genes to abiotic stress situations was tested by RT-qPCR. Results showed that almost all elements were sensitive to osmotic stress while showing different degrees of sensibility to other abiotic stresses, as occurs in land plants, revealing their specialization and the family pleiotropy for some elements. The regulatory pathway of this family may differ from land plants since these sequences shows unique regulatory features and some of them are sensitive to ABA, despite conserved ABA receptors (PYR/PYL/RCAR) and regulatory domains are not present in this species. Core Chlorophytes and land plant showed divergent stress signalling, but SnRKs/CKINs share the same role in cell survival and stress response and adaption including the accumulation of specific biomolecules. This fact places the CKIN family as well-suited target for bioengineering-based studies in microalgae (accumulation of sugars, lipids, secondary metabolites), while promising new findings in stress biology and specially in the evolution of ABA-signalling mechanisms.

Mechanisms Connecting the Conserved Protein Kinases Ssp1, Kin1, and Pom1 in Fission Yeast Cell Polarity and Division

Connections between the protein kinases that function within complex cell polarity networks are poorly understood. Rod-shaped fission yeast cells grow in a highly polarized manner, and genetic screens have identified many protein kinases, including the CaMKK-like Ssp1 and the MARK/PAR-1 family kinase Kin1, that are required for polarized growth and cell shape, but their functional mechanisms and connections have been unknown [1-5]. We found that Ssp1 promotes cell polarity by phosphorylating the activation loop of Kin1. Kin1 regulates cell polarity and cytokinesis through unknown mechanisms [4-7]. We performed a large-scale phosphoproteomic screen and found that Kin1 phosphorylates itself and Pal1 to promote growth at cell tips, and these proteins are interdependent for localization to growing cell tips. Additional Kin1 substrates for cell polarity and cytokinesis (Tea4, Mod5, Cdc15, and Cyk3) were also phosphorylated by a second kinase, the DYRK family member Pom1 [8]. Kin1 and Pom1 were enriched at opposite ends of growing cells, and they phosphorylated largely non-overlapping sites on shared substrates. Combined inhibition of both Kin1and Pom1 led to synthetic defects in their shared substrates Cdc15 and Cyk3, confirming a non-redundant functional connection through shared substrates. These findings uncover a new Ssp1-Kin1 signaling pathway, and define its functional and mechanistic connection with Pom1 signaling for cell polarity and cytokinesis. These kinases are conserved in many eukaryotes including humans, suggesting that similar connections and mechanisms might operate in a broad range of cells.

Transient activation of fission yeast AMPK is required for cell proliferation during osmotic stress

Transient activation of the cellular energy sensor AMPK during osmotic stress requires its energy-sensing subunit. Cellular ATP levels decrease during osmotic stress, which triggers energy stress, which in turn requires dynamic activation of AMPK.

The heterotrimeric kinase AMPK acts as an energy sensor to coordinate cell metabolism with environmental status in species from yeast through humans. Low intracellular ATP leads to AMPK activation through phosphorylation of the activation loop within the catalytic subunit. Other environmental stresses also activate AMPK, but it is unclear whether cellular energy status affects AMPK activation under these conditions. Fission yeast AMPK catalytic subunit Ssp2 is phosphorylated at Thr-189 by the upstream kinase Ssp1 in low-glucose conditions, similar to other systems. Here we find that hyperosmotic stress induces strong phosphorylation of Ssp2-T189 by Ssp1. Ssp2-pT189 during osmotic stress is transient and leads to transient regulation of AMPK targets, unlike sustained activation by low glucose. Cells lacking this activation mechanism fail to proliferate after hyperosmotic stress. Activation during osmotic stress requires energy sensing by AMPK heterotrimer, and osmotic stress leads to decreased intracellular ATP levels. We observed mitochondrial fission during osmotic stress, but blocking fission did not affect AMPK activation. Stress-activated kinases Sty1 and Pmk1 did not promote AMPK activation but contributed to subsequent inactivation. Our results show that osmotic stress induces transient energy stress, and AMPK activation allows cells to manage this energy stress for proliferation in new osmotic states.