Mechanisms by Which Kinesin-5 Motors Perform Their Multiple Intracellular Functions

Binding patterns of inhibitors to different pockets of kinesin Eg5

The kinesin-5 family member, Eg5, plays very important role in the mitosis. As a mitotic protein, Eg5 is the target of various mitotic inhibitors. There are two targeting pockets in the motor domain of Eg5, which locates in the α2/L5/α3 region and the α4/α6 region respectively. We investigated the interactions between the different inhibitors and the two binding pockets of Eg5 by using all-atom molecular dynamics method. Combined the conformational analysis with the free-energy calculation, the binding patterns of inhibitors to the two binding pockets are shown. The α2/L5/α3 pocket can be divided into 4 regions. The structures and binding conformations of inhibitors in region 1 and 2 are highly conserved. The shape of α4/α6 pocket is alterable. The space of this pocket in ADP-binding state of Eg5 is larger than that in ADP·Pi-binding state due to the limitation of a hydrogen bond formed in the ADP·Pi-binding state. The results of this investigation provide the structural basis of the inhibitor-Eg5 interaction and offer a reference for the Eg5-targeted drug design.

A stable microtubule bundle formed through an orchestrated multistep process controls quiescence exit

Cells fine-tune microtubule assembly in both space and time to give rise to distinct edifices with specific cellular functions. In proliferating cells, microtubules are highly dynamics, and proliferation cessation often leads to their stabilization. One of the most stable microtubule structures identified to date is the nuclear bundle assembled in quiescent yeast. In this article, we characterize the original multistep process driving the assembly of this structure. This Aurora B-dependent mechanism follows a precise temporality that relies on the sequential actions of kinesin-14, kinesin-5, and involves both microtubule-kinetochore and kinetochore-kinetochore interactions. Upon quiescence exit, the microtubule bundle is disassembled via a cooperative process involving kinesin-8 and its full disassembly is required prior to cells re-entry into proliferation. Overall, our study provides the first description, at the molecular scale, of the entire life cycle of a stable microtubule structure in vivo and sheds light on its physiological function.

Noncanonical interaction with microtubules via the N-terminal nonmotor domain is critical for the functions of a bidirectional kinesin

Several kinesin-5 motors (kinesin-5s) exhibit bidirectional motility. The mechanism of such motility remains unknown. Bidirectional kinesin-5s share a long N-terminal nonmotor domain (NTnmd), absent in exclusively plus-end-directed kinesins. Here, we combined in vivo, in vitro, and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies to examine the impact of NTnmd mutations on the motor functions of the bidirectional kinesin-5, Cin8. We found that NTnmd deletion mutants exhibited cell viability and spindle localization defects. Using cryo-EM, we examined the structure of a microtubule (MT)-bound motor domain of Cin8, containing part of its NTnmd. Modeling and molecular dynamic simulations based on the cryo-EM map suggested that the NTnmd of Cin8 interacts with the C-terminal tail of β-tubulin. In vitro experiments on subtilisin-treated MTs confirmed this notion. Last, we showed that NTnmd mutants are defective in plus-end-directed motility in single-molecule and antiparallel MT sliding assays. These findings demonstrate that the NTnmd, common to bidirectional kinesin-5s, is critical for their bidirectional motility and intracellular functions.

New insights into the mechanochemical coupling mechanism of kinesin-microtubule complexes from their high-resolution structures

Kinesin motor proteins couple mechanical movements in their motor domain to the binding and hydrolysis of ATP in their nucleotide-binding pocket. Forces produced through this 'mechanochemical' coupling are typically used to mobilize kinesin-mediated transport of cargos along microtubules or microtubule cytoskeleton remodeling. This review discusses the recent high-resolution structures (<4 Å) of kinesins bound to microtubules or tubulin complexes that have resolved outstanding questions about the basis of mechanochemical coupling, and how family-specific modifications of the motor domain can enable its use for motility and/or microtubule depolymerization.

Kinesin-14 HSET and KlpA are non-processive microtubule motors with load-dependent power strokes

Accurate chromosome segregation during cell division relies on coordinated actions of microtubule (MT)-based motor proteins in the mitotic spindle. Kinesin-14 motors play vital roles in spindle assembly and maintenance by crosslinking antiparallel MTs at the spindle midzone and anchoring spindle MTs' minus ends at the poles. We investigate the force generation and motility of the Kinesin-14 motors HSET and KlpA, revealing that both motors function as non-processive motors under load, producing single power strokes per MT encounter. Each homodimeric motor generates forces of ∼0.5 pN, but when assembled in teams, they cooperate to generate forces of 1 pN or more. Importantly, cooperative activity among multiple motors leads to increased MT-sliding velocities. Our findings deepen our understanding of the structure-function relationship of Kinesin-14 motors and underscore the significance of cooperative behavior in their cellular functions.

Differential Expression of Mitosis and Cell Cycle Regulatory Genes during Recovery from an Acute Respiratory Virus Infection

Acute respiratory virus infections can have profound and long-term effects on lung function that persist even after the acute responses have fully resolved. In this study, we examined gene expression by RNA sequencing in the lung tissue of wild-type BALB/c mice that were recovering from a sublethal infection with the pneumonia virus of mice (PVM), a natural rodent pathogen of the same virus family and genus as the human respiratory syncytial virus. We compared these responses to gene expression in PVM-infected mice treated with Lactobacillus plantarum, an immunobiotic agent that limits inflammation and averts the negative clinical sequelae typically observed in response to acute infection with this pathogen. Our findings revealed prominent differential expression of inflammation-associated genes as well as numerous genes and gene families implicated in mitosis and cell-cycle regulation, including cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases, cell division cycle genes, E2F transcription factors, kinesins, centromere proteins, and aurora kinases, among others. Of particular note was the differential expression of the cell division cycle gene Cdc20b, which was previously identified as critical for the ex vivo differentiation of multi-ciliated cells. Collectively, these findings provided us with substantial insight into post-viral repair processes and broadened our understanding of the mechanisms underlying Lactobacillus-mediated protection.