Mechanisms of adaptive hypertrophic cardiac remodeling in a large animal model of premature ventricular contraction-induced cardiomyopathy

Frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) promoted eccentric cardiac hypertrophy and reduced ejection fraction (EF) in a large animal model of PVC-induced cardiomyopathy (PVC-CM), but the molecular mechanisms and markers of this hypertrophic remodeling remain unexplored. Healthy mongrel canines were implanted with pacemakers to deliver bigeminal PVCs (50% burden with 200-220 ms coupling interval). After 12 weeks, left ventricular (LV) free wall samples were studied from PVC-CM and Sham groups. In addition to reduced LV ejection fraction (LVEF), the PVC-CM group showed larger cardiac myocytes without evident ultrastructural alterations compared to the Sham group. Biochemical markers of pathological hypertrophy, such as store-operated Ca2+ entry, calcineurin/NFAT pathway, β-myosin heavy chain, and skeletal type α-actin were unaltered in the PVC-CM group. In contrast, pro-hypertrophic and antiapoptotic pathways including ERK1/2 and AKT/mTOR were activated and/or overexpressed in the PVC-CM group, which appeared counterbalanced by an overexpression of protein phosphatase 1 and a borderline elevation of the anti-hypertrophic factor atrial natriuretic peptide. Moreover, the potent angiogenic and pro-hypertrophic factor VEGF-A and its receptor VEGFR2 were significantly elevated in the PVC-CM group. In conclusion, a molecular program is in place to keep this structural remodeling associated with frequent PVCs as an adaptive pathological hypertrophy.

The genome sequence of Schizosaccharomyces pombe

We have sequenced and annotated the genome of fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), which contains the smallest number of protein-coding genes yet recorded for a eukaryote: 4,824. The centromeres are between 35 and 110 kilobases (kb) and contain related repeats including a highly conserved 1.8-kb element. Regions upstream of genes are longer than in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), possibly reflecting more-extended control regions. Some 43% of the genes contain introns, of which there are 4,730. Fifty genes have significant similarity with human disease genes; half of these are cancer related. We identify highly conserved genes important for eukaryotic cell organization including those required for the cytoskeleton, compartmentation, cell-cycle control, proteolysis, protein phosphorylation and RNA splicing. These genes may have originated with the appearance of eukaryotic life. Few similarly conserved genes that are important for multicellular organization were identified, suggesting that the transition from prokaryotes to eukaryotes required more new genes than did the transition from unicellular to multicellular organization.

A journey into space

The fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, has been used as a model eukaryote to study processes such as the cell cycle and cell morphology. In this single-celled organism, growing in a straight line and maintaining the nucleus in the centre of the cell depend on intracellular positional information. Microtubules and microtubular transport are important for generating positional information within the fission yeast cell, and these molecular mechanisms are also probably relevant for generating positional information in other eukaryotic cells.

Fission yeast retrotransposon Tf1 integration is targeted to 5' ends of open reading frames

Target site selection of transposable elements is usually not random but involves some specificity for a DNA sequence or a DNA binding host factor. We have investigated the target site selection of the long terminal repeat-containing retrotransposon Tf1 from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. By monitoring induced transposition events we found that Tf1 integration sites were distributed throughout the genome. Mapping these insertions revealed that Tf1 did not integrate into open reading frames, but occurred preferentially in longer intergenic regions with integration biased towards a region 100-420 bp upstream of the translation start site. Northern blot analysis showed that transcription of genes adjacent to Tf1 insertions was not significantly changed.

Tea2p is a kinesin-like protein required to generate polarized growth in fission yeast

Cytoplasmic microtubules are critical for establishing and maintaining cell shape and polarity. Our investigations of kinesin-like proteins (klps) and morphological mutants in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe have identified a kinesin-like gene, tea2(+), that is required for cells to generate proper polarized growth. Cells deleted for this gene are often bent during exponential growth and initiate growth from improper sites as they exit stationary phase. They have a reduced cytoplasmic microtubule network and display severe morphological defects in genetic backgrounds that produce long cells. The tip-specific marker, Tea1p, is mislocalized in both tea2-1 and tea2Delta cells, indicating that Tea2p function is necessary for proper localization of Tea1p. Tea2p is localized to the tips of the cell and in a punctate pattern within the cell, often coincident with the ends of cytoplasmic microtubules. These results suggest that this kinesin promotes microtubule growth, possibly through interactions with the microtubule end, and that it is important for establishing and maintaining polarized growth along the long axis of the cell.

Mutational analysis of two Arabidopsis thaliana cyclin-dependent kinases in fission yeast

We have analyzed five mutant alleles of two cyclin-dependent kinases from Arabidopsis thaliana, CDC2aAt and CDC2bAt, in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Two of the five mutant alleles produced similar phenotypes for both cyclin-dependent kinases. The other three mutants caused phenotypes dependent on the particular cyclin-dependent kinase. Of all the mutant alleles, only two were found to possess a detectable kinase activity. Our mutational analysis lends further support for CDC2aAt being the true orthologue of the yeast cdc2. CDC2bAt, even though quite divergent from S. pombe cdc2, still retains the ability to interact with at least some essential cell cycle regulators, suggesting some functional homology with the yeast protein. Additionally, we demonstrated that the three amino acid deletion in the DL50 mutants results in the loss of the ability to interact with the suc1/CKS1 proteins.

A pre-start checkpoint preventing mitosis in fission yeast acts independently of p34cdc2 tyrosine phosphorylation

We have monitored the tyrosine (Y15) phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms of p34cdc2 from Schizosaccharomyces pombe as cells proceed through the cell cycle. Y15 is dephosphorylated in G1 before start and becomes phosphorylated only after cells pass start and enter late G1. This transition is associated with a switch from one checkpoint which restrains mitosis in pre-start G1, by a mechanism independent from Y15 phosphorylation, to a second checkpoint acting post-start during late G1 and S phase operating through Y15 phosphorylation. The pre-start checkpoint may act by preventing formation of the p34cdc2/p56cdc13 complex. The complex between Y15-phosphorylated p34cdc2 and p56cdc13 accumulates during S phase and G2, but the level generated is not solely dependent on the amount of p34cdc2 and p56cdc13 present in the cell. The extent of p56cdc13 breakdown at the end of mitosis may be determined by the amount complexed with p34cdc2. We have also shown that an insoluble form of p34cdc2 is associated with the progression of the cell through late G1 into S phase.

Temporal order of S phase and mitosis in fission yeast is determined by the state of the p34cdc2-mitotic B cyclin complex

We show here that the state of the p34cdc2-p56cdc13 mitotic B cyclin complex determines whether a fission yeast cell undergoes S phase or mitosis. Mutants defective for p56cdc13 reset to G1 and rereplicate their DNA, while cells completely lacking the p34cdc2-p56cdc13 complex undergo multiple rounds of S phase. In contrast, formation of the p34cdc2-p56cdc13 complex in G1 promotes cells inappropriately into mitosis. We propose that the temporal order of S phase and mitosis is maintained by the presence or absence of the p34cdc2-p56cdc13 complex.

Cold-sensitive mutants of p34cdc2 that suppress a mitotic catastrophe phenotype in fission yeast

The p34cdc2 protein kinase plays a central role in the regulation of the eukaryotic cell cycle, being required both in late G1 for the commitment to S-phase and in late G2 for the initiation of mitosis. p34cdc2 also determines the precise timing of entry into mitosis in fission yeast, where a number of gene products that regulate p34cdc2 activity have been identified and characterised. To investigate further the mitotic role of p34cdc2 in this organism we have isolated new cold-sensitive p34cdc2 mutants. These are defective only in their G2 function and are extragenic suppressors of the lethal premature entry into mitosis brought about by mutating the mitotic inhibitor p107wee1 and overproducing the mitotic activator p80cdc25. One of the mutant proteins p34cdc2-E8 is only functional in the absence of p107wee1, and all the mutant strains have reduced histone H1 kinase activity in vitro. Each mutant allele has been cloned and sequenced, and the lesions responsible for the cold-sensitive phenotypes identified. All the mutations were found to map to regions that are conserved between the fission yeast p34cdc2 and functional homologues from higher eukaryotes.

A review of mitosis in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Mitosis and cell division are the final events of the cell cycle, resulting in the precise segregation of chromosomes into two daughter cells. A highly controlled and accurate segregation of the chromosomes is required to ensure that each daughter cell receives a complete genome and remains viable. The fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, is a unicellular eukaryotic organism which is particularly convenient for investigating these problems. It is very amenable to genetic analysis and its predominantly haploid life cycle has allowed the isolation of recessive temperature-sensitive mutants unable to complete the cell cycle. Classical genetic analysis of these mutants has been used to identify over 40 gene functions that are required for cell cycle progress in S. pombe. Many of these genes have now been cloned and sequenced and in some cases the encoded gene product has been identified. This approach, coupling classical and molecular genetics, allows identification of the molecules important in the mitotic processes and provides a means for establishing what functional roles they may play.

Regulation of p34cdc2 protein kinase during mitosis

The cell-cycle timing of mitosis in fission yeast is determined by the cdc25+ gene product activating the p34cdc2 protein kinase leading to mitotic initiation. Protein kinase activity remains high in metaphase and then declines during anaphase. Activation of the protein kinase also requires the cyclin homolog p56cdc13, which also functions post activation at a later stage of mitosis. The continuing function of p56cdc13 during mitosis is consistent with its high level until the metaphase/anaphase transition. At anaphase the p56cdc13 level falls dramatically just before the decline in p34cdc2 protein kinase activity. The behavior of p56cdc13 is similar to that observed for cyclins in oocytes. p13suc1 interacts closely with p34cdc2; it is required during the process of mitosis and may play a role in the inactivation of the p34cdc2 protein kinase. Therefore, the cdc25+, cdc13+, and suc1+ gene products are important for regulating p34cdc2 protein kinase activity during entry into, progress through, and exit from mitosis.

Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of mutant alleles of the fission yeast cdc2 protein kinase gene: implications for cdc2+ protein structure and function

The cdc2+ gene function plays a central role in the control of the mitotic cell cycle of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Recessive temperature-sensitive mutations in the cdc2 gene cause cell cycle arrest when shifted to the restrictive temperature, while a second class of mutations within the cdc2 gene causes a premature advancement into mitosis. Previously the cdc2+ gene has been cloned and has been shown to encode a 34 kDa phosphoprotein with in vitro protein kinase activity. Here we describe the cloning of 11 mutant alleles of the cdc2 gene using two simple methods, one of which is presented here for the first time. We have sequenced these alleles and find a variety of single amino acid substitutions mapping throughout the cdc2 protein. Analysis of these mutations has identified a number of regions within the cdc2 protein that are important for cdc2+ activity and regulation. These include regions which may be involved in the interaction of the cdc2+ gene product with the proteins encoded by the wee1+, cdc13+ and suc1+ genes.

Regulation of the cell cycle timing of mitosis

Considerable advances have been made recently in our understanding of how the cell cycle timing of mitosis is regulated. This has come about because links have been established between two independent areas of research, one based on a genetic approach using the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the second based on a biochemical approach using Xenopus and starfish oocytes. In this chapter we review work that has identified a number of the mitotic regulating genes in fission yeast and has established links with controls operative in multicellular eukaryotes.

Cloning and sequencing of the cyclin-related cdc13+ gene and a cytological study of its role in fission yeast mitosis

We have cloned and sequenced the cdc13+ gene from fission yeast. When a major part of the cdc13+ gene is deleted from the chromosome, cells arrest in interphase, but partial loss of gene activity leads to cells containing condensed chromosomes, aberrant septa and a microtubular cytoskeleton with characteristics of both G2 and M. Expression of this phenotype is influenced by the nutritional status of the cell. Our results suggest that the cdc13+ gene function is required for the control of the G2 to M transition. It appears to play a role in regulating the separate pathways of events involved in the physical process of mitosis, for example in the reorganization of the cytoskeleton on transition from G2 to mitosis. The cdc13+ gene function interacts closely with both the yeast and human homologues of cdc2+, suggesting that mammalian cells may contain a cdc13+ homologue. The gene encodes a putative polypeptide of 482 amino acids, and a central region of 176 amino acids of this polypeptide is 50% identical with sea urchin cyclin. Therefore, the cdc13+ protein is cyclin related and could act as a regulator or substrate of the p34cdc2 protein kinase, which initiates mitosis.

Control over the onset of DNA synthesis in fission yeast

The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has been used to identify gene functions required for the cell to become committed to the mitotic cell cycle and to initiate the processes leading to chromosome replication in S-phase. Two gene functions cdc2 and cdc10 must be executed for the cell to traverse 'start' and proceed from G1 into S-phase. Before the completion of these two functions the cell is in an uncommitted state and can undergo alternative developmental fates such as conjugation. A third gene, suc1, has also been identified whose product may interact directly with that of cdc2 at 'start'. The molecular functions of the genes involved in the completion of 'start' have been investigated. The cdc2 gene has been shown to be a protein kinase, suggesting that phosphorylation may be involved in the control over the transition from G1 into S-phase. The biochemical functions of the cdc10 and suc1 gene products have not yet been elucidated. A control at 'start' has also been shown to exist in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Traverse of 'start' requires the execution of the CDC28 gene function. The cdc2 and CDC28 gene products (lower-case letters represent genes of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and capital letters genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae) are functionally homologous, suggesting that the processes involved in traverse of 'start' are highly conserved. An analogous control may also exist in the G1 period of mammalian cells, suggesting that the 'start' control step, after which cells become committed to the mitotic cell cycle, may have been conserved through evolution.

suc1 is an essential gene involved in both the cell cycle and growth in fission yeast

The gene suc1 encodes a product which suppresses certain temperature sensitive mutants of the cell cycle control gene cdc2 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Mutants in the suc1 gene or over-expression of its product leads to delays in mitotic and meiotic nuclear division. Deletion of the suc1 gene is lethal and generates some cells blocked in the cell cycle and others impaired in cellular growth. It is likely that the suc1 gene product binds and forms unstable complexes with the cdc2 protein kinase and with other proteins necessary for the cell cycle and cellular growth. suc1 may have a regulatory role in these processes.

The fission yeast cell cycle control gene cdc2: isolation of a sequence suc1 that suppresses cdc2 mutant function

A DNA fragment called suc1 has been found to rescue cells mutated in the cell cycle control gene cdc2 of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The suppressing activity of suc1 is observed when it is present on a multicopy number plasmid. The gene does not hybridize to cdc2 and maps elsewhere in the genome. Its effect is cdc2 allele specific suggesting that it interacts directly with the cdc2 gene function.