APC/CCdh1 is required for the termination of chromosomal passenger complex activity upon mitotic exit

During mitosis, the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) ensures the faithful transmission of the genome. The CPC is composed of the enzymatic component Aurora B (AURKB) and the three regulatory and targeting components borealin, INCENP, and survivin (also known as BIRC5). Although the CPC is known to be involved in diverse mitotic events, it is still unclear how CPC function terminates after mitosis. Here we show that borealin is ubiquitylated by the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) and its cofactor Cdh1 (also known as FZR1) and is subsequently degraded in G1 phase. Cdh1 binds to regions within the N terminus of borealin that act as a non-canonical degron. Aurora B has also been shown previously to be degraded by the APC/C^Cdh1 from late mitosis to G1. Indeed, Cdh1 depletion sustains an Aurora B activity with stable levels of borealin and Aurora B throughout the cell cycle, and causes reduced efficiency of DNA replication after release from serum starvation. Notably, inhibition of Aurora B kinase activity improves the efficiency of DNA replication in Cdh1-depleted cells. We thus propose that APC/C^Cdh1 terminates CPC activity upon mitotic exit and thereby contributes to proper control of DNA replication.

Summary: APC/C^Cdh1 ubiquitylates both borealin, via a non-canonical degron motif, and Aurora B to terminate activity of the CPC in G1 phase. Disruption of this ubiquitylation reduces the efficiency of DNA replication.

Mis12 controls cyclin B1 stabilization via Cdc14B-mediated APC/CCdh1 regulation during meiotic G2/M transition in mouse oocytes

Mammalian oocytes are arrested at G2/prophase of the first meiosis. After a hormone surge, oocytes resume meiosis, undergoing germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). This process is regulated by Cdk1/cyclin B1. Here, we report that Mis12 is required for G2/M transition by regulating cyclin B1 accumulation via Cdc14B-mediated APC/C^Cdh1 regulation, but is not essential for spindle and chromosome dynamics during meiotic maturation. Depletion of Mis12 severely compromised GVBD by impairing cyclin B1 accumulation. Importantly, impaired GVBD after Mis12 depletion was rescued not only by overexpressing cyclin B1 but also by depleting Cdc14B or Cdh1. Notably, oocytes rescued by cyclin B1 overexpression exhibited normal spindle and chromosome organization with intact kinetochore-microtubule attachments. In addition, after being rescued by cyclin B1 overexpression, Mis12-depleted oocytes normally extruded polar bodies. Moreover, Mis12-depleted oocytes formed pronuclear structures after fertilization but failed to develop beyond zygotes. Interestingly, Mis12 was localized in the cytoplasm and spindle poles in oocytes, in contrast to kinetochore localization in somatic cells. Therefore, our results demonstrate that Mis12 is required for meiotic G2/M transition but is dispensable for meiotic progression through meiosis I and II.

Hippo signaling is intrinsically regulated during cell cycle progression by APC/CCdh1

The Hippo-YAP/TAZ signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in growth control during development and regeneration and its dysregulation is widely implicated in various cancers. To further understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying Hippo signaling regulation, we have found that activities of core Hippo signaling components, large tumor suppressor (LATS) kinases and YAP/TAZ transcription factors, oscillate during mitotic cell cycle. We further identified that the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C)^Cdh1 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, which plays a key role governing eukaryotic cell cycle progression, intrinsically regulates Hippo signaling activities. CDH1 recognizes LATS kinases to promote their degradation and, hence, YAP/TAZ regulation by LATS phosphorylation is under cell cycle control. As a result, YAP/TAZ activities peak in G1 phase. Furthermore, we show in Drosophila eye and wing development that Cdh1 is required in vivo to regulate the LATS homolog Warts with a conserved mechanism. Cdh1 reduction increased Warts levels, which resulted in reduction of the eye and wing sizes in a Yorkie dependent manner. Therefore, LATS degradation by APC/C^Cdh1 represents a previously unappreciated and evolutionarily conserved layer of Hippo signaling regulation.

APC/CCdh1-Rock2 pathway controls dendritic integrity and memory

Disruption of neuronal morphology contributes to the pathology of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. Here, we show that postnatal deletion of Cdh1, a cofactor of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) ubiquitin ligase in neurons [Cdh1 conditional knockout (cKO)], disrupts dendrite arborization and causes dendritic spine and synapse loss in the cortex and hippocampus, concomitant with memory impairment and neurodegeneration, in adult mice. We found that the dendrite destabilizer Rho protein kinase 2 (Rock2), which accumulates in the brain of AD patients, is an APC/C^Cdh1 substrate in vivo and that Rock2 protein and activity increased in the cortex and hippocampus of Cdh1 cKO mice. In these animals, inhibition of Rock activity, using the clinically approved drug fasudil, prevented dendritic network disorganization, memory loss, and neurodegeneration. Thus, APC/C^Cdh1-mediated degradation of Rock2 maintains the dendritic network, memory formation, and neuronal survival, suggesting that pharmacological inhibition of aberrantly accumulated Rock2 may be a suitable therapeutic strategy against neurodegeneration.

TGF-β activates APC through Cdh1 binding for Cks1 and Skp2 proteasomal destruction stabilizing p27kip1 for normal endometrial growth

We previously reported that aberrant TGF-β/Smad2/3 signaling in endometrial cancer (ECA) leads to continuous ubiquitylation of p27(kip1)(p27) by the E3 ligase SCF-Skp2/Cks1 causing its degradation, as a putative mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of this cancer. In contrast, normal intact TGF-β signaling prevents degradation of nuclear p27 by SCF-Skp2/Cks1 thereby accumulating p27 to block Cdk2 for growth arrest. Here we show that in ECA cell lines and normal primary endometrial epithelial cells, TGF-β increases Cdh1 and its binding to APC/C to form the E3 ligase complex that ubiquitylates Cks1 and Skp2 prompting their proteasomal degradation and thus, leaving p27 intact. Knocking-down Cdh1 in ECA cell lines increased Skp2/Cks1 E3 ligase activity, completely diminished nuclear and cytoplasmic p27, and obviated TGF-β-mediated inhibition of proliferation. Protein synthesis was not required for TGF-β-induced increase in nuclear p27 and decrease in Cks1 and Skp2. Moreover, half-lives of Cks1 and Skp2 were extended in the Cdh1-depleted cells. These results suggest that the levels of p27, Skp2 and Cks1 are strongly or solely regulated by proteasomal degradation. Finally, an inverse relationship of low p27 and high Cks1 in the nucleus was shown in patients in normal proliferative endometrium and grade I-III ECAs whereas differentiated secretory endometrium showed the reverse. These studies implicate Cdh1 as the master regulator of TGF-β-induced preservation of p27 tumor suppressor activity. Thus, Cdh1 is a potential therapeutic target for ECA and other human cancers showing an inverse relationship between Cks1/Skp2 and p27 and/or dysregulated TGF-β signaling.

CenpH regulates meiotic G2/M transition by modulating the APC/CCdh1-cyclin B1 pathway in oocytes

Meiotic resumption (G2/M transition) and progression through meiosis I (MI) are two key stages for producing fertilization-competent eggs. Here, we report that CenpH, a component of the kinetochore inner plate, is responsible for G2/M transition in meiotic mouse oocytes. Depletion of CenpH by morpholino injection decreased cyclin B1 levels, resulting in attenuation of maturation-promoting factor (MPF) activation, and severely compromised meiotic resumption. CenpH protects cyclin B1 from destruction by competing with the action of APC/C^Cdh1. Impaired G2/M transition after CenpH depletion could be rescued by expression of exogenous cyclin B1. Unexpectedly, blocking CenpH did not affect spindle organization and meiotic cell cycle progression after germinal vesicle breakdown. Our findings reveal a novel role of CenpH in regulating meiotic G2/M transition by acting via the APC/C^Cdh1-cyclin B1 pathway.

Summary: CenpH, a component of the kinetochore inner plate protein, is necessary for cyclin B1 stabilization and is responsible for the G2/M transition in meiotic mouse oocytes.

Substrate Recognition by the Cdh1 Destruction Box Receptor Is a General Requirement for APC/CCdh1-mediated Proteolysis

The anaphase-promoting complex, or cyclosome (APC/C), is a ubiquitin ligase that selectively targets proteins for degradation in mitosis and the G1 phase and is an important component of the eukaryotic cell cycle control system. How the APC/C specifically recognizes its substrates is not fully understood. Although well characterized degron motifs such as the destruction box (D-box) and KEN-box are commonly found in APC/C substrates, many substrates apparently lack these motifs. A variety of alternative APC/C degrons have been reported, suggesting either that multiple modes of substrate recognition are possible or that our definitions of degron structure are incomplete. We used an in vivo yeast assay to compare the G1 degradation rate of 15 known substrates of the APC/C co-activator Cdh1 under normal conditions and conditions that impair binding of D-box, KEN-box, and the recently identified ABBA motif degrons to Cdh1. The D-box receptor was required for efficient proteolysis of all Cdh1 substrates, despite the absence of canonical D-boxes in many. In contrast, the KEN-box receptor was only required for normal proteolysis of a subset of substrates and the ABBA motif receptor for a single substrate in our system. Our results suggest that binding to the D-box receptor may be a shared requirement for recognition and processing of all Cdh1 substrates.

ATR-Chk1-APC/CCdh1-dependent stabilization of Cdc7-ASK (Dbf4) kinase is required for DNA lesion bypass under replication stress

Cdc7 kinase regulates DNA replication. However, its role in DNA repair and recombination is poorly understood. Here we describe a pathway that stabilizes the human Cdc7-ASK (activator of S-phase kinase; also called Dbf4), its regulation, and its function in cellular responses to compromised DNA replication. Stalled DNA replication evoked stabilization of the Cdc7-ASK (Dbf4) complex in a manner dependent on ATR-Chk1-mediated checkpoint signaling and its interplay with the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome(Cdh1) (APC/C(Cdh1)) ubiquitin ligase. Mechanistically, Chk1 kinase inactivates APC/C(Cdh1) through degradation of Cdh1 upon replication block, thereby stabilizing APC/C(Cdh1) substrates, including Cdc7-ASK (Dbf4). Furthermore, motif C of ASK (Dbf4) interacts with the N-terminal region of RAD18 ubiquitin ligase, and this interaction is required for chromatin binding of RAD18. Impaired interaction of ASK (Dbf4) with RAD18 disables foci formation by RAD18 and hinders chromatin loading of translesion DNA polymerase η. These findings define a novel mechanism that orchestrates replication checkpoint signaling and ubiquitin-proteasome machinery with the DNA damage bypass pathway to guard against replication collapse under conditions of replication stress.