Project description:We investigated the assembly of cortical nodes that generate the cytokinetic contractile ring in fission yeast. Observations of cells expressing fluorescent fusion proteins revealed two types of interphase nodes. Type 1 nodes containing kinase Cdr1p, kinase Cdr2p, and anillin Mid1p form in the cortex around the nucleus early in G2. Type 2 nodes with protein Blt1p, guanosine triphosphate exchange factor Gef2p, and kinesin Klp8p emerge from contractile ring remnants. Quantitative measurements and computer simulations showed that these two types of nodes come together by a diffuse-and-capture mechanism: type 2 nodes diffuse to the equator and are captured by stationary type 1 nodes. During mitosis, cytokinetic nodes with Mid1p and all of the type 2 node markers incorporate into the contractile ring, whereas type 1 nodes with Cdr1p and Cdr2p follow the separating nuclei before dispersing into the cytoplasm, dependent on septation initiation network signaling. The two types of interphase nodes follow parallel branches of the pathway to prepare nodes for cytokinesis.
Project description:The final step in post-translational processing of Ras and Rho GTPases involves methylation of the prenylated cysteine residue by an isoprenylcysteine-O-carboxyl methyltransferase (ICMT). ICMT activity is essential for cell growth and development in higher eukaryotes, and inhibition of GTPase methylation has become an attractive target in cancer therapy to inactivate prenylated oncoproteins. However, the specificity and dynamics of the GTPase methylation process remain to be fully clarified. Notably, cells lacking Mam4, the ICMT ortholog in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, are viable. We have exploited this feature to analyze the role of methylation on GTPase localization and function. We show that methylation differentially affects GTPase membrane localization, being particularly relevant for plasma membrane tethering and downstream signaling of palmitoylated and farnesylated GTPases Ras1 and Rho2 lacking C-terminal polybasic motifs. Indeed, Ras1 and Rho2 cysteine methylation is required for proper regulation of differentiation elicited by MAPK Spk1 and for stress-dependent activation of the cell integrity pathway (CIP) and its main effector MAPK Pmk1. Further, Mam4 negatively regulates TORC2 signaling by a cross-inhibitory mechanism relying on Rho GTPase methylation. These results highlight the requirement for a tight control of GTPase methylation in vivo to allow adequate GTPase function.
Project description:Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) is a conserved chromosomal protein with important roles in chromatin packaging and gene silencing. In fission yeast, two HP1 family proteins, Swi6 and Chp2, are involved in transcriptional silencing at heterochromatic regions, but how they function and whether they act cooperatively or differentially in heterochromatin assembly remain elusive. Here, we show that both Swi6 and Chp2 are required for the assembly of fully repressive heterochromatin, in which they play distinct, nonoverlapping roles. Swi6 is expressed abundantly and plays a dose-dependent role in forming a repressive structure through its self-association property. In contrast, Chp2, expressed at a lower level, does not show a simple dose-dependent repressive activity. However, it contributes to the recruitment of chromatin-modulating factors Clr3 and Epe1 and possesses a novel ability to bind the chromatin-enriched nuclear subfraction that is closely linked with its silencing function. Finally, we demonstrate that a proper balance between Swi6 and Chp2 is critical for heterochromatin assembly. Our findings provide novel insight into the distinct and cooperative functions of multiple HP1 family proteins in the formation of higher-order chromatin structure.
Project description:Cell division in many eukaryotes is driven by a ring containing actin and myosin. While much is known about the main proteins involved, the precise arrangement of actin filaments within the contractile machinery, and how force is transmitted to the membrane, remains unclear. Here we use cryosectioning and cryofocused ion beam milling to gain access to cryopreserved actomyosin rings in Schizosaccharomyces pombe for direct 3D imaging by electron cryotomography. Our results show that straight, overlapping actin filaments, running nearly parallel to each other and to the membrane, form a loose bundle of ∼150 nm in diameter that "saddles" the inward-bending membrane at the leading edge of the division septum. The filaments do not make direct contact with the membrane. Our analysis of the actin filaments reveals the variability in filament number, nearest-neighbor distances between filaments within the bundle, their distance from the membrane, and angular distribution with respect to the membrane.
Project description:In eukaryotes, the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk1p (Cdc2p) plays a central role in entry into and progression through nuclear division during mitosis and meiosis. Cdk1p is activated during meiotic nuclear divisions by dephosphorylation of its tyrosine-15 residue. The phosphorylation status of this residue is largely determined by the Wee1p kinase and the Cdc25p phosphatase. In fission yeast, the forkhead-type transcription factor Mei4p is essential for entry into the first meiotic nuclear division. We recently identified cdc25(+) as an essential target of Mei4p in the control of entry into meiosis I. Here, we show that wee1(+) is another important target of Mei4p in the control of entry into meiosis I. Mei4p bound to the upstream region of wee1(+) in vivo and in vitro and inhibited expression of wee1(+), whereas Mei4p positively regulated expression of the adjacent pseudogene. Overexpression of Mei4p inhibited expression of wee1(+) and induced that of the pseudogene. Conversely, deletion of Mei4p did not decrease expression of wee1(+) but inhibited that of the pseudogene. In addition, deletion of Mei4p-binding regions delayed repression of wee1(+) expression as well as induction of expression of the pseudogene. These results suggest that repression of wee1(+) expression is primarily owing to Mei4p-mediated transcriptional interference.
Project description:During meiosis, the centrosome/spindle pole body (SPB) must be regulated in a manner distinct from that of mitosis to achieve a specialized cell division that will produce gametes. In this paper, we demonstrate that several SPB components are localized to SPBs in a meiosis-specific manner in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. SPB components, such as Cut12, Pcp1, and Spo15, which stay on the SPB during the mitotic cell cycle, disassociate from the SPB during meiotic prophase and then return to the SPB immediately before the onset of meiosis I. Interestingly, the polo kinase Plo1, which normally localizes to the SPB during mitosis, is excluded from them in meiotic prophase, when meiosis-specific, horse-tail nuclear movement occurs. We found that exclusion of Plo1 during this period was essential to properly remodel SPBs, because artificial targeting of Plo1 to SPBs resulted in an overduplication of SPBs. We also found that the centrin Cdc31 was required for meiotic SPB remodeling. Thus Plo1 and a centrin play central roles in the meiotic SPB remodeling, which is essential for generating the proper number of meiotic SPBs and, thereby provide unique characteristics to meiotic divisions.
Project description:Lateral diffusion barriers compartmentalize membranes to generate polarity or asymmetrically partition membrane-associated macromolecules. Budding yeasts assemble such barriers in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the outer nuclear envelope at the bud neck to retain aging factors in the mother cell and generate naïve and rejuvenated daughter cells. However, little is known about whether other organelles are similarly compartmentalized. Here, we show that the membranes of mitochondria are laterally compartmentalized at the bud neck and near the cell poles. The barriers in the inner mitochondrial membrane are constitutive, whereas those in the outer membrane form in response to stresses. The strength of mitochondrial diffusion barriers is regulated positively by spatial cues from the septin axis and negatively by retrograde (RTG) signaling. These data indicate that mitochondria are compartmentalized in a fission-independent manner. We propose that these diffusion barriers promote mitochondrial polarity and contribute to mitochondrial quality control.
Project description:The COP9/signalosome complex is highly conserved in evolution and possesses significant structural similarity to the 19S regulatory lid complex of the proteasome. It also shares limited similarity to the translation initiation factor eIF3. The signalosome interacts with multiple cullins in mammalian cells. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the Csn1 subunit is required for the removal of covalently attached Nedd8 from Pcu1, one of three S. pombe cullins. It remains unclear whether this activity is required for all the functions ascribed to the signalosome. We previously identified Csn1 and Csn2 as signalosome subunits in S. pombe. csn1 and csn2 null mutants are DNA damage sensitive and exhibit slow DNA replication. Two further putative subunits, Csn4 and Csn5, were identified from the S. pombe genome database. Herein, we characterize null mutations of csn4 and csn5 and demonstrate that both genes are required for removal of Nedd8 from the S. pombe cullin Pcu1 and that their protein products associate with Csn1 and Csn2. However, neither csn4 nor csn5 null mutants share the csn1 and csn2 mutant phenotypes. Our data suggest that the subunits of the signalosome cannot be considered as a distinct functional unit and imply that different subunits of the signalosome mediate distinct functions.
Project description:The meiotic cohesin Rec8 is required for the stepwise segregation of chromosomes during the two rounds of meiotic division. By directly measuring chromosome compaction in living cells of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we found an additional role for the meiotic cohesin in the compaction of chromosomes during meiotic prophase. In the absence of Rec8, chromosomes were decompacted relative to those of wild-type cells. Conversely, loss of the cohesin-associated protein Pds5 resulted in hypercompaction. Although this hypercompaction requires Rec8, binding of Rec8 to chromatin was reduced in the absence of Pds5, indicating that Pds5 promotes chromosome association of Rec8. To explain these observations, we propose that meiotic prophase chromosomes are organized as chromatin loops emanating from a Rec8-containing axis: the absence of Rec8 disrupts the axis, resulting in disorganized chromosomes, whereas reduced Rec8 loading results in a longitudinally compacted axis with fewer attachment points and longer chromatin loops.