Fission yeast Pcp1 links polo kinase-mediated mitotic entry to gamma-tubulin-dependent spindle formation.

ABSTRACT: The centrosomal pericentrin-related proteins play pivotal roles in various aspects of cell division; however their underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. Here we show that fission-yeast pericentrin-like Pcp1 regulates multiple functions of the spindle pole body (SPB) through recruiting two critical factors, the gamma-tubulin complex (gamma-TuC) and polo kinase (Plo1). We isolated two pcp1 mutants (pcp1-15 and pcp1-18) that display similar abnormal spindles, but with remarkably different molecular defects. Both mutants exhibit defective monopolar spindle microtubules that emanate from the mother SPB. However, while pcp1-15 fails to localise the gamma-TuC to the mitotic SPB, pcp1-18 is specifically defective in recruiting Plo1. Consistently Pcp1 forms a complex with both gamma-TuC and

SUBMITTER: Fong CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2788132 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature