Dataset Information

Identification of the augmin complex in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans.

ABSTRACT: Augmin is a protein complex that binds to spindle microtubules (MTs), recruits the potent MT nucleator, ?-tubulin, and thereby promotes the centrosome-independent MT generation within mitotic and meiotic spindles. Augmin is essential for acentrosomal spindle assembly, which is commonly observed during mitosis in plants and meiosis in female animals. In many animal somatic cells that possess centrosomes, the centrosome- and augmin-dependent mechanisms work cooperatively for efficient spindle assembly and cytokinesis. Yeasts have lost the augmin genes during evolution. It is hypothesized that their robust MT nucleation from the spindle pole body (SPB), the centrosome-equivalent structure in fungi, compensates for the lack of augmin. Intriguingly, however, a gene homologous to an augmin subunit (Aug6/AUGF) has been found in the genome of filamentous fungi, which has the SPB as a robust MT nucleation centre. Here, we aimed to clarify if the augmin complex is present in filamentous fungi and to identify its role in mitosis. By analysing the Aug6-like gene in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans, we found that it forms a large complex with several other proteins that share weak but significant homology to known augmin subunits. In A. nidulans, augmin was enriched at the SPB and also associated with spindle MTs during mitosis. However, the augmin gene disruptants did not exhibit growth defects under normal, checkpoint-deficient, or MT-destabilised conditions. Moreover, we obtained no evidence that A. nidulans augmin plays a role in ?-tubulin recruitment or in mitotic cell division. Our study uncovered the conservation of the augmin complex in the fungal species, and further suggests that augmin has several functions, besides mitotic spindle MT nucleation, that are yet to be identified.

SUBMITTER: Edzuka T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4086812 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Identification of the augmin complex in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans.

Edzuka Tomoya T Yamada Lixy L Kanamaru Kyoko K Sawada Hitoshi H Goshima Gohta G

PloS one 20140708 7

Augmin is a protein complex that binds to spindle microtubules (MTs), recruits the potent MT nucleator, γ-tubulin, and thereby promotes the centrosome-independent MT generation within mitotic and meiotic spindles. Augmin is essential for acentrosomal spindle assembly, which is commonly observed during mitosis in plants and meiosis in female animals. In many animal somatic cells that possess centrosomes, the centrosome- and augmin-dependent mechanisms work cooperatively for efficient spindle asse ...[more]

PMID: 25003582

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Project description:Microarray analysis was used to identify the calcium-responsive genes dependent on CrzA in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. In order to identify such genes, we conducted the two types of experiment. One was a comparison between wild type with calcium treatment and wild type without calcium treatment. Another was a comparison between wild type with calcium treatment and crzA mutant with calcium treatment. From a comparison between the results of these experiments, we could identify the genes whose expression was induced or repressed in response to calcium in a manner dependent on CrzA. KEY WORD; Aspergillus nidulans, calcium response, crzA Conidia of wild type or crzA mutant strains were incubated at 37C in CD medium for 18h and treated with or without calcium (final concentration; 50 mM) for 15 min. The mycelia were harvested and frozen in liquid nitrogen, ground to a powder, and used for RNA preparation. mRNA was purified and used for hybridization experiments. A total of 2 hybridizations were performed for each microarray experiment described in the summary. The following replicates were carried out: 1. In-slide replicates were carried out for each analyses. 2. Dye swap replicates were carried out for each analyses. The slides were scanned with an Axon GenePix 4000B scanner (Molecular Devices). The resulting TIFF images were imported into GenePix Pro and fluorescent intensity of spots were calculated for each of the Cy3 and Cy5 channels. Global normalization was applied to all analyses. Following normalization, spots whose Cy3 or Cy5 intensity was less than 0 were removed from the data set (the exceptional case was that intensity of the other channel was more than 100). The dye-swap replicates and in-slide replicates were subjected to all analyses. Finally, gene expression ratios (channel 2/channel 1) were calculated for each replicates. Gene expression was considered to be significantly higher or lower whenever the spot intensity changed by at least 2-fold in all four replicates.

Dataset Information

Identification of the augmin complex in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans.

Publications

Identification of the augmin complex in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans.

Similar Datasets

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