The Caenorhabditis elegans Aurora B kinase AIR-2 phosphorylates and is required for the localization of a BimC kinesin to meiotic and mitotic spindles.

ABSTRACT: BimC kinesins are required for mitotic spindle assembly in a variety of organisms. These proteins are localized to centrosomes, spindle microtubules, and the spindle midzone. We have previously shown that the Caenorhabditis elegans Aurora B kinase AIR-2 is required for the localization of the ZEN-4 kinesin protein to midzone microtubules. To determine whether the association of BimC kinesins with spindle microtubules is also dependent on AIR-2, we examined the expression pattern of BMK-1, a C. elegans BimC kinesin, in wild-type and AIR-2-deficient embryos. BMK-1 is highly expressed in the hermaphrodite gonad and is localized to meiotic spindle microtubules in the newly fertilized embryo. In mitotic embryos, BMK-1 is associated with spindle microtubules from prophase through anaphase and is

SUBMITTER: Bishop JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC545908 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature