Loss of KNTC1 Triggers a 53BP1 and USP28 Dependent Cell Cycle Arrest Without Prolonged Mitotic Delays
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Accurate and efficient mitosis is the hallmark of animal cycling cells. While the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) ensures mitotic fidelity by delaying mitotic progression, a SAC-independent surveillance program is known to monitor the duration – without affecting the progression – of mitosis. This pathway, mediated by 53BP1, USP28, and p53, induces post-mitotic arrest in daughter cells following mitoses that exceed a defined temporal threshold. To uncover additional inputs into this pathway, we performed genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens in wild-type, p53-/-, and USP28-/- human cells. Among genes selectively required in wild-type cells, we identified two components of the RZZ kinetochore complex—KNTC1 (ROD) and ZWILCH—as high-confidence hits. Remarkably, depleting KNTC1, which impaired SAC maintenance, triggered a robust 53BP1, USP28, and p53-dependent arrest without the characteristic mitotic delay. KNTC1-deficent cells could arrest following multiple, consecutive divisions with normal durations, and the last mitosis prior to arrest progressed no differently from the previous. Instead, loss of KNTC1 was found to trigger 53BP1-USP28-p53 complex formation soon after mitotic entry, an indication of pathway activation without prolonged mitosis. These findings suggest that the 53BP1–USP28–p53 surveillance pathway can monitor various mitotic anomalies to safeguard cell fitness.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE306237 | GEO | 2026/03/10
REPOSITORIES: GEO
ACCESS DATA