scholarly journals Microtubule plus-tips act as signaling hubs for positioning the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikash Verma ◽  
Thomas J. Maresca

ABSTRACTCell division in animal cells culminates with the formation of a contractile ring that divides the cytosol through formation of a cleavage furrow. Microtubules (MTs) are essential for furrow positioning, but the molecular nature of MT-derived spatial signals is unresolved. In this study essential cytokinesis regulators (the centralspindlin complex, aurora B kinase (ABK), and polo kinase) were visualized in Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) cells and found localize to and track MT plus-ends during cytokinesis. The RhoA GEF Pebble (Dm ECT2) did not robustly tip-track but became enriched at MT plus-tips rapidly following cortical contact resulting in RhoA activation and enrichment of myosin-regulatory light chain. Abrogation of cytokinesis regulator tip-tracking by EB1 depletion or deletion of a novel EB1-interaction motif (hxxPTxh) in the centralspindlin component RacGAP50C resulted in higher incidences of cytokinesis failure. We propose that EB1-dependent, MT plus-tip-based signaling hubs recruit cortical Dm ECT2 upon contact to locally activate RhoA.

2019 ◽  
Vol 218 (4) ◽  
pp. 1250-1264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid E. Adriaans ◽  
Angika Basant ◽  
Bas Ponsioen ◽  
Michael Glotzer ◽  
Susanne M.A. Lens

Cytokinesis begins upon anaphase onset. An early step involves local activation of the small GTPase RhoA, which triggers assembly of an actomyosin-based contractile ring at the equatorial cortex. Here, we delineated the contributions of PLK1 and Aurora B to RhoA activation and cytokinesis initiation in human cells. Knock-down of PRC1, which disrupts the spindle midzone, revealed the existence of two pathways that can initiate cleavage furrow ingression. One pathway depends on a well-organized spindle midzone and PLK1, while the other depends on Aurora B activity and centralspindlin at the equatorial cortex and can operate independently of PLK1. We further show that PLK1 inhibition sequesters centralspindlin onto the spindle midzone, making it unavailable for Aurora B at the equatorial cortex. We propose that PLK1 activity promotes the release of centralspindlin from the spindle midzone through inhibition of PRC1, allowing centralspindlin to function as a regulator of spindle midzone formation and as an activator of RhoA at the equatorial cortex.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid E. Adriaans ◽  
Angika Basant ◽  
Bas Ponsioen ◽  
Michael Glotzer ◽  
Susanne M. A. Lens

AbstractCytokinesis starts in anaphase with the formation of an actomyosin-based contractile ring at the equatorial cortex, which is governed by the local activation of the small GTPase RhoA. Here we delineated the contributions of PLK1 and Aurora B to RhoA activation and cytokinesis initiation in human cells. Knock-down of PRC1, which disrupts the spindle midzone, revealed the existence of two pathways that can initiate cleavage furrow ingression. One pathway depends on a well-organized spindle midzone and PLK1, while the other depends on Aurora B activity and centralspindlin oligomerization at the equatorial cortex and can operate independently of PLK1. We further show that PLK1 inhibition sequesters centralspindlin onto the spindle midzone making it unavailable for Aurora B-dependent oligomerization at the equatorial cortex. We propose that PLK1 activity promotes the release of centralspindlin from the spindle midzone through inhibition of PRC1, allowing centralspindlin to function as a regulator of spindle midzone formation and as an activator of RhoA at the equatorial cortex.


eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikash Verma ◽  
Thomas J Maresca

Microtubules (MTs) are essential for cleavage furrow positioning during cytokinesis, but the mechanisms by which MT-derived signals spatially define regions of cortical contractility are unresolved. In this study cytokinesis regulators visualized in Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) cells were found to localize to and track MT plus-ends during cytokinesis. The RhoA GEF Pebble (Dm ECT2) did not evidently tip-track, but rather localized rapidly to cortical sites contacted by MT plus-tips, resulting in RhoA activation and enrichment of myosin-regulatory light chain. The MT plus-end localization of centralspindlin was compromised following EB1 depletion, which resulted in a higher incidence of cytokinesis failure. Centralspindlin plus-tip localization depended on the C-terminus and a putative EB1-interaction motif (hxxPTxh) in RacGAP50C. We propose that MT plus-end-associated centralspindlin recruits a cortical pool of Dm ECT2 upon physical contact to activate RhoA and to trigger localized contractility.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3532-3545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Surka ◽  
Christopher W. Tsang ◽  
William S. Trimble

Cytokinesis in animal cells involves the contraction of an actomyosin ring formed at the cleavage furrow. Nuclear division, or karyokinesis, must be precisely timed to occur before cytokinesis in order to prevent genetic anomalies that would result in either cell death or uncontrolled cell division. The septin family of GTPase proteins has been shown to be important for cytokinesis although little is known about their role during this process. Here we investigate the distribution and function of the mammalian septin MSF. We show that during interphase, MSF colocalizes with actin, microtubules, and another mammalian septin, Nedd5, and coprecipitates with six septin proteins. In addition, transfections of various MSF isoforms reveal that MSF-A specifically localizes with microtubules and that this localization is disrupted by nocodazole treatment. Furthermore, MSF isoforms localize primarily with tubulin at the central spindle during mitosis, whereas Nedd5 is mainly associated with actin. Microinjection of affinity-purified anti-MSF antibodies into synchronized cells, or depletion of MSF by small interfering RNAs, results in the accumulation of binucleated cells and in cells that have arrested during cytokinesis. These results reveal that MSF is required for the completion of cytokinesis and suggest a role that is distinct from that of Nedd5.


2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (16) ◽  
pp. 3646-3659 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Adam Bohnert ◽  
Jun-Song Chen ◽  
Dawn M. Clifford ◽  
Craig W. Vander Kooi ◽  
Kathleen L. Gould

The chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) regulates various events in cell division. This complex is composed of a catalytic subunit, Aurora B kinase, and three nonenzymatic subunits, INCENP, Survivin, and Borealin. Together, these four subunits interdependently regulate CPC function, and they are highly conserved among eukaryotes. However, a Borealin homologue has never been characterized in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe . Here, we isolate a previously uncharacterized S. pombe protein through association with the Cdc14 phosphatase homologue, Clp1/Flp1, and identify it as a Borealin-like member of the CPC. Nbl1 (novel Borealin-like 1) physically associates with known CPC components, affects the kinase activity and stability of the S. pombe Aurora B homologue, Ark1, colocalizes with known CPC subunits during mitosis, and shows sequence similarity to human Borealin. Further analysis of the Clp1–Nbl1 interaction indicates that Clp1 requires CPC activity for proper accumulation at the contractile ring (CR). Consistent with this, we describe negative genetic interactions between mutant alleles of CPC and CR components. Thus, this study characterizes a fission yeast Borealin homologue and reveals a previously unrecognized connection between the CPC and the process of cytokinesis in S. pombe .


Open Biology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 160257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Sechi ◽  
Anna Frappaolo ◽  
Roberta Fraschini ◽  
Luisa Capalbo ◽  
Marco Gottardo ◽  
...  

Cytokinesis requires a tight coordination between actomyosin ring constriction and new membrane addition along the ingressing cleavage furrow. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying vesicle trafficking to the equatorial site and how this process is coupled with the dynamics of the contractile apparatus are poorly defined. Here we provide evidence for the requirement of Rab1 during cleavage furrow ingression in cytokinesis. We demonstrate that the gene omelette ( omt ) encodes the Drosophila orthologue of human Rab1 and is required for successful cytokinesis in both mitotic and meiotic dividing cells of Drosophila melanogaster . We show that Rab1 protein colocalizes with the conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex Cog7 subunit and the phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate effector GOLPH3 at the Golgi stacks. Analysis by transmission electron microscopy and 3D-SIM super-resolution microscopy reveals loss of normal Golgi architecture in omt mutant spermatocytes indicating a role for Rab1 in Golgi formation. In dividing cells, Rab1 enables stabilization and contraction of actomyosin rings. We further demonstrate that GTP-bound Rab1 directly interacts with GOLPH3 and controls its localization at the Golgi and at the cleavage site . We propose that Rab1, by associating with GOLPH3, controls membrane trafficking and contractile ring constriction during cytokinesis.


2008 ◽  
Vol 181 (5) ◽  
pp. 777-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Albertson ◽  
Jian Cao ◽  
Tao-shih Hsieh ◽  
William Sullivan

During cytokinesis, cleavage furrow invagination requires an actomyosin-based contractile ring and addition of new membrane. Little is known about how this actin and membrane traffic to the cleavage furrow. We address this through live analysis of fluorescently tagged vesicles in postcellularized Drosophila melanogaster embryos. We find that during cytokinesis, F-actin and membrane are targeted as a unit to invaginating furrows through formation of F-actin–associated vesicles. F-actin puncta strongly colocalize with endosomal, but not Golgi-derived, vesicles. These vesicles are recruited to the cleavage furrow along the central spindle and a distinct population of microtubules (MTs) in contact with the leading furrow edge (furrow MTs). We find that Rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor mutants, pebble (pbl), severely disrupt this F-actin–associated vesicle transport. These transport defects are a consequence of the pbl mutants' inability to properly form furrow MTs and the central spindle. Transport of F-actin–associated vesicles on furrow MTs and the central spindle is thus an important mechanism by which actin and membrane are delivered to the cleavage furrow.


1998 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
pp. 659-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mar Carmena ◽  
Maria Giovanna Riparbelli ◽  
Gianluca Minestrini ◽  
Álvaro M. Tavares ◽  
Richard Adams ◽  
...  

A number of lines of evidence point to a predominance of cytokinesis defects in spermatogenesis in hypomorphic alleles of the Drosophila polo gene. In the pre-meiotic mitoses, cytokinesis defects result in cysts of primary spermatocytes with reduced numbers of cells that can contain multiple centrosomes. These are connected by a correspondingly reduced number of ring canals, structures formed by the stabilization of the cleavage furrow. The earliest defects during the meiotic divisions are a failure to form the correct mid-zone and mid-body structures at telophase. This is accompanied by a failure to correctly localize the Pavarotti kinesin- like protein that functions in cytokinesis, and of the septin Peanut and of actin to be incorporated into a contractile ring. In spite of these defects, cyclin B is degraded and the cells exit M phase. The resulting spermatids are frequently binuclear or tetranuclear, in which case they develop either two or four axonemes, respectively. A significant proportion of spermatids in which cytokinesis has failed may also show the segregation defects previously ascribed to polo1 mutants. We discuss these findings in respect to conserved functions for the Polo-like kinases in regulating progression through M phase, including the earliest events of cytokinesis.


Biology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikash Verma ◽  
Alex Mogilner ◽  
Thomas J. Maresca

The primary goal of cytokinesis is to produce two daughter cells, each having a full set of chromosomes. To achieve this, cells assemble a dynamic structure between segregated sister chromatids called the contractile ring, which is made up of filamentous actin, myosin-II, and other regulatory proteins. Constriction of the actomyosin ring generates a cleavage furrow that divides the cytoplasm to produce two daughter cells. Decades of research have identified key regulators and underlying molecular mechanisms; however, many fundamental questions remain unanswered and are still being actively investigated. This review summarizes the key findings, computational modeling, and recent advances in understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control the formation of the cleavage furrow and cytokinesis.


2004 ◽  
Vol 166 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihiro H. Inoue ◽  
Matthew S. Savoian ◽  
Takao Suzuki ◽  
Endre Máthé ◽  
Masa-Toshi Yamamoto ◽  
...  

We address the relative roles of astral and central spindle microtubules (MTs) in cytokinesis of Drosophila melanogaster primary spermatocytes. Time-lapse imaging studies reveal that the central spindle is comprised of two MT populations, “interior” central spindle MTs found within the spindle envelope and “peripheral” astral MTs that probe the cytoplasm and initiate cleavage furrows where they contact the cortex and form overlapping bundles. The MT-associated protein Orbit/Mast/CLASP concentrates on interior rather than peripheral central spindle MTs. Interior MTs are preferentially affected in hypomorphic orbit mutants, and consequently the interior central spindle fails to form or is unstable. In contrast, peripheral MTs still probe the cortex and form regions of overlap that recruit the Pav-KLP motor and Aurora B kinase. orbit mutants have disorganized or incomplete anillin and actin rings, and although cleavage furrows initiate, they ultimately regress. Our work identifies a new function for Orbit/Mast/CLASP and identifies a novel MT population involved in cleavage furrow initiation.


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