Minus-end-directed Kinesin-14 motors align antiparallel microtubules to control metaphase spindle length

Kinesin-8 effects on mitotic microtubule dynamics contribute to spindle function in fission yeast

Kinesin-8 motor proteins destabilize microtubules and increase chromosome loss in mitosis. In fission yeast, aberrant microtubule-driven kinetochore pushing movements, tripolar mitotic spindles, and fluctuations in metaphase spindle length occurred in kinesin-8–deletion mutants. A mathematical model can explain these results.

Kinesin-8 motor proteins destabilize microtubules. Their absence during cell division is associated with disorganized mitotic chromosome movements and chromosome loss. Despite recent work studying effects of kinesin-8s on microtubule dynamics, it remains unclear whether the kinesin-8 mitotic phenotypes are consequences of their effect on microtubule dynamics, their well-established motor activity, or additional, unknown functions. To better understand the role of kinesin-8 proteins in mitosis, we studied the effects of deletion of the fission yeast kinesin-8 proteins Klp5 and Klp6 on chromosome movements and spindle length dynamics. Aberrant microtubule-driven kinetochore pushing movements and tripolar mitotic spindles occurred in cells lacking Klp5 but not Klp6. Kinesin-8–deletion strains showed large fluctuations in metaphase spindle length, suggesting a disruption of spindle length stabilization. Comparison of our results from light microscopy with a mathematical model suggests that kinesin-8–induced effects on microtubule dynamics, kinetochore attachment stability, and sliding force in the spindle can explain the aberrant chromosome movements and spindle length fluctuations seen.

The negatively charged carboxy-terminal tail of β-tubulin promotes proper chromosome segregation

Microtubules are essential for chromosome segregation. A study of the mechanistic contributions of tubulin proteins identifies a specific role for the negatively charged carboxy-terminal tail domain of b-tubulin in positioning kinetochores in the mitotic spindle and ensuring efficient and accurate chromosome segregation.

Despite the broadly conserved role of microtubules in chromosome segregation, we have a limited understanding of how molecular features of tubulin proteins contribute to the underlying mechanisms. Here we investigate the negatively charged carboxy-terminal tail domains (CTTs) of α- and β-tubulins, using a series of mutants that alter or ablate CTTs in budding yeast. We find that ablating β-CTT causes elevated rates of chromosome loss and cell cycle delay. Complementary live-cell imaging and electron tomography show that β-CTT is necessary to properly position kinetochores and organize microtubules within the assembling spindle. We identify a minimal region of negatively charged amino acids that is necessary and sufficient for proper chromosome segregation and provide evidence that this function may be conserved across species. Our results provide the first in vivo evidence of a specific role for tubulin CTTs in chromosome segregation. We propose that β-CTT promotes the ordered segregation of chromosomes by stabilizing the spindle and contributing to forces that move chromosomes toward the spindle poles.

The Maize Divergent spindle-1 (dv1) Gene Encodes a Kinesin-14A Motor Protein Required for Meiotic Spindle Pole Organization

The classic maize mutant divergent spindle-1 (dv1) causes failures in meiotic spindle assembly and a decrease in pollen viability. By analyzing two independent dv1 alleles we demonstrate that this phenotype is caused by mutations in a member of the kinesin-14A subfamily, a class of C-terminal, minus-end directed microtubule motors. Further analysis demonstrates that defects in early spindle assembly are rare, but that later stages of spindle organization promoting the formation of finely focused spindle poles are strongly dependent on Dv1. Anaphase is error-prone in dv1 lines but not severely so, and the majority of cells show normal chromosome segregation. Live-cell imaging of wild type and mutant plants carrying CFP-tagged β-tubulin confirm that meiosis in dv1 lines fails primarily at the pole-sharpening phase of spindle assembly. These data indicate that plant kinesin-14A proteins help to enforce bipolarity by focusing spindle poles and that this stage of spindle assembly is not required for transition through the spindle checkpoint but improves the accuracy of chromosome segregation.

Control of microtubule organization and dynamics: two ends in the limelight

Microtubules have fundamental roles in many essential biological processes, including cell division and intracellular transport. They assemble and disassemble from their two ends, denoted the plus end and the minus end. Significant advances have been made in our understanding of microtubule plus-end-tracking proteins (+TIPs) such as end-binding protein 1 (EB1), XMAP215, selected kinesins and dynein. By contrast, information on microtubule minus-end-targeting proteins (-TIPs), such as the calmodulin-regulated spectrin-associated proteins (CAMSAPs) and Patronin, has only recently started to emerge. Here, we review our current knowledge of factors, including microtubule-targeting agents, that associate with microtubule ends to control the dynamics and function of microtubules during the cell cycle and development.

Intercentrosomal angular separation during mitosis plays a crucial role for maintaining spindle stability

Cell division through proper spindle formation is one of the key puzzles in cell biology. In most mammalian cells, chromosomes spontaneously arrange to achieve a stable bipolar spindle during metaphase which eventually ensures proper segregation of the DNA into the daughter cells. In this paper, we present a robust three-dimensional mechanistic model to investigate the formation and maintenance of a bipolar mitotic spindle in mammalian cells under different physiological constraints. Using realistic parameters, we test spindle viability by measuring the spindle length and studying the chromosomal configuration. The model strikingly predicts a feature of the spindle instability arising from the insufficient intercentrosomal angular separation and impaired sliding of the interpolar microtubules. In addition, our model successfully reproduces chromosomal patterns observed in mammalian cells, when activity of different motor proteins is perturbed.

Clustering of a kinesin-14 motor enables processive retrograde microtubule-based transport in plants

The molecular motors kinesin and dynein drive bidirectional motility along microtubules (MTs) in most eukaryotic cells. Land plants, however, are a notable exception, because they contain a large number of kinesins but lack cytoplasmic dynein, the foremost processive retrograde transporter. It remains unclear how plants achieve retrograde cargo transport without dynein. Here, we have analysed the motility of the six members of minus-end-directed kinesin-14 motors in the moss Physcomitrella patens and found that none are processive as native dimers. However, when artificially clustered into as little as dimer of dimers, the type-VI kinesin-14 (a homologue of Arabidopsis KCBP (kinesin-like calmodulin binding protein)) exhibited highly processive and fast motility (up to 0.6 μm s^-1). Multiple kin14-VI dimers attached to liposomes also induced transport of this membrane cargo over several microns. Consistent with these results, in vivo observations of green fluorescent protein-tagged kin14-VI in moss cells revealed fluorescent punctae that moved processively towards the minus-ends of the cytoplasmic MTs. These data suggest that clustering of a kinesin-14 motor serves as a dynein-independent mechanism for retrograde transport in plants.

Loss of kinesin-14 results in aneuploidy via kinesin-5-dependent microtubule protrusions leading to chromosome cut

Aneuploidy – chromosome instability leading to incorrect chromosome number in dividing cells – can arise from defects in centrosome duplication, bipolar spindle formation, kinetochore-microtubule attachment, chromatid cohesion, mitotic checkpoint monitoring, or cytokinesis. As most tumors show some degree of aneuploidy, mechanistic understanding of these pathways has been an intense area of research to provide potential therapeutics. Here, we present a mechanism for aneuploidy in fission yeast based on spindle pole microtubule defocusing by loss of kinesin-14 Pkl1, leading to kinesin-5 Cut7-dependent aberrant long spindle microtubule minus end protrusions that push the properly segregated chromosomes to the site of cell division, resulting in chromosome cut at cytokinesis. Pkl1 localization and function at the spindle pole is mutually dependent on spindle pole-associated protein Msd1. This mechanism of aneuploidy bypasses the known spindle assembly checkpoint that monitors chromosome segregation.

Candida albicans Kinesin Kar3 Depends on a Cik1-Like Regulatory Partner Protein for Its Roles in Mating, Cell Morphogenesis, and Bipolar Spindle Formation

Candida albicans is a major fungal pathogen whose virulence is associated with its ability to transition from a budding yeast form to invasive hyphal filaments. The kinesin-14 family member CaKar3 is required for transition between these morphological states, as well as for mitotic progression and karyogamy. While kinesin-14 proteins are ubiquitous, CaKar3 homologs in hemiascomycete fungi are unique because they form heterodimers with noncatalytic kinesin-like proteins. Thus, CaKar3-based motors may represent a novel antifungal drug target. We have identified and examined the roles of a kinesin-like regulator of CaKar3. We show that orf19.306 (dubbed CaCIK1) encodes a protein that forms a heterodimer with CaKar3, localizes CaKar3 to spindle pole bodies, and can bind microtubules and influence CaKar3 mechanochemistry despite lacking an ATPase activity of its own. Similar to CaKar3 depletion, loss of CaCik1 results in cell cycle arrest, filamentation defects, and an inability to undergo karyogamy. Furthermore, an examination of the spindle structure in cells lacking either of these proteins shows that a large proportion have a monopolar spindle or two dissociated half-spindles, a phenotype unique to the C. albicans kinesin-14 homolog. These findings provide new insights into mitotic spindle structure and kinesin motor function in C. albicans and identify a potentially vulnerable target for antifungal drug development.

Mitosis, diffusible crosslinkers, and the ideal gas law

During mitosis, molecular motors hydrolyze ATP to generate sliding forces between adjacent microtubules and form the bipolar mitotic spindle. Lansky et al. now show that the diffusible microtubule crosslinker Ase1p can generate sliding forces between adjacent microtubules, and it does so without ATP hydrolysis.