Cytokinesis: GAP Gap

Microtubules: A Key to Understand and Correct Neuronal Defects in CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder?

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a severe neurodevelopmental encephalopathy caused by mutations in the X-linked CDKL5 gene that encodes a serine/threonine kinase. CDD is characterised by the early onset of seizures and impaired cognitive and motor skills. Loss of CDKL5 in vitro and in vivo affects neuronal morphology at early and late stages of maturation, suggesting a link between CDKL5 and the neuronal cytoskeleton. Recently, various microtubule (MT)-binding proteins have been identified as interactors of CDKL5, indicating that its roles converge on regulating MT functioning. MTs are dynamic structures that are important for neuronal morphology, migration and polarity. The delicate control of MT dynamics is fundamental for proper neuronal functions, as evidenced by the fact that aberrant MT dynamics are involved in various neurological disorders. In this review, we highlight the link between CDKL5 and MTs, discussing how CDKL5 deficiency may lead to deranged neuronal functions through aberrant MT dynamics. Finally, we discuss whether the regulation of MT dynamics through microtubule-targeting agents may represent a novel strategy for future pharmacological approaches in the CDD field.

Electron tomographic analysis of cytokinesis in the brown alga Silvetia babingtonii (Fucales, Phaeophyceae)

In brown algae, membrane resources for the new cell partition during cytokinesis are mainly flat cisternae (FCs) and Golgi-derived vesicles. We used electron tomography coupled with rapid freezing/freeze substitution of zygotes to clarify the structure of transient membrane compartments during cytokinesis in Silvetia zygotes. After mitosis, an amorphous membranous structure, considered to be an FC intermediate was observed near endoplasmic reticulum clusters, lying between two daughter nuclei. FCs were arrayed at the cytokinetic plane, and a tubular membranous network was formed around them. This network might be formed by the consecutive fusion of spherical vesicles that are linked to the edges of FCs to form a membranous network (MN). At the initial stage of the formation of a membranous sac (MS) from the MN, the MS had flat and swollen parts, with the latter showing membranous tunnels. Coated pits were detected with high frequency at the swollen parts of the MS. This observation indicated that membranous tunnels disappeared by recycling of excess membrane via endocytosis, and the swollen part became flat. The MN appeared at the edges of the growing MS. MN and the MN-MS complex were observed along the cytokinetic plane in several spaces. The MS expanded by the incorporation of MN or other MS in its neighborhood. With the maturation of the new cell partition membrane, the thickness of the MS became constant and the membrane cavity disappeared. The changes in the surface area and volume of the transient membrane compartment during cytokinesis were analyzed from the tomographic data.

A complex of p190RhoGAP-A and anillin modulates RhoA-GTP and the cytokinetic furrow in human cells

The cytokinetic furrow is organized by the RhoA GTPase, which recruits actin and myosin II to the furrow and drives contractility. Here, we show that the RhoA GTPase-activting protein (GAP) p190RhoGAP-A (also known as ARHGAP35) has a role in cytokinesis and is involved in regulating levels of RhoA-GTP and contractility. Cells depleted of p190RhoGAP-A accumulate high levels of RhoA-GTP and markers of high RhoA activity in the furrow, resulting in failure of the cytokinetic furrow to progress to abscission. The loss of p190RhoGAP-A can be rescued by a low dose of the myosin II inhibitor blebbistatin, suggesting that cells fail cytokinesis because they have too much myosin activity. p190RhoGAP-A binds the cytokinetic organizer anillin, and mutants of p190RhoGAP-A that are unable to bind anillin or unable to inactivate RhoA fail to rescue cytokinesis defects in p190RhoGAP-A-depleted cells. Taken together, these data demonstrate that a complex of p190RhoGAP-A and anillin modulates RhoA-GTP levels in the cytokinetic furrow to ensure progression of cytokinesis.

MgcRacGAP interacts with cingulin and paracingulin to regulate Rac1 activation and development of the tight junction barrier during epithelial junction assembly

The Rac1 inhibitor MgcRacGAP regulates Rac1 activation and TJ barrier development during junction assembly in epithelial cells. CGN and CGNL1 recruit MgcRacGAP to the TJ and interact with MgcRacGAP.

The regulation of Rho-family GTPases is crucial to direct the formation of cell–cell junctions and tissue barriers. Cingulin (CGN) and paracingulin (CGNL1) control RhoA activation in epithelial cells by interacting with RhoA guanidine exchange factors. CGNL1 depletion also inhibits Rac1 activation during junction assembly. Here we show that, unexpectedly, Madin–Darby canine kidney epithelial cells depleted of both CGN and CGNL1 (double-KD cells) display normal Rac1 activation and tight junction (TJ) formation, despite decreased junctional recruitment of the Rac1 activator Tiam1. The expression of the Rac1 inhibitor MgcRacGAP is decreased in double-KD cells, and the barrier development and Rac1 activation phenotypes are rescued by exogenous expression of MgcRacGAP. MgcRacGAP colocalizes with CGN and CGNL1 at TJs and forms a complex and interacts directly in vitro with CGN and CGNL1. Depletion of either CGN or CGNL1 in epithelial cells results in decreased junctional localization of MgcRacGAP but not of ECT2, a centralspindlin-interacting Rho GEF. These results provide new insight into coordination of Rho-family GTPase activities at junctions, since apical accumulation of CGN and CGNL1 at TJs during junction maturation provides a mechanism to spatially restrict down-regulation of Rac1 activation through the recruitment of MgcRacGAP.

APC(CDH1) targets MgcRacGAP for destruction in the late M phase

Background

Male germ cell RacGTPase activating protein (MgcRacGAP) is an important regulator of the Rho family GTPases — RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 — and is indispensable in cytokinesis and cell cycle progression. Inactivation of RhoA by phosphorylated MgcRacGAP is an essential step in cytokinesis. MgcRacGAP is also involved in G1-S transition and nuclear transport of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3/5 (STAT3/5). Expression of MgcRacGAP is strictly controlled in a cell cycle-dependent manner. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Using MgcRacGAP deletion mutants and the fusion proteins of full-length or partial fragments of MgcRacGAP to mVenus fluorescent protein, we demonstrated that MgcRacGAP is degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in the late M to G1 phase via APC^CDH1. We also identified the critical region for destruction located in the C-terminus of MgcRacGAP, AA537–570, which is necessary and sufficient for CDH1-mediated MgcRacGAP destruction. In addition, we identified a PEST domain-like structure with charged residues in MgcRacGAP and implicate it in effective ubiquitination of MgcRacGAP.

Conclusions/Significance

Our findings not only reveal a novel mechanism for controlling the expression level of MgcRacGAP but also identify a new target of APC^CDH1. Moreover our results identify a C-terminal region AA537–570 of MgcRacGAP as its degron.

CYK4 inhibits Rac1-dependent PAK1 and ARHGEF7 effector pathways during cytokinesis

In mitosis, animal cells lose their adhesion to the surrounding surfaces and become rounded. During mitotic exit, they reestablish these adhesions and at the same time physically contract and divide. How these competing processes are spatially segregated at the cell cortex remains mysterious. To address this question, we define the specific effector pathways used by RhoA and Rac1 in mitotic cells. We demonstrate that the MKlp1-CYK4 centralspindlin complex is a guanosine triphosphatase-activating protein (GAP) for Rac1 and not RhoA and that CYK4 negatively regulated Rac1 activity at the cell equator in anaphase. Cells expressing a CYK4 GAP mutant had defects in cytokinesis and showed elevated staining for the cell adhesion marker vinculin. These defects could be rescued by depletion of ARHGEF7 and p21-activated kinase, Rac1-specific effector proteins required for cell adhesion. Based on these findings, we propose that CYK4 GAP activity is required during anaphase to inhibit Rac1-dependent effector pathways associated with control of cell spreading and adhesion.

Dynein light chain 1 (LC8) association enhances microtubule stability and promotes microtubule bundling

BACKGROUND

Dynein Light Chain 1 (LC8) has been shown to pull down tubulin subunits, suggesting that it interacts with microtubules.

RESULTS

LC8 decorates microtubules in vitro and in Drosophila embryos, promotes microtubule assembly, and stabilizes microtubules both in vitro and in tissue-cultured cells.

CONCLUSION

LC8 stabilizes microtubules.

SIGNIFICANCE

Data provide the first evidence of a novel MAP-like function of LC8. Dynein light chain 1 (LC8), a highly conserved protein, is known to bind to a variety of different polypeptides. It functions as a dimer, which is inactivated through phosphorylation at the Ser-88 residue. A loss of LC8 function causes apoptosis in Drosophila embryos, and its overexpression induces malignant transformation of breast cancer cells. Here we show that LC8 binds to tubulin, promotes microtubule assembly, and induces the bundling of reconstituted microtubules in vitro. Furthermore, LC8 decorates microtubules both in Drosophila embryos and in HeLa cells, increases the microtubule stability, and promotes microtubule bundling in these cells. Microtubule stability influences a number of different cellular functions including mitosis and cell differentiation. The LC8 overexpression reduces the susceptibility of microtubules to cold and nocodazole-induced depolymerization in tissue-cultured cells and increases microtubule acetylation, suggesting that LC8 stabilizes microtubules. We also show that LC8 knockdown or transfection with inhibitory peptides destabilizes microtubules and inhibits bipolar spindle assembly in HeLa cells. In addition, LC8 knockdown leads to the mitotic block in HeLa cells. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis using the crystal structures of tubulin and LC8 dimer indicated that the latter may bind at α-β tubulin junction in a protofilament at sites distinct from the kinesin and dynein binding sites. Together, we provide the first evidence of a novel microtubule-associated protein-like function of LC8 that could explain its reported roles in cellular metastasis and differentiation.

Universal rules for division plane selection in plants

Coordinated cell divisions and cell expansion are the key processes that command growth in all organisms. The orientation of cell divisions and the direction of cell expansion are critical for normal development. Symmetric divisions contribute to proliferation and growth, while asymmetric divisions initiate pattern formation and differentiation. In plants these processes are of particular importance since their cells are encased in cellulosic walls that determine their shape and lock their position within tissues and organs. Several recent studies have analyzed the relationship between cell shape and patterns of symmetric cell division in diverse organisms and employed biophysical and mathematical considerations to develop computer simulations that have allowed accurate prediction of cell division patterns. From these studies, a picture emerges that diverse biological systems follow simple universal rules of geometry to select their division planes and that the microtubule cytoskeleton takes a major part in sensing the geometric information and translates this information into a specific division outcome. In plant cells, the division plane is selected before mitosis, and spatial information of the division plane is preserved throughout division by the presence of reference molecules at a distinct region of the plasma membrane, the cortical division zone. The recruitment of these division zone markers occurs multiple times by several mechanisms, suggesting that the cortical division zone is a highly dynamic region.

The chromosomal passenger complex and centralspindlin independently contribute to contractile ring assembly

In contrast to their sequential roles in midzone assembly, the CPC and centralspindlin act through independent mechanisms to regulate contractile ring assembly.

The chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) and centralspindlin are conserved cytokinesis regulators that localize to the spindle midzone, which forms between the separating chromosomes. Previous work placed the CPC and centralspindlin in a linear pathway that governs midzone formation. Using Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, we test whether there is a similar linear relationship between centralspindlin and the CPC in contractile ring constriction during cytokinesis. We show that simultaneous inhibition of the CPC kinase Aurora B^AIR-2 and the centralspindlin component MKLP1^ZEN-4 causes an additive constriction defect. Consistent with distinct roles for the proteins, inhibition of filamentous septin guanosine triphosphatases alleviates constriction defects in Aurora B^AIR-2–inhibited embryos, whereas inhibition of Rac does so in MKLP1^ZEN-4-inhibited embryos. Centralspindlin and the CPC are not required to enrich ring proteins at the cell equator but instead regulate formation of a compact mature ring. Therefore, in contrast to the linear midzone assembly pathway, centralspindlin and the CPC make independent contributions to control transformation of the sheet-like equatorial band into a ribbon-like contractile ring at the furrow tip.

Signalling through the RhoGEF Pebble in Drosophila

Small GTPase pathways of the Ras superfamily are implicated in a wide range of signalling processes in animal cells. Small GTPases control pathways by acting as molecular switches. They are converted from an inactive GDP-bound form to an active GTP-bound form by GTP exchange factors (GEFs). The spatial and temporal regulation of GEFs is a major component of the regulation of small GTPases. Here we review the role of the Drosophila RhoGEF, Pebble (the Drosophila ortholog of mammalian ECT2). We discuss its roles in cytokinesis and cell migration, highlighting the diversity with which Rho family signalling pathways operate in biological systems.

Mechanics of cytokinesis in eukaryotes

Research on eukaryotic cytokinesis using advantageous model systems is rapidly advancing our understanding of most aspects of the process. Cytokinesis is very complicated with more than 100 proteins participating. Both fungi and animal cells use proteins to mark the cleavage site for the assembly of a contractile ring of actin filaments and myosin-II. Formins nucleate and elongate the actin filaments and myosin-II helps to organize the filaments into a contractile ring. Much is still to be learned about the organization of the contractile ring and the mechanisms that disassemble the ring as it constricts. Although fungi and animals share many proteins that contribute to cytokinesis, the extent to which they share mechanisms for the location, assembly, constriction, and disassembly of their contractile rings is still in question.