The LKB1-like Kinase Elm1 Controls Septin Hourglass Assembly and Stability by Regulating Filament Pairing

Reciprocal regulation by Elm1 and Gin4 controls septin hourglass assembly and remodeling

The septin cytoskeleton is extensively regulated by posttranslational modifications, such as phosphorylation, to achieve the diversity of architectures including rings, hourglasses, and gauzes. While many of the phosphorylation events of septins have been extensively studied in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the regulation of the kinases involved remains poorly understood. Here, we show that two septin-associated kinases, the LKB1/PAR-4-related kinase Elm1 and the Nim1/PAR-1-related kinase Gin4, regulate each other at two discrete points of the cell cycle. During bud emergence, Gin4 targets Elm1 to the bud neck via direct binding and phosphorylation to control septin hourglass assembly and stability. During mitosis, Elm1 maintains Gin4 localization via direct binding and phosphorylation to enable timely remodeling of the septin hourglass into a double ring. This mutual control between Gin4 and Elm1 ensures that septin architecture is assembled and remodeled in a temporally controlled manner to perform distinct functions during the cell cycle.

The Roles of Septins in Regulating Fission Yeast Cytokinesis

Cytokinesis is required to separate two daughter cells at the end of mitosis, and septins play crucial roles in many aspects of cytokinesis. While septins have been intensively studied in many model organisms, including the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, septins have been relatively less characterized in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which has proven to be an excellent model organism for studying fundamental cell biology. In this review, we summarize the findings of septins made in fission yeasts mainly from four aspects: the domain structure of septins, the localization of septins during the cell cycle, the roles of septins in regulating cytokinesis, and the regulatory proteins of septins.

Unraveling the mechanisms and evolution of a two-domain module in IQGAP proteins for controlling eukaryotic cytokinesis

The IQGAP family of proteins plays a crucial role in cytokinesis across diverse organisms, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we demonstrate that IQGAPs in budding yeast, fission yeast, and human cells use a two-domain module to regulate their localization as well as the assembly and disassembly of the actomyosin ring during cytokinesis. Strikingly, the calponin homology domains (CHDs) in these IQGAPs bind to distinct cellular F-actin structures with varying specificity, whereas the non-conserved domains immediately downstream of the CHDs in these IQGAPs all target the division site, but differ in timing, localization strength, and binding partners. We also demonstrate that human IQGAP3 acts in parallel to septins and myosin-IIs to mediate the role of anillin in cytokinesis. Collectively, our findings highlight the two-domain mechanism by which IQGAPs regulate cytokinesis in distantly related organisms as well as their evolutionary conservation and divergence.

Elucidating the Synergistic Role of Elm1 and Gin4 Kinases in Regulating Septin Hourglass Assembly

The septin cytoskeleton is extensively regulated by post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation to achieve the diversity of architectures including rings, hourglass, and gauzes. While many of the phosphorylation events of septins have been extensively studied in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the regulation of the kinases involved remains poorly understood. Here we show that two septin-associated kinases, the LKB1/PAR-4-related kinase Elm1 and the Nim1/PAR-1-related kinase Gin4, regulate each other at two discrete points of the cell cycle. During bud emergence, Gin4 targets Elm1 to the bud neck via direct binding and phosphorylation to control septin hourglass assembly and stability. During mitosis, Elm1 maintains Gin4 localization via direct binding and phosphorylation to enable timely remodeling of the septin hourglass into a double ring. This unique synergy ensures that septin architecture is assembled and remodeled in a temporally controlled manner to perform distinct functions during the cell cycle.

Bni5 tethers myosin-II to septins to enhance retrograde actin flow and the robustness of cytokinesis

The collaboration between septins and myosin-II in driving processes outside of cytokinesis remains largely uncharted. Here, we demonstrate that Bni5 in the budding yeast S. cerevisiae interacts with myosin-II, septin filaments, and the septin-associated kinase Elm1 via distinct domains at its N- and C-termini, thereby tethering the mobile myosin-II to the stable septin hourglass at the division site from bud emergence to the onset of cytokinesis. The septin and Elm1-binding domains, together with a central disordered region, of Bni5 control timely remodeling of the septin hourglass into a double ring, enabling the actomyosin ring constriction. The Bni5-tethered myosin-II enhances retrograde actin cable flow, which contributes to the asymmetric inheritance of mitochondria-associated protein aggregates during cell division, and also strengthens cytokinesis against various perturbations. Thus, we have established a biochemical pathway involving septin-Bni5-myosin-II interactions at the division site, which can inform mechanistic understanding of the role of myosin-II in other retrograde flow systems.

Summary

Okada et al. have determined the molecular mechanism underlying the Bni5 interactions with septins and myosin-II at the cell division site and uncovered its roles in promoting retrograde actin flow and the robustness of cytokinesis in budding yeast.

Simultaneous co-overexpression of Saccharomyces cerevisiae septins Cdc3 and Cdc10 drives pervasive, phospholipid-, and tag-dependent plasma membrane localization

Septin proteins contribute to many eukaryotic processes involving cellular membranes. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, septin hetero-oligomers interact with the plasma membrane (PM) almost exclusively at the future site of cytokinesis. While multiple mechanisms of membrane recruitment have been identified, including direct interactions with specific phospholipids and curvature-sensitive interactions via amphipathic helices, these do not fully explain why yeast septins do not localize all over the inner leaflet of the PM. While engineering an inducible split-yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) system to measure the kinetics of yeast septin complex assembly, we found that ectopic co-overexpression of two tagged septins, Cdc3 and Cdc10, resulted in nearly uniform PM localization, as well as perturbation of endogenous septin function. Septin localization and function in gametogenesis were also perturbed. PM localization required the C-terminal YFP fragment fused to the C terminus of Cdc3, the septin-associated kinases Cla4 and Gin4, and phosphotidylinositol-4,5-bis-phosphate (PI[4,5]P2 ), but not the putative PI(4,5)P2 -binding residues in Cdc3. Endogenous Cdc10 was recruited to the PM, likely contributing to the functional interference. PM-localized septins did not exchange with the cytosolic pool, indicative of stable polymers. These findings provide new clues as to what normally restricts septin localization to specific membranes.

Septins as membrane influencers: direct play or in association with other cytoskeleton partners

The cytoskeleton comprises three polymerizing structures that have been studied for a long time, actin microfilaments, microtubules and intermediate filaments, plus more recently investigated dynamic assemblies like septins or the endocytic-sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) complex. These filament-forming proteins control several cell functions through crosstalks with each other and with membranes. In this review, we report recent works that address how septins bind to membranes, and influence their shaping, organization, properties and functions, either by binding to them directly or indirectly through other cytoskeleton elements.

The Syp1/FCHo2 protein induces septin filament bundling through its intrinsically disordered domain

The septin collar of budding yeast is an ordered array of septin filaments that serves a scaffolding function for the cytokinetic machinery at the bud neck and compartmentalizes the membrane between mother and daughter cell. How septin architecture is aided by septin-binding proteins is largely unknown. Syp1 is an endocytic protein that was implicated in the timely recruitment of septins to the newly forming collar through an unknown mechanism. Using advanced microscopy and in vitro reconstitution assays, we show that Syp1 is able to align laterally and tightly pack septin filaments, thereby forming flat bundles or sheets. This property is shared by the Syp1 mammalian counterpart FCHo2, thus emphasizing conserved protein functions. Interestingly, the septin-bundling activity of Syp1 resides mainly in its intrinsically disordered region. Our data uncover the mechanism through which Syp1 promotes septin collar assembly and offer another example of functional diversity of unstructured protein domains.

Cytoskeletal proteins: Lessons learned from bacteria

Cytoskeletal proteins are classified as a group that is defined functionally, whose members are capable of polymerizing into higher order structures, either dynamically or statically, to perform structural roles during a variety of cellular processes. In eukaryotes, the most well-studied cytoskeletal proteins are actin, tubulin, and intermediate filaments, and are essential for cell shape and movement, chromosome segregation, and intracellular cargo transport. Prokaryotes often harbor homologs of these proteins, but in bacterial cells, these homologs are usually not employed in roles that can be strictly defined as "cytoskeletal". However, several bacteria encode other proteins capable of polymerizing which, although they do not appear to have a eukaryotic counterpart, nonetheless appear to perform a more traditional "cytoskeletal" function. In this review, we discuss recent reports that cover the structure and functions of prokaryotic proteins that are broadly termed as cytoskeletal, either by sequence homology or by function, to highlight how the enzymatic properties of traditionally studied cytoskeletal proteins may be used for other types of cellular functions; and to demonstrate how truly "cytoskeletal" functions may be performed by uniquely bacterial proteins that do not display homology to eukaryotic proteins.

Septin Assembly and Remodeling at the Cell Division Site During the Cell Cycle

The septin family of proteins can assemble into filaments that further organize into different higher order structures to perform a variety of different functions in different cell types and organisms. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the septins localize to the presumptive bud site as a cortical ring prior to bud emergence, expand into an hourglass at the bud neck (cell division site) during bud growth, and finally “split” into a double ring sandwiching the cell division machinery during cytokinesis. While much work has been done to understand the functions and molecular makeups of these structures, the mechanisms underlying the transitions from one structure to another have largely remained elusive. Recent studies involving advanced imaging and in vitro reconstitution have begun to reveal the vast complexity involved in the regulation of these structural transitions, which defines the focus of discussion in this mini-review.

The Structural Biology of Septins and Their Filaments: An Update

In order to fully understand any complex biochemical system from a mechanistic point of view, it is necessary to have access to the three-dimensional structures of the molecular components involved. Septins and their oligomers, filaments and higher-order complexes are no exception. Indeed, the spontaneous recruitment of different septin monomers to specific positions along a filament represents a fascinating example of subtle molecular recognition. Over the last few years, the amount of structural information available about these important cytoskeletal proteins has increased dramatically. This has allowed for a more detailed description of their individual domains and the different interfaces formed between them, which are the basis for stabilizing higher-order structures such as hexamers, octamers and fully formed filaments. The flexibility of these structures and the plasticity of the individual interfaces have also begun to be understood. Furthermore, recently, light has been shed on how filaments may bundle into higher-order structures by the formation of antiparallel coiled coils involving the C-terminal domains. Nevertheless, even with these advances, there is still some way to go before we fully understand how the structure and dynamics of septin assemblies are related to their physiological roles, including their interactions with biological membranes and other cytoskeletal components. In this review, we aim to bring together the various strands of structural evidence currently available into a more coherent picture. Although it would be an exaggeration to say that this is complete, recent progress seems to suggest that headway is being made in that direction.