Synchronizing Progression of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Cells from Prophase through Mitosis and into S Phase with nda3-KM311 Arrest Release

The fission yeast kinetochore complex Mhf1-Mhf2 regulates the spindle assembly checkpoint and faithful chromosome segregation

The outer kinetochore serves as a platform for the initiation of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) and for mediating kinetochore-microtubule attachments. How the inner kinetochore subcomplex CENP-S-CENP-X is involved in regulating the SAC and kinetochore-microtubule attachments has not been well characterized. Using live-cell microscopy and yeast genetics, we found that Mhf1-Mhf2, the CENP-S-CENP-X counterpart in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, plays crucial roles in promoting the SAC and regulating chromosome segregation. The absence of Mhf2 attenuates the SAC, impairs the kinetochore localization of most of the components in the constitutive centromere-associated network (CCAN), and alters the localization of the kinase Ark1 (yeast homolog of Aurora B) to the kinetochore. Hence, our findings constitute a model in which Mhf1-Mhf2 ensures faithful chromosome segregation by regulating the accurate organization of the CCAN complex, which is required for promoting SAC signaling and for regulating kinetochore-microtubule attachments. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Analysis of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Cell Cycle

Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells are rod shaped, and they grow by tip elongation. Growth ceases during mitosis and cell division; therefore, the length of a septated cell is a direct measure of the timing of mitotic commitment, and the length of a wild-type cell is an indicator of its position in the cell cycle. A large number of documented stage-specific changes can be used as landmarks to characterize cell cycle progression under specific experimental conditions. Conditional mutations can permanently or transiently block the cell cycle at almost any stage. Large, synchronously dividing cell populations, essential for the biochemical analysis of cell cycle events, can be generated by induction synchrony (arrest-release of a cell cycle mutant) or selection synchrony (centrifugal elutriation or lactose-gradient centrifugation). Schizosaccharomyces pombe cell cycle studies routinely combine particular markers, mutants, and synchronization procedures to manipulate the cycle. We describe these techniques and list key landmarks in the fission yeast mitotic cell division cycle.

Synchronizing Progression of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Cells from G2 through Repeated Rounds of Mitosis and S Phase with cdc25-22 Arrest Release

Transient inactivation of the cdc25(+) gene product by manipulation of the culture temperature for cdc25-22 cells is the most commonly exploited approach to mitotic synchronization in fission yeast. Because Cdc25 removes the inhibitory phosphate placed on Cdk1 by Wee1, inactivation of Cdc25 arrests cells at the G2/M boundary. Incubation at the restrictive temperature of 36°C for just over one generation time forces all cells in the culture to accumulate at the G2/M boundary. Restoration of Cdc25 function via a return to the permissive temperature or chemical inhibition of Wee1 activity at 36°C can then promote a highly synchronous wave of cell division throughout the culture. These approaches can be performed on any scale and thus support simultaneous assessment of numerous events within a single culture. After describing this simple and widely applicable procedure, we discuss frequently overlooked issues that can have a considerable impact on the interpretation of data from cdc25-22 induction-synchronized cultures.