1
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Zheng A, Vermeulen BJA, Würtz M, Neuner A, Lübbehusen N, Mayer MP, Schiebel E, Pfeffer S. Structural insights into the interplay between microtubule polymerases, γ-tubulin complexes and their receptors. Nat Commun 2025; 16:402. [PMID: 39757296 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55778-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 12/24/2024] [Indexed: 01/07/2025] Open
Abstract
The γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC) is a structural template for controlled nucleation of microtubules from α/β-tubulin heterodimers. At the cytoplasmic side of the yeast spindle pole body, the CM1-containing receptor protein Spc72 promotes γ-TuRC assembly from seven γ-tubulin small complexes (γ-TuSCs) and recruits the microtubule polymerase Stu2, yet their molecular interplay remains unclear. Here, we determine the cryo-EM structure of the Candida albicans cytoplasmic nucleation unit at 3.6 Å resolution, revealing how the γ-TuRC is assembled and conformationally primed for microtubule nucleation by the dimerised Spc72 CM1 motif. Two coiled-coil regions of Spc72 interact with the conserved C-terminal α-helix of Stu2 and thereby position the α/β-tubulin-binding TOG domains of Stu2 in the vicinity of the microtubule assembly site. Collectively, we reveal the function of CM1 motifs in γ-TuSC oligomerisation and the recruitment of microtubule polymerases to the γ-TuRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjun Zheng
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bram J A Vermeulen
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Martin Würtz
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH), Heidelberg, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg Meyerhofstraße 1, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Annett Neuner
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nicole Lübbehusen
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Matthias P Mayer
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elmar Schiebel
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH), Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Stefan Pfeffer
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH), Heidelberg, Germany.
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2
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Xu Y, Muñoz-Hernández H, Krutyhołowa R, Marxer F, Cetin F, Wieczorek M. Partial closure of the γ-tubulin ring complex by CDK5RAP2 activates microtubule nucleation. Dev Cell 2024; 59:3161-3174.e15. [PMID: 39321808 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 09/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024]
Abstract
Microtubule nucleation is templated by the γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC), but its structure deviates from the geometry of α-/β-tubulin in the microtubule, explaining the complex's poor nucleating activity. Several proteins may activate the γ-TuRC, but the mechanisms underlying activation are not known. Here, we determined the structure of the porcine γ-TuRC purified using CDK5RAP2's centrosomin motif 1 (CM1). We identified an unexpected conformation of the γ-TuRC bound to multiple protein modules containing MZT2, GCP2, and CDK5RAP2, resulting in a long-range constriction of the γ-tubulin ring that brings it in closer agreement with the 13-protofilament microtubule. Additional CDK5RAP2 promoted γ-TuRC decoration and stimulated the microtubule-nucleating activities of the porcine γ-TuRC and a reconstituted, CM1-free human complex in single-molecule assays. Our results provide a structural mechanism for the control of microtubule nucleation by CM1 proteins and identify conformational transitions in the γ-TuRC that prime it for microtubule nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Xu
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hugo Muñoz-Hernández
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Rościsław Krutyhołowa
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Florina Marxer
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ferdane Cetin
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Michal Wieczorek
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
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3
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Serna M, Zimmermann F, Vineethakumari C, Gonzalez-Rodriguez N, Llorca O, Lüders J. CDK5RAP2 activates microtubule nucleator γTuRC by facilitating template formation and actin release. Dev Cell 2024; 59:3175-3188.e8. [PMID: 39321809 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 09/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024]
Abstract
To organize microtubules, cells tightly control the activity of the microtubule nucleator γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC). The open ring-shaped γTuRC was proposed to nucleate microtubules by a template mechanism. However, its splayed structure does not match microtubule symmetry, leaving it unclear how γTuRC becomes an efficient nucleator. Here, we identify the mechanism of γTuRC activation by CDK5RAP2 centrosomin motif 1 (CM1). Using cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM), we find that activation involves binding of multiple CM1 dimers to five distinct sites around the outside of the γTuRC cone, which crucially depends on regulatory modules formed by MZT2 and the N-terminal extensions of GCP2 subunits. CM1 binding promotes lateral interactions between GCP subunits to facilitate microtubule-like conformations and release of luminal actin that is integral to non-activated γTuRC. We propose a model where generation of γTuRC with an expanded conformational range, rather than perfect symmetry, is sufficient to boost nucleation activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Serna
- Structural Biology Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Fabian Zimmermann
- Mechanisms of Disease Programme, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Chithran Vineethakumari
- Mechanisms of Disease Programme, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nayim Gonzalez-Rodriguez
- Structural Biology Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar Llorca
- Structural Biology Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Jens Lüders
- Mechanisms of Disease Programme, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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4
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Mammri L, Conduit PT. Cryo-EM structures of γ-TuRC reveal molecular insights into microtubule nucleation. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:1004-1006. [PMID: 38956170 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01345-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Léa Mammri
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Paul T Conduit
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France.
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5
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Aher A, Urnavicius L, Xue A, Neselu K, Kapoor TM. Structure of the γ-tubulin ring complex-capped microtubule. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:1124-1133. [PMID: 38609661 PMCID: PMC11257807 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01264-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Microtubules are composed of α-tubulin and β-tubulin dimers positioned head-to-tail to form protofilaments that associate laterally in varying numbers. It is not known how cellular microtubules assemble with the canonical 13-protofilament architecture, resulting in micrometer-scale α/β-tubulin tracks for intracellular transport that align with, rather than spiral along, the long axis of the filament. We report that the human ~2.3 MDa γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC), an essential regulator of microtubule formation that contains 14 γ-tubulins, selectively nucleates 13-protofilament microtubules. Cryogenic electron microscopy reconstructions of γ-TuRC-capped microtubule minus ends reveal the extensive intra-domain and inter-domain motions of γ-TuRC subunits that accommodate luminal bridge components and establish lateral and longitudinal interactions between γ-tubulins and α-tubulins. Our structures suggest that γ-TuRC, an inefficient nucleation template owing to its splayed conformation, can transform into a compacted cap at the microtubule minus end and set the lattice architecture of cellular microtubules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amol Aher
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Linas Urnavicius
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Allen Xue
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kasahun Neselu
- Simons Electron Microscopy Center, New York Structural Biology Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tarun M Kapoor
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
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6
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Dendooven T, Yatskevich S, Burt A, Chen ZA, Bellini D, Rappsilber J, Kilmartin JV, Barford D. Structure of the native γ-tubulin ring complex capping spindle microtubules. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:1134-1144. [PMID: 38609662 PMCID: PMC11257966 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01281-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Microtubule (MT) filaments, composed of α/β-tubulin dimers, are fundamental to cellular architecture, function and organismal development. They are nucleated from MT organizing centers by the evolutionarily conserved γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC). However, the molecular mechanism of nucleation remains elusive. Here we used cryo-electron tomography to determine the structure of the native γTuRC capping the minus end of a MT in the context of enriched budding yeast spindles. In our structure, γTuRC presents a ring of γ-tubulin subunits to seed nucleation of exclusively 13-protofilament MTs, adopting an active closed conformation to function as a perfect geometric template for MT nucleation. Our cryo-electron tomography reconstruction revealed that a coiled-coil protein staples the first row of α/β-tubulin of the MT to alternating positions along the γ-tubulin ring of γTuRC. This positioning of α/β-tubulin onto γTuRC suggests a role for the coiled-coil protein in augmenting γTuRC-mediated MT nucleation. Based on our results, we describe a molecular model for budding yeast γTuRC activation and MT nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stanislau Yatskevich
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
- Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Alister Burt
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Zhuo A Chen
- Technische Universität Berlin, Chair of Bioanalytics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dom Bellini
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Juri Rappsilber
- Technische Universität Berlin, Chair of Bioanalytics, Berlin, Germany
- Si-M/'Der Simulierte Mensch', Technische Universität Berlin and Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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7
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Vermeulen BJ, Böhler A, Gao Q, Neuner A, Župa E, Chu Z, Würtz M, Jäkle U, Gruss OJ, Pfeffer S, Schiebel E. γ-TuRC asymmetry induces local protofilament mismatch at the RanGTP-stimulated microtubule minus end. EMBO J 2024; 43:2062-2085. [PMID: 38600243 PMCID: PMC11099078 DOI: 10.1038/s44318-024-00087-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC) is a structural template for de novo microtubule assembly from α/β-tubulin units. The isolated vertebrate γ-TuRC assumes an asymmetric, open structure deviating from microtubule geometry, suggesting that γ-TuRC closure may underlie regulation of microtubule nucleation. Here, we isolate native γ-TuRC-capped microtubules from Xenopus laevis egg extract nucleated through the RanGTP-induced pathway for spindle assembly and determine their cryo-EM structure. Intriguingly, the microtubule minus end-bound γ-TuRC is only partially closed and consequently, the emanating microtubule is locally misaligned with the γ-TuRC and asymmetric. In the partially closed conformation of the γ-TuRC, the actin-containing lumenal bridge is locally destabilised, suggesting lumenal bridge modulation in microtubule nucleation. The microtubule-binding protein CAMSAP2 specifically binds the minus end of γ-TuRC-capped microtubules, indicating that the asymmetric minus end structure may underlie recruitment of microtubule-modulating factors for γ-TuRC release. Collectively, we reveal a surprisingly asymmetric microtubule minus end protofilament organisation diverging from the regular microtubule structure, with direct implications for the kinetics and regulation of nucleation and subsequent modulation of microtubules during spindle assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram Ja Vermeulen
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anna Böhler
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Qi Gao
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Annett Neuner
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Erik Župa
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Zhenzhen Chu
- Institut für Genetik, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education, Beijing), Lymphoma Department, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Martin Würtz
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ursula Jäkle
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Stefan Pfeffer
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Elmar Schiebel
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany.
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8
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Arvindekar S, Pathak AS, Majila K, Viswanath S. Optimizing representations for integrative structural modeling using Bayesian model selection. Bioinformatics 2024; 40:btae106. [PMID: 38391029 PMCID: PMC10924281 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btae106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Integrative structural modeling combines data from experiments, physical principles, statistics of previous structures, and prior models to obtain structures of macromolecular assemblies that are challenging to characterize experimentally. The choice of model representation is a key decision in integrative modeling, as it dictates the accuracy of scoring, efficiency of sampling, and resolution of analysis. But currently, the choice is usually made ad hoc, manually. RESULTS Here, we report NestOR (Nested Sampling for Optimizing Representation), a fully automated, statistically rigorous method based on Bayesian model selection to identify the optimal coarse-grained representation for a given integrative modeling setup. Given an integrative modeling setup, it determines the optimal representations from given candidate representations based on their model evidence and sampling efficiency. The performance of NestOR was evaluated on a benchmark of four macromolecular assemblies. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION NestOR is implemented in the Integrative Modeling Platform (https://integrativemodeling.org) and is available at https://github.com/isblab/nestor. Data for the benchmark is at https://www.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10360718.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreyas Arvindekar
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Aditi S Pathak
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Kartik Majila
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Shruthi Viswanath
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
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9
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Rai D, Song Y, Hua S, Stecker K, Monster JL, Yin V, Stucchi R, Xu Y, Zhang Y, Chen F, Katrukha EA, Altelaar M, Heck AJR, Wieczorek M, Jiang K, Akhmanova A. CAMSAPs and nucleation-promoting factors control microtubule release from γ-TuRC. Nat Cell Biol 2024; 26:404-420. [PMID: 38424271 PMCID: PMC10940162 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-024-01366-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
γ-Tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC) is the major microtubule-nucleating factor. After nucleation, microtubules can be released from γ-TuRC and stabilized by other proteins, such as CAMSAPs, but the biochemical cross-talk between minus-end regulation pathways is poorly understood. Here we reconstituted this process in vitro using purified components. We found that all CAMSAPs could bind to the minus ends of γ-TuRC-attached microtubules. CAMSAP2 and CAMSAP3, which decorate and stabilize growing minus ends but not the minus-end tracking protein CAMSAP1, induced microtubule release from γ-TuRC. CDK5RAP2, a γ-TuRC-interactor, and CLASP2, a regulator of microtubule growth, strongly stimulated γ-TuRC-dependent microtubule nucleation, but only CDK5RAP2 suppressed CAMSAP binding to γ-TuRC-anchored minus ends and their release. CDK5RAP2 also improved selectivity of γ-tubulin-containing complexes for 13- rather than 14-protofilament microtubules in microtubule-capping assays. Knockout and overexpression experiments in cells showed that CDK5RAP2 inhibits the formation of CAMSAP2-bound microtubules detached from the microtubule-organizing centre. We conclude that CAMSAPs can release newly nucleated microtubules from γ-TuRC, whereas nucleation-promoting factors can differentially regulate this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipti Rai
- Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Yinlong Song
- Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Shasha Hua
- State Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Kelly Stecker
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jooske L Monster
- Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Victor Yin
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Riccardo Stucchi
- Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Yixin Xu
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology & Biophysics, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yaqian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Fangrui Chen
- Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Eugene A Katrukha
- Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Maarten Altelaar
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Albert J R Heck
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Michal Wieczorek
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology & Biophysics, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kai Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
| | - Anna Akhmanova
- Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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10
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Romer B, Travis SM, Mahon BP, McManus CT, Jeffrey PD, Coudray N, Raghu R, Rale MJ, Zhong ED, Bhabha G, Petry S. Conformational states of the microtubule nucleator, the γ-tubulin ring complex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.19.572162. [PMID: 38187763 PMCID: PMC10769196 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.19.572162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Microtubules (MTs) perform essential functions in the cell, and it is critical that they are made at the correct cellular location and cell cycle stage. This nucleation process is catalyzed by the γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC), a cone-shaped protein complex composed of over 30 subunits. Despite recent insight into the structure of vertebrate γ-TuRC, which shows that its diameter is wider than that of a MT, and that it exhibits little of the symmetry expected for an ideal MT template, the question of how γ-TuRC achieves MT nucleation remains open. Here, we utilized single particle cryo-EM to identify two conformations of γ-TuRC. The helix composed of 14 γ-tubulins at the top of the γ-TuRC cone undergoes substantial deformation, which is predominantly driven by bending of the hinge between the GRIP1 and GRIP2 domains of the γ-tubulin complex proteins. However, surprisingly, this deformation does not remove the inherent asymmetry of γ-TuRC. To further investigate the role of γ-TuRC conformational change, we used cryo electron-tomography (cryo-ET) to obtain a 3D reconstruction of γ-TuRC bound to a nucleated MT, providing insight into the post-nucleation state. Rigid-body fitting of our cryo-EM structures into this reconstruction suggests that the MT lattice is nucleated by spokes 2 through 14 of the γ-tubulin helix, which entails spokes 13 and 14 becoming more structured than what is observed in apo γ-TuRC. Together, our results allow us to propose a model for conformational changes in γ-TuRC and how these may facilitate MT formation in a cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna Romer
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Sophie M. Travis
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Brian P. Mahon
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Present address: Molecular Structure and Design, Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Collin T. McManus
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Philip D. Jeffrey
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Nicolas Coudray
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rishwanth Raghu
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Michael J. Rale
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Present address: Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ellen D. Zhong
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Gira Bhabha
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Sabine Petry
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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11
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Arvindekar S, Pathak AS, Majila K, Viswanath S. Optimizing representations for integrative structural modeling using Bayesian model selection. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.12.571227. [PMID: 38168172 PMCID: PMC10760022 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.12.571227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Motivation Integrative structural modeling combines data from experiments, physical principles, statistics of previous structures, and prior models to obtain structures of macromolecular assemblies that are challenging to characterize experimentally. The choice of model representation is a key decision in integrative modeling, as it dictates the accuracy of scoring, efficiency of sampling, and resolution of analysis. But currently, the choice is usually made ad hoc, manually. Results Here, we report NestOR (Nested Sampling for Optimizing Representation), a fully automated, statistically rigorous method based on Bayesian model selection to identify the optimal coarse-grained representation for a given integrative modeling setup. Given an integrative modeling setup, it determines the optimal representations from given candidate representations based on their model evidence and sampling efficiency. The performance of NestOR was evaluated on a benchmark of four macromolecular assemblies. Availability NestOR is implemented in the Integrative Modeling Platform (https://integrativemodeling.org) and is available at https://github.com/isblab/nestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreyas Arvindekar
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India 560065
| | - Aditi S. Pathak
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India 560065
| | - Kartik Majila
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India 560065
| | - Shruthi Viswanath
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India 560065
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12
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Zhu Z, Becam I, Tovey CA, Elfarkouchi A, Yen EC, Bernard F, Guichet A, Conduit PT. Multifaceted modes of γ-tubulin complex recruitment and microtubule nucleation at mitotic centrosomes. J Cell Biol 2023; 222:e202212043. [PMID: 37698931 PMCID: PMC10497398 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202212043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Microtubule nucleation is mediated by γ-tubulin ring complexes (γ-TuRCs). In most eukaryotes, a GCP4/5/4/6 "core" complex promotes γ-tubulin small complex (γ-TuSC) association to generate cytosolic γ-TuRCs. Unlike γ-TuSCs, however, this core complex is non-essential in various species and absent from budding yeasts. In Drosophila, Spindle defective-2 (Spd-2) and Centrosomin (Cnn) redundantly recruit γ-tubulin complexes to mitotic centrosomes. Here, we show that Spd-2 recruits γ-TuRCs formed via the GCP4/5/4/6 core, but Cnn can recruit γ-TuSCs directly via its well-conserved CM1 domain, similar to its homologs in budding yeast. When centrosomes fail to recruit γ-tubulin complexes, they still nucleate microtubules via the TOG domain protein Mini-spindles (Msps), but these microtubules have different dynamic properties. Our data, therefore, help explain the dispensability of the GCP4/5/4/6 core and highlight the robustness of centrosomes as microtubule organizing centers. They also suggest that the dynamic properties of microtubules are influenced by how they are nucleated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihan Zhu
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Isabelle Becam
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Corinne A. Tovey
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Abir Elfarkouchi
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Eugenie C. Yen
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Fred Bernard
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Antoine Guichet
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Paul T. Conduit
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
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13
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Kraus J, Alfaro-Aco R, Gouveia B, Petry S. Microtubule nucleation for spindle assembly: one molecule at a time. Trends Biochem Sci 2023; 48:761-775. [PMID: 37482516 PMCID: PMC10789498 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2023.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
The cell orchestrates the dance of chromosome segregation with remarkable speed and fidelity. The mitotic spindle is built from scratch after interphase through microtubule (MT) nucleation, which is dependent on the γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC), the universal MT template. Although several MT nucleation pathways build the spindle framework, the question of when and how γ-TuRC is targeted to these nucleation sites in the spindle and subsequently activated remains an active area of investigation. Recent advances facilitated the discovery of new MT nucleation effectors and their mechanisms of action. In this review, we illuminate each spindle assembly pathway and subsequently consider how the pathways are merged to build a spindle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi Kraus
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | - Bernardo Gouveia
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Sabine Petry
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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14
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Berman AY, Wieczorek M, Aher A, Olinares PDB, Chait BT, Kapoor TM. A nucleotide binding-independent role for γ-tubulin in microtubule capping and cell division. J Cell Biol 2023; 222:213828. [PMID: 36695784 PMCID: PMC9930161 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202204102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC) has essential roles in centrosomal and non-centrosomal microtubule organization during vertebrate mitosis. While there have been important advances in understanding γ-TuRC-dependent microtubule nucleation, γ-TuRC capping of microtubule minus-ends remains poorly characterized. Here, we utilized biochemical reconstitutions and cellular assays to characterize the human γ-TuRC's capping activity. Single filament assays showed that the γ-TuRC remained associated with a nucleated microtubule for tens of minutes. In contrast, caps at dynamic microtubule minus-ends displayed lifetimes of ∼1 min. Reconstituted γ-TuRCs with nucleotide-binding deficient γ-tubulin (γ-tubulinΔGTP) formed ring-shaped complexes that did not nucleate microtubules but capped microtubule minus-ends with lifetimes similar to those measured for wild-type complexes. In dividing cells, microtubule regrowth assays revealed that while knockdown of γ-tubulin suppressed non-centrosomal microtubule formation, add-back of γ-tubulinΔGTP could substantially restore this process. Our results suggest that γ-TuRC capping is a nucleotide-binding-independent activity that plays a role in non-centrosomal microtubule organization during cell division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adi Y. Berman
- https://ror.org/0420db125Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA,Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Chemical Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michal Wieczorek
- https://ror.org/0420db125Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Amol Aher
- https://ror.org/0420db125Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paul Dominic B. Olinares
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brian T. Chait
- Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Chemical Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA,Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tarun M. Kapoor
- https://ror.org/0420db125Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA,Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Chemical Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
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15
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Laguillo-Diego A, Kiewisz R, Martí-Gómez C, Baum D, Müller-Reichert T, Vernos I. MCRS1 modulates the heterogeneity of microtubule minus-end morphologies in mitotic spindles. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 34:ar1. [PMID: 36350698 PMCID: PMC9816640 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e22-08-0306-t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Faithful chromosome segregation requires the assembly of a bipolar spindle, consisting of two antiparallel microtubule (MT) arrays having most of their minus ends focused at the spindle poles and their plus ends overlapping in the spindle midzone. Spindle assembly, chromosome alignment, and segregation require highly dynamic MTs. The plus ends of MTs have been extensively investigated but their minus-end structure remains poorly characterized. Here, we used large-scale electron tomography to study the morphology of the MT minus ends in three dimensionally reconstructed metaphase spindles in HeLa cells. In contrast to the homogeneous open morphology of the MT plus ends at the kinetochores, we found that MT minus ends are heterogeneous, showing either open or closed morphologies. Silencing the minus end-specific stabilizer, MCRS1 increased the proportion of open MT minus ends. Altogether, these data suggest a correlation between the morphology and the dynamic state of the MT ends. Taking this heterogeneity of the MT minus-end morphologies into account, our work indicates an unsynchronized behavior of MTs at the spindle poles, thus laying the groundwork for further studies on the complexity of MT dynamics regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Laguillo-Diego
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Robert Kiewisz
- Experimental Center, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Carlos Martí-Gómez
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
| | - Daniel Baum
- Department of Visual and Data-Centric Computing, Zuse Institute Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Müller-Reichert
- Experimental Center, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Isabelle Vernos
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08003, Spain,Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona 08003, Spain,ICREA, Barcelona 08010, Spain,*Address correspondence to: Isabelle Vernos ()
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16
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Rale MJ, Romer B, Mahon BP, Travis SM, Petry S. The conserved centrosomin motif, γTuNA, forms a dimer that directly activates microtubule nucleation by the γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC). eLife 2022; 11:e80053. [PMID: 36515268 PMCID: PMC9859039 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
To establish the microtubule cytoskeleton, the cell must tightly regulate when and where microtubules are nucleated. This regulation involves controlling the initial nucleation template, the γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC). Although γTuRC is present throughout the cytoplasm, its activity is restricted to specific sites including the centrosome and Golgi. The well-conserved γ-tubulin nucleation activator (γTuNA) domain has been reported to increase the number of microtubules (MTs) generated by γTuRCs. However, previously we and others observed that γTuNA had a minimal effect on the activity of antibody-purified Xenopus γTuRCs in vitro (Thawani et al., eLife, 2020; Liu et al., 2020). Here, we instead report, based on improved versions of γTuRC, γTuNA, and our TIRF assay, the first real-time observation that γTuNA directly increases γTuRC activity in vitro, which is thus a bona fide γTuRC activator. We further validate this effect in Xenopus egg extract. Via mutation analysis, we find that γTuNA is an obligate dimer. Moreover, efficient dimerization as well as γTuNA's L70, F75, and L77 residues are required for binding to and activation of γTuRC. Finally, we find that γTuNA's activating effect opposes inhibitory regulation by stathmin. In sum, our improved assays prove that direct γTuNA binding strongly activates γTuRCs, explaining previously observed effects of γTuNA expression in cells and illuminating how γTuRC-mediated microtubule nucleation is regulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Rale
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
| | - Brianna Romer
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
| | - Brian P Mahon
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
| | - Sophie M Travis
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
| | - Sabine Petry
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
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17
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Sulimenko V, Dráberová E, Dráber P. γ-Tubulin in microtubule nucleation and beyond. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:880761. [PMID: 36158181 PMCID: PMC9503634 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.880761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microtubules composed of αβ-tubulin dimers are dynamic cytoskeletal polymers that play key roles in essential cellular processes such as cell division, organelle positioning, intracellular transport, and cell migration. γ-Tubulin is a highly conserved member of the tubulin family that is required for microtubule nucleation. γ-Tubulin, together with its associated proteins, forms the γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC), that templates microtubules. Here we review recent advances in the structure of γ-TuRC, its activation, and centrosomal recruitment. This provides new mechanistic insights into the molecular mechanism of microtubule nucleation. Accumulating data suggest that γ-tubulin also has other, less well understood functions. We discuss emerging evidence that γ-tubulin can form oligomers and filaments, has specific nuclear functions, and might be involved in centrosomal cross-talk between microtubules and microfilaments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Pavel Dráber
- *Correspondence: Vadym Sulimenko, ; Pavel Dráber,
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18
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Ullanat V, Kasukurthi N, Viswanath S. PrISM: Precision for Integrative Structural Models. Bioinformatics 2022; 38:3837-3839. [PMID: 35723541 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btac400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION A single precision value is currently reported for an integrative model. However, precision may vary for different regions of an integrative model owing to varying amounts of input information. RESULTS We develop PrISM (Precision for Integrative Structural Models), to efficiently identify high and low-precision regions for integrative models. AVAILABILITY PrISM is written in Python and available under the GNU General Public License v3.0 at https://github.com/isblab/prism; benchmark data used in this paper is available at doi:10.5281/zenodo.6241200. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun Ullanat
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Nikhil Kasukurthi
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Shruthi Viswanath
- National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
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19
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A Framework for Stochastic Optimization of Parameters for Integrative Modeling of Macromolecular Assemblies. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11111183. [PMID: 34833059 PMCID: PMC8618978 DOI: 10.3390/life11111183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Integrative modeling of macromolecular assemblies requires stochastic sampling, for example, via MCMC (Markov Chain Monte Carlo), since exhaustively enumerating all structural degrees of freedom is infeasible. MCMC-based methods usually require tuning several parameters, such as the move sizes for coarse-grained beads and rigid bodies, for sampling to be efficient and accurate. Currently, these parameters are tuned manually. To automate this process, we developed a general heuristic for derivative-free, global, stochastic, parallel, multiobjective optimization, termed StOP (Stochastic Optimization of Parameters) and applied it to optimize sampling-related parameters for the Integrative Modeling Platform (IMP). Given an integrative modeling setup, list of parameters to optimize, their domains, metrics that they influence, and the target ranges of these metrics, StOP produces the optimal values of these parameters. StOP is adaptable to the available computing capacity and converges quickly, allowing for the simultaneous optimization of a large number of parameters. However, it is not efficient at high dimensions and not guaranteed to find optima in complex landscapes. We demonstrate its performance on several examples of random functions, as well as on two integrative modeling examples, showing that StOP enhances the efficiency of sampling the posterior distribution, resulting in more good-scoring models and better sampling precision.
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20
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Abstract
As one of four filament types, microtubules are a core component of the cytoskeleton and are essential for cell function. Yet how microtubules are nucleated from their building blocks, the αβ-tubulin heterodimer, has remained a fundamental open question since the discovery of tubulin 50 years ago. Recent structural studies have shed light on how γ-tubulin and the γ-tubulin complex proteins (GCPs) GCP2 to GCP6 form the γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC). In parallel, functional and single-molecule studies have informed on how the γ-TuRC nucleates microtubules in real time, how this process is regulated in the cell and how it compares to other modes of nucleation. Another recent surprise has been the identification of a second essential nucleation factor, which turns out to be the well-characterized microtubule polymerase XMAP215 (also known as CKAP5, a homolog of chTOG, Stu2 and Alp14). This discovery helps to explain why the observed nucleation activity of the γ-TuRC in vitro is relatively low. Taken together, research in recent years has afforded important insight into how microtubules are made in the cell and provides a basis for an exciting era in the cytoskeleton field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akanksha Thawani
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Sabine Petry
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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21
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Böhler A, Vermeulen BJA, Würtz M, Zupa E, Pfeffer S, Schiebel E. The gamma-tubulin ring complex: Deciphering the molecular organization and assembly mechanism of a major vertebrate microtubule nucleator. Bioessays 2021; 43:e2100114. [PMID: 34160844 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Microtubules are protein cylinders with functions in cell motility, signal sensing, cell organization, intracellular transport, and chromosome segregation. One of the key properties of microtubules is their dynamic architecture, allowing them to grow and shrink in length by adding or removing copies of their basic subunit, the heterodimer αβ-tubulin. In higher eukaryotes, de novo assembly of microtubules from αβ-tubulin is initiated by a 2 MDa multi-subunit complex, the gamma-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC). For many years, the structure of the γ-TuRC and the function of its subunits remained enigmatic, although structural data from the much simpler yeast counterpart, the γ-tubulin small complex (γ-TuSC), were available. Two recent breakthroughs in the field, high-resolution structural analysis and recombinant reconstitution of the complex, have revolutionized our knowledge about the architecture and function of the γ-TuRC and will form the basis for addressing outstanding questions about biogenesis and regulation of this essential microtubule organizer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Böhler
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bram J A Vermeulen
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Martin Würtz
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Erik Zupa
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Pfeffer
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elmar Schiebel
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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22
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Tovey CA, Tsuji C, Egerton A, Bernard F, Guichet A, de la Roche M, Conduit PT. Autoinhibition of Cnn binding to γ-TuRCs prevents ectopic microtubule nucleation and cell division defects. J Cell Biol 2021; 220:212197. [PMID: 34042945 PMCID: PMC8164090 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202010020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
γ-Tubulin ring complexes (γ-TuRCs) nucleate microtubules. They are recruited to centrosomes in dividing cells via binding to N-terminal CM1 domains within γ-TuRC–tethering proteins, including Drosophila Centrosomin (Cnn). Binding promotes microtubule nucleation and is restricted to centrosomes in dividing cells, but the mechanism regulating binding remains unknown. Here, we identify an extreme N-terminal CM1 autoinhibition (CAI) domain found specifically within the centrosomal isoform of Cnn (Cnn-C) that inhibits γ-TuRC binding. Robust binding occurs after removal of the CAI domain or with the addition of phosphomimetic mutations, suggesting that phosphorylation helps relieve inhibition. We show that regulation of Cnn binding to γ-TuRCs is isoform specific and that misregulation of binding can result in ectopic cytosolic microtubules and major defects during cell division. We also find that human CDK5RAP2 is autoinhibited from binding γ-TuRCs, suggesting conservation across species. Overall, our results shed light on how and why CM1 domain binding to γ-TuRCs is regulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinne A Tovey
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Université de Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Chisato Tsuji
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alice Egerton
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Fred Bernard
- Université de Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Antoine Guichet
- Université de Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Marc de la Roche
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Paul T Conduit
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Université de Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
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