Stu2 promotes mitotic spindle elongation in anaphase.
During anaphase, mitotic spindles elongate up to five times their metaphase length. This process, known as anaphase B, is essential for correct segregation of chromosomes. Here, we examine the control of spindle length during anaphase in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that microtubule stabilization during anaphase requires the microtubule-associated protein Stu2. We further show that the activity of Stu2 is opposed by the activity of the kinesin-related protein Kip3. Reexamination of the kinesin homology tree suggests that KIP3 is the S. cerevisiae orthologue of the microtubule-destabilizing subfamily of kinesins (Kin I). We conclude that a balance of activity between evolutionally conserved microtubule-stabilizing and microtubule-destabilizing factors is essential for correct spindle elongation during anaphase B.
Severin
F
F
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
Habermann
B
B
Huffaker
T
T
Hyman
T
T
D000705:Anaphase / Q000502:physiology*; D002469:Cell Separation; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016547:Kinesins; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000378:metabolism*
D005656:Fungal Proteins; C108256:KIP3 protein, S cerevisiae; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; C109414:STU2 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D004247:DNA; D016547:Kinesins