Suspended animation in C. elegans requires the spindle checkpoint.
In response to environmental signals such as anoxia, many organisms enter a state of suspended animation, an extreme form of quiescence in which microscopically visible movement ceases. We have identified a gene, san-1, that is required for suspended animation in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. We show that san-1 functions as a spindle checkpoint component in C. elegans. During anoxia-induced suspended animation, embryos lacking functional SAN-1 or a second spindle checkpoint component, MDF-2, failed to arrest the cell cycle, exhibited chromosome missegregation, and showed reduced viability. These data provide a model for how a dynamic biological process is arrested in suspended animation.
Nystul
Todd G
TG
Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
Goldmark
Jesse P
JP
Padilla
Pamela A
PA
Roth
Mark B
MB
D000705:Anaphase; D000782:Aneuploidy; D000818:Animals; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000502:physiology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020090:Chromosome Segregation; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D008677:Metaphase; D008938:Mitosis; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010100:Oxygen / Q000502:physiology; D034622:RNA Interference; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000502:physiology*; D013692:Telophase
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C412840:MDF-2 protein, C elegans; D010100:Oxygen