title: The conserved kinetochore protein shugoshin protects centromeric cohesion during meiosis.
abstract: Meiosis comprises a pair of specialized nuclear divisions that produce haploid germ cells. To accomplish this, sister chromatids must segregate together during the first meiotic division (meiosis I), which requires that sister chromatid cohesion persists at centromeres. The factors that protect centromeric cohesion during meiosis I have remained elusive. Here we identify Sgo1 (shugoshin), a protector of the centromeric cohesin Rec8 in fission yeast. We also identify a homologue of Sgo1 in budding yeast. We provide evidence that shugoshin is widely conserved among eukaryotes. Moreover, we identify Sgo2, a paralogue of shugoshin in fission yeast, which is required for faithful mitotic chromosome segregation. Localization of Sgo1 and Sgo2 at centromeres requires the kinase Bub1, identifying shugoshin as a crucial target for the kinetochore function of Bub1. These findings provide insights into the evolution of meiosis and kinetochore regulation during mitosis and meiosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoya S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kitajima
authors.forename: Shigehiro A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002503:Centromere / Q000378:metabolism*; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020090:Chromosome Segregation; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D018386:Kinetochores / Q000378:metabolism*; D008540:Meiosis; D008938:Mitosis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D021381:Protein Transport; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017385:Sequence Homology; D000097722:Cohesins
chemical_list: D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; C077081:REC8 protein, S pombe; D000097722:Cohesins; C090464:Bub1 spindle checkpoint protein