title: Conversion of midbodies into germ cell intercellular bridges.
abstract: Whereas somatic cell cytokinesis resolves with abscission of the midbody, resulting in independent daughter cells, germ cell cytokinesis concludes with the formation of a stable intercellular bridge interconnecting daughter cells in a syncytium. While many proteins essential for abscission have been discovered, until recently, no proteins essential for mammalian germ cell intercellular bridge formation have been identified. Using TEX14 as a marker for the germ cell intercellular bridge, we show that TEX14 co-localizes with the centralspindlin complex, mitotic kinesin-like protein 1 (MKLP1) and male germ cell Rac GTPase-activating protein (MgcRacGAP) and converts these midbody matrix proteins into stable intercellular bridge components. In contrast, septins (SEPT) 2, 7 and 9 are transitional proteins in the newly forming bridge. In cultured somatic cells, TEX14 can localize to the midbody in the absence of other germ cell-specific factors, suggesting that TEX14 serves to bridge the somatic cytokinesis machinery to other germ cell proteins to form a stable intercellular bridge essential for male reproduction.
authors: Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors: Michael P
authors: MP
authors: Greenbaum
authors: Lang
authors: L
authors: Ma
authors: Martin M
authors: MM
authors: Matzuk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D048749:Cytokinesis / Q000502:physiology; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D015388:Organelles / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C510086:TEX14 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases