title: Australin: a chromosomal passenger protein required specifically for Drosophila melanogaster male meiosis.
abstract: The chromosomal passenger complex (CPC), which is composed of conserved proteins aurora B, inner centromere protein (INCENP), survivin, and Borealin/DASRA, localizes to chromatin, kinetochores, microtubules, and the cell cortex in a cell cycle-dependent manner. The CPC is required for multiple aspects of cell division. Here we find that Drosophila melanogaster encodes two Borealin paralogues, Borealin-related (Borr) and Australin (Aust). Although Borr is a passenger in all mitotic tissues studied, it is specifically replaced by Aust for the two male meiotic divisions. We analyzed aust mutant spermatocytes to assess the effects of fully inactivating the Aust-dependent functions of the CPC. Our results indicate that Aust is required for sister chromatid cohesion, recruitment of the CPC to kinetochores, and chromosome alignment and segregation but not for meiotic histone phosphorylation or spindle formation. Furthermore, we show that the CPC is required earlier in cytokinesis than previously thought; cells lacking Aust do not initiate central spindle formation, accumulate anillin or actin at the cell equator, or undergo equatorial constriction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, OX1 3PS Oxford, England, UK.
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Giansanti
authors.forename: Graham J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Buttrick
authors.forename: Sharada
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramasubramanyan
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Auton
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gatti
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wakefield
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D020090:Chromosome Segregation / Q000235:genetics; D003285:Contractile Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D048749:Cytokinesis / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics; D018386:Kinetochores / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D049468:Prometaphase / Q000235:genetics; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000235:genetics; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: C490157:CDCA8 protein, human; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D003285:Contractile Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; C095886:anillin; C527369:aust protein, Drosophila