Latrunculin A delays anaphase onset in fission yeast by disrupting an Ase1-independent pathway controlling mitotic spindle stability.
It has been proposed previously that latrunculin A, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, delays the onset of anaphase by causing spindle misorientation in fission yeast. However, we show that Delta mto1 cells, which are defective in nucleation of cytoplasmic microtubules, have profoundly misoriented spindles but are not delayed in the timing of sister chromatid separation, providing compelling evidence that fission yeast does not possess a spindle orientation checkpoint. Instead, we show that latrunculin A delays anaphase onset by disrupting interpolar microtubule stability. This effect is abolished in a latrunculin A-insensitive actin mutant and exacerbated in cells lacking Ase1, which cross-links antiparallel interpolar microtubules at the spindle midzone both before and after anaphase. These data indicate that both Ase1 and an intact actin cytoskeleton are required for preanaphase spindle stability. Finally, we show that loss of Ase1 activates a checkpoint that requires only the Mad3, Bub1, and Mph1, but not Mad1, Mad2, or Bub3 checkpoint proteins.
Division of Yeast Genetics, National Institute for Medical Research, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom.
John C
JC
Meadows
Jonathan
J
Millar
D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000705:Anaphase; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000494:pharmacology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange; D008941:Spindle Apparatus; D013696:Temperature; D053778:Thiazolidines / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000199:Actins; C502827:Ase1 protein, S pombe; C070352:BUB3 protein, S cerevisiae; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D053778:Thiazolidines; C037067:latrunculin A