Regulation of Spo12 phosphorylation and its essential role in the FEAR network.
BACKGROUND
In budding yeast, the protein phosphatase Cdc14 coordinates late mitotic events and triggers exit from mitosis. During early anaphase, Cdc14 is activated by the FEAR network, but how signaling through the FEAR network occurs is poorly understood.


RESULTS
We find that the FEAR network component Spo12 is phosphorylated on S118. This phosphorylation is essential for Spo12 function and is restricted to early anaphase, when the FEAR network is active. The anaphase-specific phosphorylation of Spo12 requires mitotic CDKs and depends on the FEAR network components Separase and Slk19. Furthermore, we find that CDC14 is required to maintain Spo12 in the dephosphorylated state prior to anaphase.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that anaphase-specific phosphorylation of Spo12 is essential for FEAR network function and raise the interesting possibility that Cdc14 itself helps to prevent the FEAR network from being prematurely activated.
Tomson
Brett N
BN
David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, E17-233, 40 Ames Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Rahal
Rami
R
Reiser
Vladimír
V
Monje-Casas
Fernando
F
Mekhail
Karim
K
Moazed
Danesh
D
Amon
Angelika
A
D000705:Anaphase / Q000502:physiology; D002453:Cell Cycle; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008938:Mitosis; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D064247:Separase; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000502:physiology
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C416648:SPO12 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C437104:Slk19 protein, S cerevisiae; D010450:Endopeptidases; C577986:ESP1 protein, S cerevisiae; D064247:Separase