title: Meikin is a conserved regulator of meiosis-I-specific kinetochore function.
abstract: The kinetochore is the crucial apparatus regulating chromosome segregation in mitosis and meiosis. Particularly in meiosis I, unlike in mitosis, sister kinetochores are captured by microtubules emanating from the same spindle pole (mono-orientation) and centromeric cohesion mediated by cohesin is protected in the following anaphase. Although meiotic kinetochore factors have been identified only in budding and fission yeasts, these molecules and their functions are thought to have diverged earlier. Therefore, a conserved mechanism for meiotic kinetochore regulation remains elusive. Here we have identified in mouse a meiosis-specific kinetochore factor that we termed MEIKIN, which functions in meiosis I but not in meiosis II or mitosis. MEIKIN plays a crucial role in both mono-orientation and centromeric cohesion protection, partly by stabilizing the localization of the cohesin protector shugoshin. These functions are mediated mainly by the activity of Polo-like kinase PLK1, which is enriched to kinetochores in a MEIKIN-dependent manner. Our integrative analysis indicates that the long-awaited key regulator of meiotic kinetochore function is Meikin, which is conserved from yeasts to humans.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromosome Dynamics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Jihye
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromosome Dynamics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Kei-ichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishiguro
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromosome Dynamics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nambu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromosome Dynamics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Bungo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Akiyoshi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromosome Dynamics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Shihori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yokobayashi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromosome Dynamics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kagami
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromosome Dynamics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishiguro
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (CSIC-USAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Alberto M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pendas
authors.affiliation: Center for Animal Resources and Development, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Kumamoto 860-0811 Japan.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Chromosome Segregation, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, 2-2-3 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Yogo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakakibara
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Chromosome Segregation, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, 2-2-3 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoya S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kitajima
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromosome Dynamics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanno
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromosome Dynamics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakuno
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromosome Dynamics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002503:Centromere / Q000378:metabolism; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018386:Kinetochores / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000097869:Polo-Like Kinase 1
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D000097869:Polo-Like Kinase 1; C000595185:MEIKIN protein, mouse; C506917:Moa1 protein, S pombe; C097192:SPO13 protein, S cerevisiae; C527733:shugoshin protein, mouse