Dataset Information

Direct evidence for a critical role of myosin II in budding yeast cytokinesis and the evolvability of new cytokinetic mechanisms in the absence of myosin II.

ABSTRACT: In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an actomyosin-based contractile ring is present during cytokinesis, as occurs in animal cells. However, the precise requirement for this structure during budding yeast cytokinesis has been controversial. Here we show that deletion of MYO1, the single myosin II gene, is lethal in a commonly used strain background. The terminal phenotype of myo1Delta is interconnected chains of cells, suggestive of a cytokinesis defect. To further investigate the role of Myo1p in cytokinesis, we conditionally disrupted Myo1 function by using either a dominant negative Myo1p construct or a strain where expression of Myo1p can be shut-off. Both ways of disruption of Myo1 function result in a failure in cytokinesis. Additionally, we show that a myo1Delta strain previously reported to grow nearly as well as the wild type contains a single genetic suppressor that alleviates the severe cytokinesis defects of myo1Delta. Using fluorescence time-lapse imaging and electron microscopy techniques, we show that cytokinesis in this strain is achieved through formation of multiple aberrant septa. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that the actomyosin ring is crucial for successful cytokinesis in budding yeast, but new cytokinetic mechanisms can evolve through genetic changes when myosin II function is impaired.

SUBMITTER: Tolliday N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC150009 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Direct evidence for a critical role of myosin II in budding yeast cytokinesis and the evolvability of new cytokinetic mechanisms in the absence of myosin II.

Tolliday Nicola N Pitcher Maria M Li Rong R

Molecular biology of the cell 20030201 2

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an actomyosin-based contractile ring is present during cytokinesis, as occurs in animal cells. However, the precise requirement for this structure during budding yeast cytokinesis has been controversial. Here we show that deletion of MYO1, the single myosin II gene, is lethal in a commonly used strain background. The terminal phenotype of myo1Delta is interconnected chains of cells, suggestive of a cytokinesis defect. To further investigate the role ...[more]

PMID: 12589071

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundThe mitotic exit network (MEN) is required for events at the end of mitosis such as degradation of mitotic cyclins and cytokinesis. Bub2 and its binding partner Bfa1 act as a GTPase activating protein (GAP) to negatively regulate the MEN GTPase Tem1. The Bub2/Bfa1 checkpoint pathway is required to delay the cell cycle in response to mispositioned spindles. In addition to its role in mitotic exit, Tem1 is required for actomyosin ring contraction.ResultsTo test the hypothesis that the Bub2 pathway prevents premature actin ring assembly, we compared the timing of actin ring formation in wild type, bub2Delta, mad2Delta, and bub2Deltamad2Delta cells both with and without microtubules. There was no difference in the timing of actin ring formation between wild type and mutant cells in a synchronized cell cycle. In the presence of nocodazole, both bub2Delta and mad2Delta cells formed rings after a delay of the same duration. Double mutant bub2Deltamad2Delta and bfa1Deltamad2Delta cells formed rings at the same time with and without nocodazole. To determine if Bub2 has an effect on actomyosin ring contraction through its regulation of Tem1, we used live cell imaging of Myo1-GFP in a bub2Delta strain. We found a significant decrease in the total time of contraction and an increase in rate of contraction compared to wild type cells. We also examined myosin contraction using Myo1-GFP in cells overexpressing an epitope tagged Bub2. Surprisingly, overexpression of Bub2 also led to a significant increase in the rate of contraction, as well as morphological defects. The chained cell phenotype caused by Bub2 overexpression could be rescued by co-overexpression of Tem1, and was not rescued by deletion of BFA1.ConclusionOur data indicate that the Bub2 checkpoint pathway does not have a specific role in delaying actin ring formation. The observed increase in the rate of myosin contraction in the bub2Delta strain provides evidence that the MEN regulates actomyosin ring contraction. Our data suggest that the overexpression of the Bub2 fusion protein acts as a dominant negative, leading to septation defects by a mechanism that is Tem1-dependent.

Dataset Information

Direct evidence for a critical role of myosin II in budding yeast cytokinesis and the evolvability of new cytokinetic mechanisms in the absence of myosin II.

Publications

Direct evidence for a critical role of myosin II in budding yeast cytokinesis and the evolvability of new cytokinetic mechanisms in the absence of myosin II.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets