Project description:The segregation of maternal centromeres away from the paternal ones during the first division of meiosis depends on the attachment of sister kinetochores to microtubules emanating from the same spindle pole. In budding yeast monopolar attachment requires the recruitment to kinetochores of a protein complex called monopolin. The biochemical function of monopolin was unknown. Here, we have identified the casein kinase I Hrr25 as a hitherto unknown subunit of monopolin. Hrr25 differs from other monopolin components by its enzymatic activity and strong evolutionary conservation. We demonstrate that Hrr25’s kinase activity and its interaction with monopolin are both required for monopolar attachment. Accordingly, Hrr25 is associated with centromeres in meiosis I. Our results revealed a surprising new role for casein kinases and provide a hypothesis for the mechanism of monopolar attachment during meiosis I in sexually reproducing organisms: casein kinase I-dependent phosphorylation of kinetochore proteins. Keywords: ChIP-chip, Meiosis, Cell cycle, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Chromosome VI tiling array, Hrr25, Mam1
Project description:During meiosis, a single round of DNA replication is followed by two consecutive rounds of nuclear divisions called meiosis I and meiosis II. In meiosis I, homologous chromosomes segregate, while sister chromatids remain together. Determining how this unusual chromosome segregation behavior is established is central to understanding germ cell development. Here we show that preventing microtubule-kinetochore interactions during premeiotic S phase and prophase I is essential for establishing the meiosis I chromosome segregation pattern. Premature interactions of kinetochores with microtubules transform meiosis I into a mitosis-like division by disrupting two key meiosis I events: coorientation of sister kinetochores and protection of centromeric cohesin removal from chromosomes. Furthermore we find that restricting outer kinetochore assembly contributes to preventing premature engagement of microtubules with kinetochores. We propose that inhibition of microtubule-kinetochore interactions during premeiotic S phase and prophase I is central to establishing the unique meiosis I chromosome segregation pattern.
Project description:During meiosis, a single round of DNA replication is followed by two consecutive rounds of nuclear divisions called meiosis I and meiosis II. In meiosis I, homologous chromosomes segregate, while sister chromatids remain together. Determining how this unusual chromosome segregation behavior is established is central to understanding germ cell development. Here we show that preventing microtubule-kinetochore interactions during premeiotic S phase and prophase I is essential for establishing the meiosis I chromosome segregation pattern. Premature interactions of kinetochores with microtubules transform meiosis I into a mitosis-like division by disrupting two key meiosis I events: coorientation of sister kinetochores and protection of centromeric cohesin removal from chromosomes. Furthermore we find that restricting outer kinetochore assembly contributes to preventing premature engagement of microtubules with kinetochores. We propose that inhibition of microtubule-kinetochore interactions during premeiotic S phase and prophase I is central to establishing the unique meiosis I chromosome segregation pattern. The association of the cohesion factors Rec8, Pds5, and Sgo1 were measured by ChIP-chip analysis in wild-type and CUP-CLB3 strains.
Project description:Centromeres play several important roles in ensuring proper chromosome segregation. Not only do they promote kinetochore assembly for microtubule attachment, but they also support robust sister chromatid cohesion at pericentromeres and facilitate replication of centromeric DNA early in S phase. However, it is still elusive how centromeres orchestrate all these functions at the same site. Here we show that the budding yeast Dbf4-dependent kinase (DDK) accumulates at kinetochores in telophase, facilitated by the Ctf19 kinetochore complex. This promptly recruits Sld3-Sld7 replication initiator proteins to pericentromeric replication origins so that they initiate replication early in S phase. Furthermore DDK at kinetochores independently recruits the Scc2-Scc4 cohesin loader to centromeres in G1 phase. This enhances cohesin loading and facilitates robust pericentromeric cohesion in S phase. Thus, we have found the central mechanism by which kinetochores orchestrate early S phase DNA replication and robust sister chromatid cohesion at microtubule attachment sites. Measurement of genome replication time for various S. cerevisiae strains. For each strain two samples were analysed: a replicating sample (from S phase) and a non-replicating sample (from G2 phase).
Project description:Chromosome segregation depends on proper attachment of sister kinetochores to microtubules. Merotelic kinetochore orientation is an error which occurs when a single kinetochore is attached to microtubules emanating form opposite poles. Mechanisms preventing or correcting the merotelic attachment must operate to avoid chromosome missegregation. Pcs1 has been implicated in preventing merotelic attachment in mitosis and meiosis II. We describe here the identification of Mde4 protein which forms a complex with the Pcs1. Both Mde4 and Pcs1 localize to the central core of the centromere. Similarly to the pcs1 mutant, in the absence of mde4 lagging chromosomes are frequently observed during mitosis and meiosis II . We provide the first evidence that the lagging chromosomes in pcs1 and mde4 mutants are due to merotelic kinetochore orientation. Keywords: ChIP-chip analysis
Project description:Meiosis produces gametes through a specialised, two-step cell division, which is highly error-prone in humans. Reductional meiosis I, where maternal and paternal chromosomes (homologs) segregate, is followed by equational meiosis II, where sister chromatids separate. Uniquely during meiosis I, sister kinetochores are monooriented and pericentromeric cohesin is protected. Here, we demonstrate that these key adaptations for reductional chromosome segregation are achieved through separable control of multiple kinases by the meiosis I-specific budding yeast Spo13 protein. Recruitment of Polo kinase to kinetochores directs monoorientation, while, independently, cohesin protection is achieved by controlling the effects of cohesin kinases. Therefore, reductional chromosome segregation, the defining feature of meiosis, is established by multifaceted kinase control by a master regulator. The recent identification of Spo13 orthologs, fission yeast Moa1 and mouse MEIKIN, suggests that kinase coordination by a master meiosis I regulator may be a general feature in the establishment of reductional chromosome segregation.
Project description:Centromeres play several important roles in ensuring proper chromosome segregation. Not only do they promote kinetochore assembly for microtubule attachment, but they also support robust sister chromatid cohesion at pericentromeres and facilitate replication of centromeric DNA early in S phase. However, it is still elusive how centromeres orchestrate all these functions at the same site. Here we show that the budding yeast Dbf4-dependent kinase (DDK) accumulates at kinetochores in telophase, facilitated by the Ctf19 kinetochore complex. This promptly recruits Sld3-Sld7 replication initiator proteins to pericentromeric replication origins so that they initiate replication early in S phase. Furthermore DDK at kinetochores independently recruits the Scc2-Scc4 cohesin loader to centromeres in G1 phase. This enhances cohesin loading and facilitates robust pericentromeric cohesion in S phase. Thus, we have found the central mechanism by which kinetochores orchestrate early S phase DNA replication and robust sister chromatid cohesion at microtubule attachment sites.
Project description:Chromosome segregation depends on proper attachment of sister kinetochores to microtubules. Merotelic kinetochore orientation is an error which occurs when a single kinetochore is attached to microtubules emanating form opposite poles. Mechanisms preventing or correcting the merotelic attachment must operate to avoid chromosome missegregation. Pcs1 has been implicated in preventing merotelic attachment in mitosis and meiosis II. We describe here the identification of Mde4 protein which forms a complex with the Pcs1. Both Mde4 and Pcs1 localize to the central core of the centromere. Similarly to the pcs1 mutant, in the absence of mde4 lagging chromosomes are frequently observed during mitosis and meiosis II . We provide the first evidence that the lagging chromosomes in pcs1 and mde4 mutants are due to merotelic kinetochore orientation. Keywords: ChIP-chip analysis ChIP-chip analysis: In all cases, hybridization data for ChIP fraction was compared with that of SUP (supernatant) fraction. Pombe whole chromosome array was used.
Project description:To protect against aneuploidy, chromosomes must attach to microtubules from opposite poles (“biorientation”) prior to their segregation during mitosis. Biorientation relies on the correction of erroneous attachments by the aurora B kinase, which destabilizes kinetochore-microtubule attachments that lack tension. Incorrect attachments are also avoided because sister kinetochores are intrinsically biased towards capture by microtubules from opposite poles. Here we show that shugoshin acts as a pericentromeric adaptor that plays dual roles in biorientation in budding yeast. Shugoshin maintains the aurora B kinase at kinetochores that lack tension, thereby engaging the error correction machinery. Shugoshin also recruits the chromosome-organising complex, condensin, to the pericentromere. Pericentromeric condensin biases sister kinetochores towards capture by microtubules from opposite poles. Overall, shugoshin integrates a bias to sister kinetochore capture with error correction to enable chromosome biorientation. Our findings uncover the molecular basis of the bias to sister kinetochore capture and expose shugoshin as a pericentromeric hub controlling chromosome biorientation.