From the Nuclear Pore to the Fibrous Corona: A MAD Journey to Preserve Genome Stability

The relationship between kinetochores and nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) is intimate but poorly understood. Several NPC components and associated proteins are relocated to mitotic kinetochores to assist in different activities that ensure faithful chromosome segregation. Such is the case of the Mad1-c-Mad2 complex, the catalytic core of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), a surveillance pathway that delays anaphase until all kinetochores are attached to spindle microtubules. Mad1-c-Mad2 is recruited to discrete domains of unattached kinetochores from where it promotes the rate-limiting step in the assembly of anaphase-inhibitory complexes. SAC proficiency further requires Mad1-c-Mad2 to be anchored at NPCs during interphase. However, the mechanistic relevance of this arrangement for SAC function remains ill-defined. Recent studies uncover the molecular underpinnings that coordinate the release of Mad1-c-Mad2 from NPCs with its prompt recruitment to kinetochores. Here, current knowledge on Mad1-c-Mad2 function and spatiotemporal regulation is reviewed and the critical questions that remain unanswered are highlighted.     

NUCLEAR PORE ANCHOR, the Arabidopsis homolog of Tpr/Mlp1/Mlp2/megator, is involved in mRNA export and SUMO homeostasis and affects diverse aspects of plant development

Vertebrate Tpr and its yeast homologs Mlp1/Mlp2, long coiled-coil proteins of nuclear pore inner basket filaments, are involved in mRNA export, telomere organization, spindle pole assembly, and unspliced RNA retention. We identified Arabidopsis thaliana NUCLEAR PORE ANCHOR (NUA) encoding a 237-kD protein with similarity to Tpr. NUA is located at the inner surface of the nuclear envelope in interphase and in the vicinity of the spindle in prometaphase. Four T-DNA insertion lines were characterized, which comprise an allelic series of increasing severity for several correlating phenotypes, such as early flowering under short days and long days, increased abundance of SUMO conjugates, altered expression of several flowering regulators, and nuclear accumulation of poly(A)+ RNA. nua mutants phenocopy mutants of EARLY IN SHORT DAYS4 (ESD4), an Arabidopsis SUMO protease concentrated at the nuclear periphery. nua esd4 double mutants resemble nua and esd4 single mutants, suggesting that the two proteins act in the same pathway or complex, supported by yeast two-hybrid interaction. Our data indicate that NUA is a component of nuclear pore-associated steps of sumoylation and mRNA export in plants and that defects in these processes affect the signaling events of flowering time regulation and additional developmental processes.     

Spatiotemporal control of mitosis by the conserved spindle matrix protein Megator

A putative spindle matrix has been hypothesized to mediate chromosome motion, but its existence and functionality remain controversial. In this report, we show that Megator (Mtor), the Drosophila melanogaster counterpart of the human nuclear pore complex protein translocated promoter region (Tpr), and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) protein Mad2 form a conserved complex that localizes to a nuclear derived spindle matrix in living cells. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments supports that Mtor is retained around spindle microtubules, where it shows distinct dynamic properties. Mtor/Tpr promotes the recruitment of Mad2 and Mps1 but not Mad1 to unattached kinetochores (KTs), mediating normal mitotic duration and SAC response. At anaphase, Mtor plays a role in spindle elongation, thereby affecting normal chromosome movement. We propose that Mtor/Tpr functions as a spatial regulator of the SAC, which ensures the efficient recruitment of Mad2 to unattached KTs at the onset of mitosis and proper spindle maturation, whereas enrichment of Mad2 in a spindle matrix helps confine the action of a diffusible “wait anaphase” signal to the vicinity of the spindle.     

RED, a spindle pole-associated protein, is required for kinetochore localization of MAD1, mitotic progression, and activation of the spindle assembly checkpoint

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is essential for ensuring the proper attachment of kinetochores to the spindle and, thus, the precise separation of paired sister chromatids during mitosis. The SAC proteins are recruited to the unattached kinetochores for activation of the SAC in prometaphase. However, it has been less studied whether activation of the SAC also requires the proteins that do not localize to the kinetochores. Here, we show that the nuclear protein RED, also called IK, a down-regulator of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) II, interacts with the human SAC protein MAD1. Two RED-interacting regions identified in MAD1 are from amino acid residues 301-340 and 439-480, designated as MAD1(301-340) and MAD1(439-480), respectively. Our observations reveal that RED is a spindle pole-associated protein that colocalizes with MAD1 at the spindle poles in metaphase and anaphase. Depletion of RED can cause a shorter mitotic timing, a failure in the kinetochore localization of MAD1 in prometaphase, and a defect in the SAC. Furthermore, the RED-interacting peptides MAD1(301-340) and MAD1(439-480), fused to enhanced green fluorescence protein, can colocalize with RED at the spindle poles in prometaphase, and their expression can abrogate the SAC. Taken together, we conclude that RED is required for kinetochore localization of MAD1, mitotic progression, and activation of the SAC.     

The spindle assembly checkpoint in Caenorhabditis elegans: One who lacks Mad1 becomes mad one

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) monitors the microtubule attachment status of the kinetochore and arrests cells before anaphase until all pairs of sister kinetochores achieve bipolar attachment of microtubules, thereby ensuring faithful chromosome transmission. The evolutionarily conserved coiled-coil protein MAD1 has been implicated in the SAC signaling pathway. MAD1 forms a complex with another SAC component MAD2 and specifically localizes to unattached kinetochores to facilitate efficient binding of MAD2 to its target, CDC20, the mitotic substrate-specific activator of the anaphase promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C). Thus, MAD1 connects 2 sequential events in the SAC signaling pathway – recognition of unattached kinetochores and inhibition of APC/C activity. However, the molecular mechanisms by which it specifically localizes to unattached kinetochores are largely unknown. Studies in multicellular organisms have revealed the role of MAD1 in development and tumor suppression, but the precise time at which MAD1 activity is required is unknown. Investigation of cellular and organismic functions of MAD1 in the simple multicellular organism C. elegans identified functional interactors of MAD1 in both kinetochore-oriented SAC signaling and kinetochore-independent cell cycle regulation. Studying the function of SAC components in C. elegans provides a new molecular insight into the SAC-regulated cell cycle progression in a context of a multicellular organism.     

Monopolar Spindle 1 (MPS1) Kinase Promotes Production of Closed MAD2 (C-MAD2) Conformer and Assembly of the Mitotic Checkpoint Complex

MPS1 kinase is an essential component of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), but its functioning mechanisms are not fully understood. We have shown recently that direct interaction between BUBR1 and MAD2 is critical for assembly and function of the human mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), the SAC effector. Here we report that inhibition of MPS1 kinase activity by reversine disrupts BUBR1-MAD2 as well as CDC20-MAD2 interactions, causing premature activation of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome. The effect of MPS1 inhibition is likely due to reduction of closed MAD2 (C-MAD2), as expressing a MAD2 mutant (MAD2^L13A) that is locked in the C conformation rescued the checkpoint defects. In the presence of reversine, exogenous C-MAD2 does not localize to unattached kinetochores but is still incorporated into the MCC. Contrary to a previous report, we found that sustained MPS1 activity is required for maintaining both the MAD1·C-MAD2 complex and open MAD2 (O-MAD2) at unattached kinetochores to facilitate C-MAD2 production. Additionally, mitotic phosphorylation of BUBR1 is also affected by MPS1 inhibition but seems dispensable for MCC assembly. Our results support the notion that MPS1 kinase promotes C-MAD2 production and subsequent MCC assembly to activate the SAC.     

NUA Activities at the Plant Nuclear Pore

NUA (Nuclear Pore Anchor), the Arabidopsis homolog of Tpr (Translocated Promoter Region), is one of the few nuclear pore proteins conserved between animals, yeast and plants. In the May issue of Plant Cell, we report that null mutants of NUA show a pleiotropic, early flowering phenotype accompanied by changes in SUMo and RNA homeostasis. We have shown that the early flowering phenotype is caused by changed abundances of flowering time regulators involved in several pathways. Arabidopsis nua mutants phenocopy mutants lacking the ESD4 (EARlY IN ShoRT DAYS 4) SUMo protease, similar to mutants of their respective yeast homologs. however, in contrast to the comparable yeast mutants, ESD4 does not appear to be delocalized from the nuclear pore in nua mutants. Taken together, our experimental data suggests a role for NUA in controlling mRNA export from the nucleus as well as SUMo protease activity at the nuclear pore, comparable but not identical to its homologs in other eukaryotes. Furthermore, characterization of NUA illustrates a potential link at the nuclear pore between SUMo modification, RNA homeostasis and plant developmental control.Key Words: nuclear pore complex, nucleoporin, nuclear envelope, nucleocytoplasmic transport, SUMO, mRNA export, flowering time     

PRP4 is a spindle assembly checkpoint protein required for MPS1, MAD1, and MAD2 localization to the kinetochores

The spindle checkpoint delays anaphase onset until every chromosome kinetochore has been efficiently captured by the mitotic spindle microtubules. In this study, we report that the human pre–messenger RNA processing 4 (PRP4) protein kinase associates with kinetochores during mitosis. PRP4 depletion by RNA interference induces mitotic acceleration. Moreover, we frequently observe lagging chromatids during anaphase leading to aneuploidy. PRP4-depleted cells do not arrest in mitosis after nocodazole treatment, indicating a spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) failure. Thus, we find that PRP4 is necessary for recruitment or maintenance of the checkpoint proteins MPS1, MAD1, and MAD2 at the kinetochores. Our data clearly identify PRP4 as a previously unrecognized kinetochore component that is necessary to establish a functional SAC.     

Conditional targeting of MAD1 to kinetochores is sufficient to reactivate the spindle assembly checkpoint in metaphase

Fidelity of chromosome segregation is monitored by the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). Key components of the SAC include MAD1, MAD2, BUB1, BUB3, BUBR1, and MPS1. These proteins accumulate on kinetochores in early prometaphase but are displaced when chromosomes attach to microtubules and/or biorient on the mitotic spindle. As a result, stable attachment of the final chromosome satisfies the SAC, permitting activation of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) and subsequent anaphase onset. SAC satisfaction is reversible, however, as addition of taxol during metaphase stops cyclin B1 degradation by the APC/C. We now show that targeting MAD1 to kinetochores during metaphase is sufficient to reestablish SAC activity after initial silencing. Using rapamycin-induced heterodimerization of FKBP-MAD1 to FRB-MIS12 and live monitoring of cyclin B1 degradation, we show that timed relocalization of MAD1 during metaphase can stop cyclin B1 degradation without affecting chromosome-spindle attachments. APC/C inhibition represented true SAC reactivation, as FKBP-MAD1 required an intact MAD2-interaction motif and MPS1 activity to accomplish this. Our data show that MAD1 kinetochore localization dictates SAC activity and imply that SAC regulatory mechanisms downstream of MAD1 remain functional in metaphase.     

AKAP95 interacts with nucleoporin TPR in mitosis and is important for the spindle assembly checkpoint

Faithful chromosome segregation during mitosis relies on a proofreading mechanism that monitors proper kinetochore-microtubule attachments. The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is based on the concerted action of numerous components that maintain a repressive signal inhibiting transition into anaphase until all chromosomes are attached. Here we show that A-Kinase Anchoring Protein 95 (AKAP95) is necessary for proper SAC function. AKAP95-depleted HeLa cells show micronuclei formed from lagging chromosomes at mitosis. Using a BioID proximity-based proteomic screen, we identify the nuclear pore complex protein TPR as a novel AKAP95 binding partner. We show interaction between AKAP95 and TPR in mitosis, and an AKAP95-dependent enrichment of TPR in the spindle microtubule area in metaphase, then later in the spindle midzone area. AKAP95-depleted cells display faster prometaphase to anaphase transition, escape from nocodazole-induced mitotic arrest and show a partial delocalization from kinetochores of the SAC component MAD1. Our results demonstrate an involvement of AKAP95 in proper SAC function likely through its interaction with TPR.     

Mlp1 Acts as a Mitotic Scaffold to Spatially Regulate Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Proteins in Aspergillus nidulans

During open mitosis several nuclear pore complex (NPC) proteins have mitotic specific localizations and functions. We find that the Aspergillus nidulans Mlp1 NPC protein has previously unrealized mitotic roles involving spatial regulation of spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) proteins. In interphase, An-Mlp1 tethers the An-Mad1 and An-Mad2 SAC proteins to NPCs. During a normal mitosis, An-Mlp1, An-Mad1, and An-Mad2 localize similarly on, and around, kinetochores until telophase when they transiently localize near the spindle but not at kinetochores. During SAC activation, An-Mlp1 remains associated with kinetochores in a manner similar to An-Mad1 and An-Mad2. Although An-Mlp1 is not required for An-Mad1 kinetochore localization during early mitosis, it is essential to maintain An-Mad1 in the extended region around kinetochores in early mitosis and near the spindle in telophase. Our data are consistent with An-Mlp1 being part of a mitotic spindle matrix similar to its Drosophila orthologue and demonstrate that this matrix localizes SAC proteins. By maintaining SAC proteins near the mitotic apparatus, An-Mlp1 may help monitor mitotic progression and coordinate efficient mitotic exit. Consistent with this possibility, An-Mad1 and An-Mlp1 redistribute from the telophase matrix and associate with segregated kinetochores when mitotic exit is prevented by expression of nondegradable cyclin B.     

MAD2蛋白在蚕豆细胞周期中的同源定位

细胞周期是一个高度有序的过程,其运行过程受到多个检验点(checkpoint)的严格监控.MAD2是动物细胞纺锤体检验点(spindle checkpoint)中一种重要的蛋白。我们利用免疫印记法从蚕豆组织中检测到一种MAD2的同源蛋白,该蛋白的分子量在26KD左右,其亚细胞分布方式与动物细胞大致相同,都随细胞周期的进行而变化:在间期细胞中,MAD2分布于整个细胞中,并且在核膜外侧有优先聚集;在有丝分裂前期细胞中,MAD2在核膜破裂后开始在动粒处聚集;到早中期(prometaphase),MAD2定位于动粒;随着微管的延伸,MAD2逐渐减少直至消失,在中期,晚中期及后期细胞中,动粒处已无MAD2的分布。     

Arabidopsis WPP-domain proteins are developmentally associated with the nuclear envelope and promote cell division

The nuclear envelope (NE) acts as a selective barrier to macromolecule trafficking between the nucleus and the cytoplasm and undergoes a complex reorganization during mitosis. Different eukaryotic kingdoms show specializations in NE function and composition. In contrast with vertebrates, the protein composition of the NE and the function of NE proteins are barely understood in plants. MFP1 attachment factor 1 (MAF1) is a plant-specific NE-associated protein first identified in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Here, we demonstrate that two Arabidopsis thaliana MAF1 homologs, WPP1 and WPP2, are associated with the NE specifically in undifferentiated cells of the root tip. Reentry into cell cycle after callus induction from differentiated root segments reprograms their NE association. Based on green fluorescent protein fusions and immunogold labeling data, the proteins are associated with the outer NE and the nuclear pores in interphase cells and with the immature cell plate during cytokinesis. RNA interference-based suppression of the Arabidopsis WPP family causes shorter primary roots, a reduced number of lateral roots, and reduced mitotic activity of the root meristem. Together, these data demonstrate the existence of regulated NE targeting in plants and identify a class of plant-specific NE proteins involved in mitotic activity.     

DNA Damage Response and Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Function throughout the Cell Cycle to Ensure Genomic Integrity

Errors in replication or segregation lead to DNA damage, mutations, and aneuploidies. Consequently, cells monitor these events and delay progression through the cell cycle so repair precedes division. The DNA damage response (DDR), which monitors DNA integrity, and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), which responds to defects in spindle attachment/tension during metaphase of mitosis and meiosis, are critical for preventing genome instability. Here we show that the DDR and SAC function together throughout the cell cycle to ensure genome integrity in C. elegans germ cells. Metaphase defects result in enrichment of SAC and DDR components to chromatin, and both SAC and DDR are required for metaphase delays. During persistent metaphase arrest following establishment of bi-oriented chromosomes, stability of the metaphase plate is compromised in the absence of DDR kinases ATR or CHK1 or SAC components, MAD1/MAD2, suggesting SAC functions in metaphase beyond its interactions with APC activator CDC20. In response to DNA damage, MAD2 and the histone variant CENPA become enriched at the nuclear periphery in a DDR-dependent manner. Further, depletion of either MAD1 or CENPA results in loss of peripherally associated damaged DNA. In contrast to a SAC-insensitive CDC20 mutant, germ cells deficient for SAC or CENPA cannot efficiently repair DNA damage, suggesting that SAC mediates DNA repair through CENPA interactions with the nuclear periphery. We also show that replication perturbations result in relocalization of MAD1/MAD2 in human cells, suggesting that the role of SAC in DNA repair is conserved.     

Interactions between Mad1p and the nuclear transport machinery in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In addition to its role in nucleocytoplasmic transport, the nuclear pore complex (NPC) acts as a docking site for proteins whose apparent primary cellular functions are unrelated to nuclear transport, including Mad1p and Mad2p, two proteins of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) machinery. To understand this relationship, we have mapped domains of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mad1p that interact with the nuclear transport machinery, including further defining its interactions with the NPC. We showed that a Kap95p/Kap60p-dependent nuclear localization signal, positioned in the C-terminal third of Mad1p, is required for its efficient targeting to the NPC. At the NPC, Mad1p interacts with Nup53p and a presumed Nup60p/Mlp1p/Mlp2p complex through two coiled coil regions within its N terminus. When the SAC is activated, a portion of Mad1p is recruited to kinetochores through an interaction that is mediated by the C-terminal region of Mad1p and requires energy. We showed using photobleaching analysis that in nocodazole-arrested cells Mad1p rapidly cycles between the Mlp proteins and kinetochores. Our further analysis also showed that only the C terminus of Mad1p is required for SAC function and that the NPC, through Nup53p, may act to regulate the duration of the SAC response.     

Checkpoint inhibition of the APC/C in HeLa cells is mediated by a complex of BUBR1, BUB3, CDC20, and MAD2

The mitotic checkpoint prevents cells with unaligned chromosomes from prematurely exiting mitosis by inhibiting the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) from targeting key proteins for ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. We have examined the mechanism by which the checkpoint inhibits the APC/C by purifying an APC/C inhibitory factor from HeLa cells. We call this factor the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) as it consists of hBUBR1, hBUB3, CDC20, and MAD2 checkpoint proteins in near equal stoichiometry. MCC inhibitory activity is 3,000-fold greater than that of recombinant MAD2, which has also been shown to inhibit APC/C in vitro. Surprisingly, MCC is not generated from kinetochores, as it is also present and active in interphase cells. However, only APC/C isolated from mitotic cells was sensitive to inhibition by MCC. We found that the majority of the APC/C in mitotic lysates is associated with the MCC, and this likely contributes to the lag in ubiquitin ligase activity. Importantly, chromosomes can suppress the reactivation of APC/C. Chromosomes did not affect the inhibitory activity of MCC or the stimulatory activity of CDC20. We propose that the preformed interphase pool of MCC allows for rapid inhibition of APC/C when cells enter mitosis. Unattached kinetochores then target the APC/C for sustained inhibition by the MCC.     

Tpr is localized within the nuclear basket of the pore complex and has a role in nuclear protein export

Tpr is a coiled-coil protein found near the nucleoplasmic side of the pore complex. Since neither the precise localization of Tpr nor its functions are well defined, we generated antibodies to three regions of Tpr to clarify these issues. Using light and EM immunolocalization, we determined that mammalian Tpr is concentrated within the nuclear basket of the pore complex in a distribution similar to Nup153 and Nup98. Antibody localization together with imaging of GFP-Tpr in living cells revealed that Tpr is in discrete foci inside the nucleus similar to several other nucleoporins but is not present in intranuclear filamentous networks (Zimowska et al., 1997) or in long filaments extending from the pore complex (Cordes et al., 1997) as proposed. Injection of anti-Tpr antibodies into mitotic cells resulted in depletion of Tpr from the nuclear envelope without loss of other pore complex basket proteins. Whereas nuclear import mediated by a basic amino acid signal was unaffected, nuclear export mediated by a leucine-rich signal was retarded significantly. Nuclear injection of anti-Tpr antibodies in interphase cells similarly yielded inhibition of protein export but not import. These results indicate that Tpr is a nucleoporin of the nuclear basket with a role in nuclear protein export.     

Human CENP-I specifies localization of CENP-F,MAD1 and MAD2 to kinetochores and is essential for mitosis

The kinetochore, a macromolecular complex located at the centromere of chromosomes, provides essential functions for accurate chromosome segregation. Kinetochores contain checkpoint proteins that monitor attachments between the kinetochore and microtubules to ensure that cells do not exit mitosis in the presence of unaligned chromosomes. Here we report that human CENP-I, a constitutive protein of the kinetochore that shares limited similarity with Mis6 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, is required for the localization of CENP-F and the checkpoint proteins MAD1 and MAD2 to kinetochores. Depletion of CENP-I from kinetochores causes the cell cycle to delay in G2. Although monopolar chromosomes in CENP-I-depleted cells fail to establish bipolar connections, the cells are unable to arrest in mitosis. These cells are transiently delayed in mitosis in a MAD2-dependent manner, even though their kinetochores are depleted of MAD2. The delay is extended considerably when the number of unattached kinetochores is increased. This suggests that no single unattached kinetochore in CENP-I-depleted cells can arrest mitosis. The collective output from many unattached kinetochores is required to reach a threshold signal of 'wait for anaphase' to sustain a prolonged mitotic arrest.     

Orderly inactivation of the key checkpoint protein mitotic arrest deficient 2 (MAD2) during mitotic progression

Anaphase is promoted by the ubiquitin ligase anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) only when all the chromosomes have achieved bipolar attachment to the mitotic spindles. Unattached kinetochores or the absence of tension between the paired kinetochores activates a surveillance mechanism termed the spindle-assembly checkpoint. A fundamental principle of the checkpoint is the activation of mitotic arrest deficient 2 (MAD2). MAD2 then forms a diffusible complex called mitotic checkpoint complex (designated as MAD2(MCC)) before it is recruited to APC/C (designated as MAD2(APC/C)). Large gaps in our knowledge remain on how MAD2 is inactivated after the checkpoint is satisfied. In this study, we have investigated the regulation of MAD2-containing complexes during mitotic progression. Using selective immunoprecipitation of checkpoint components and gel filtration chromatography, we found that MAD2(MCC) and MAD2(APC/C) were regulated very differently during mitotic exit. Temporally, MAD2(MCC) was broken down ahead of MAD2(APC/C). The inactivation of the two complexes also displayed different requirements of proteolysis; although APC/C and proteasome activities were dispensable for MAD2(MCC) inactivation, they are required for MAD2(APC/C) inactivation. In fact, the degradation of CDC20 is inextricably linked to the breakdown of MAD2(APC/C). These data extended our understanding of the checkpoint complexes during checkpoint silencing.