Stable MCC binding to the APC/C is required for a functional spindle assembly checkpoint

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) delays progression into anaphase until all chromosomes have aligned on the metaphase plate by inhibiting Cdc20, the mitotic co‐activator of the APC/C. Mad2 and BubR1 bind and inhibit Cdc20, thereby forming the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), which can bind stably to the APC/C. Whether MCC formation per se is sufficient for a functional SAC or MCC association with the APC/C is required remains unclear. Here, we analyze the role of two conserved motifs in Cdc20, IR and C‐Box, in binding of the MCC to the APC/C. Mutants in both motifs assemble the MCC normally, but IR motif integrity is particularly important for stable binding to the APC/C. Cells expressing Cdc20 with a mutated IR motif have a compromised SAC, as uninhibited Cdc20 can compete with the MCC for APC/C binding and activate it. We thus show that stable MCC association with the APC/C is critical for a functional SAC.     

Mps1Mph1 Kinase Phosphorylates Mad3 to Inhibit Cdc20Slp1-APC/C and Maintain Spindle Checkpoint Arrests

The spindle checkpoint is a mitotic surveillance system which ensures equal segregation of sister chromatids. It delays anaphase onset by inhibiting the action of the E3 ubiquitin ligase known as the anaphase promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C). Mad3/BubR1 is a key component of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) which binds and inhibits the APC/C early in mitosis. Mps1^Mph1 kinase is critical for checkpoint signalling and MCC-APC/C inhibition, yet few substrates have been identified. Here we identify Mad3 as a substrate of fission yeast Mps1^Mph1 kinase. We map and mutate phosphorylation sites in Mad3, producing mutants that are targeted to kinetochores and assembled into MCC, yet display reduced APC/C binding and are unable to maintain checkpoint arrests. We show biochemically that Mad3 phospho-mimics are potent APC/C inhibitors in vitro, demonstrating that Mad3p modification can directly influence Cdc20^Slp1-APC/C activity. This genetic dissection of APC/C inhibition demonstrates that Mps1^Mph1 kinase-dependent modifications of Mad3 and Mad2 act in a concerted manner to maintain spindle checkpoint arrests.     

Recruitment of Cdc20 to the Kinetochore Requires BubR1 but Not Mad2 in Drosophila melanogaster

To prevent aneuploidy, cells require a mitotic surveillance mechanism, the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). The SAC prevents metaphase/anaphase transition by blocking the ubiquitylation and destruction of cyclin B and securin via the Cdc20-activated anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C)-mediated proteolysis pathway. This checkpoint involves the kinetochore proteins Mad2, BubR1, and Cdc20. Mad2 and BubR1 are inhibitors of the APC/C, but Cdc20 is an activator. Exactly how the SAC regulates Cdc20 via unattached kinetochores remains unclear; in vertebrates, most current models suggest that kinetochore-bound Mad2 is required for initial binding to Cdc20 to form a stable complex that includes BubR1. Here, we show that the Mad2 kinetochore dimerization recruitment mechanism is conserved and that the recruitment of Cdc20 to kinetochores in Drosophila requires BubR1 but not Mad2. BubR1 and Mad2 can bind to Cdc20 independently, and the interactions are enhanced after cells are arrested at mitosis by the depletion of Cdc27 using RNA interference (RNAi) in S2 cells or by MG132 treatment in syncytial embryos. These findings offer an explanation of why BubR1 is more important than Mad2 for SAC function in flies. These findings could lead to a better understanding of vertebrate SAC mechanisms.The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is a mitotic surveillance mechanism that negatively regulates the activation of the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C)-mediated proteolysis pathway to prevent the destruction of two key substrates, cyclin B and securin, thereby inhibiting the metaphase-to-anaphase transition until bipolar attachment of all chromosomes has been achieved (35). A number of conserved kinetochore proteins have been identified as SAC components, such as Mad1, Mad2, Bub1, BubR1, Bub3, Mps1, Zw10, and Rod and Aurora B kinase (reviewed by Musacchio and Salmon [35]). In vertebrates, it is believed that a diffusible inhibitory “wait anaphase” signal is generated from unattached kinetochores or lack of spindle tension (27, 45, 47) and that its primary target is Cdc20/Fzy (Fzy is the Drosophila Cdc20 homolog that we refer to as Cdc20 here), which is an essential APC/C activator (35). Mad2, BubR1 (Mad3 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Bub3, and Cdc20 have been found in the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) or its subcomplexes Bub3-BubR1-Cdc20 and Mad2-Cdc20 (42, 50, 56). Kinetochore-dependent recruitment and activation of Mad2 have been illustrated in a “template” model (12) and later a modified “two-state” model (28, 32, 35, 36, 40, 57). This model suggests that a kinetochore-bound and conformationally rearranged Mad2 is required for Cdc20 binding and that it leads to the formation of the Mad2-Cdc20 complex (8, 9, 12, 16, 48, 49). This is further supported by a more recent report that unattached kinetochores from purified HeLa cell chromosomes can catalytically generate a diffusible Cdc20 inhibitor when presented with kinetochore-bound Mad2 and that these purified chromosomes can also promote BubR1 binding to APC/C-Cdc20 by acting directly on Mad2 but not BubR1 (27). In vitro assays also suggest that Mad2 is required for Cdc20 binding to BubR1 (7, 10, 19). Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis has suggested that the ∼50% of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Cdc20 that associates with slow-phase kinetics on PtK₂ cell kinetochores is Mad2 dependent (22). However, contradictory reports also exist to suggest that Mad2 might not be required for Cdc20 kinetochore localization in Xenopus and PtK₂ cells (22) and that BubR1 might play a crucial role for this in human cell lines (33). In contrast to the above-mentioned slow-phase GFP-Cdc20, the remaining ∼50% of GFP-Cdc20 that associates with fast kinetics on prometaphase or metaphase kinetochores is Mad2 independent, and its kinetics parallel those of GFP-BubR1 in PtK₂ cells. GFP-Cdc20 is still detectable on kinetochores through anaphase, where both Mad2 and BubR1 are greatly reduced (22, 25). Moreover, the direct requirement for the kinetochore in the formation of the SAC-inhibitory complexes has been challenged by a non-kinetochore-based formation hypothesis, with MCC found to be present in HeLa cells during S phase (50) and complex formation in yeast previously shown to be independent of intact kinetochores (17, 43). Therefore, despite the importance of Cdc20 in understanding SAC mechanisms, exactly how the SAC regulates Cdc20 via unattached kinetochores remains unclear in vertebrates.Drosophila melanogaster is a well-established model used to study the spindle assembly checkpoint (2, 3, 6, 39). More recently, phenotypes of two mad2-null Drosophila mutant alleles, mad2^Δ and mad2^P, have been characterized, showing that Mad2 protein is not essential for normal mitotic progression but remains essential for SAC when microtubule attachment, chromosome alignment, and congression are abnormal (5). This contrasts with its counterpart in mouse and human (14, 34, 54) and is also different from the lethality phenotypes reported for bubR1 and cdc20 mutations in Drosophila (3, 11). It has also been reported that Mad2 is less important for SAC than BubR1 and that it is regulated differently in Drosophila S2 culture cells (39). These observations led to the tentative conclusion that Drosophila Mad2 may possess different kinetochore molecular mechanisms and function differently from its homologs in mouse and human (14, 34, 54, 58). We therefore tested Mad2 kinetochore function and further investigated the mechanisms required for Cdc20 kinetochore recruitment and localization using Drosophila transgenic and mutant lines, as well as culture cells. We have characterized a new mad2-null mutant allele, mad2^EY, and demonstrated that Drosophila possesses a highly conserved Mad2 kinetochore dimerization mechanism required for SAC function. However, Mad2 is not required for Cdc20 kinetochore recruitment and localization. Instead, there is an essential role for BubR1 in this mechanism during normal mitosis and SAC activation.     

Mad3/BubR1 Phosphorylation during Spindle Checkpoint Activation Depends on both Polo and Aurora Kinases in Budding Yeast

During mitosis the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) delays the onset of anaphase and mitotic exit until all chromosomes are bipolarly attached to spindle fibers. Both lack of attachment due to spindle/kinetochore defects and lack of tension across kinetochores generate the “wait anaphase” signal transmitted by the SAC, which involves the evolutionarily conserved Mad1, Mad2, Mad3/BubR1, Bub1, Bub3 and Mps1 proteins, and inhibits the activity of the ubiquitin ligase Cdc20/APC, that promotes both sister chromatid dissociation in anaphase and mitotic exit. In particular, Mad3/BubR1 is directly implicated, together with Mad2, in Cdc20 inactivation in both human and yeast cells, suggesting that its activity is likely finely regulated. We show that budding yeast Mad3, like its human orthologue BubR1, is a phosphoprotein that is hyperphosphorylated during mitosis and when SAC activation is triggered by microtubule depolymerizing agents, kinetochore defects or lack of kinetochore tension. In vivo Mad3 phosphorylation depends on the Polo kinase Cdc5 and, to a minor extent, the Aurora B kinase Ipl1. Accordingly, replacing with alanines five serine residues belonging to Polo kinase-dependent putative phosphorylation sites dramatically reduces Mad3 phosphorylation, suggesting that Mad3 is likely an in vivo target of Cdc5.     

The APC/C maintains the spindle assembly checkpoint by targeting Cdc20 for destruction

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is required to block sister chromatid separation until all chromosomes are properly attached to the mitotic apparatus. The SAC prevents cells from entering anaphase by inhibiting the ubiquitylation of cyclin B1 and securin by the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) ubiquitin ligase. The target of the SAC is the essential APC/C activator Cdc20. It is unclear how the SAC inactivates Cdc20 but most current models suggest that Cdc20 forms a stable complex with the Mad2 checkpoint protein. Here we show that most Cdc20 is not in a complex with Mad2; instead Mad2 is required for Cdc20 to form a complex with another checkpoint protein, BubR1. We further show that during the SAC, the APC/C ubiquitylates Cdc20 to target it for degradation. Thus, ubiquitylation of human Cdc20 is not required to release it from the checkpoint complex, but to degrade it to maintain mitotic arrest.     

Homeostatic control of mitotic arrest

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) restricts mitotic exit to cells that have completed chromosome-microtubule attachment. Cdc20 is a bifunctional protein. In complex with SAC proteins Mad2, BubR1, and Bub3, Cdc20 forms the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), which binds the anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) and inhibits its mitotic exit-promoting activity. When devoid of SAC proteins, Cdc20 serves as an APC/C coactivator and promotes mitotic exit. During mitotic arrest, Cdc20 is continuously degraded via ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis and resynthesized. It is believed that this cycle keeps the levels of Cdc20 below a threshold above which Cdc20 would promote mitotic exit. We report that p31(comet), a checkpoint antagonist, is necessary for mitotic destabilization of Cdc20. p31(comet) depletion stabilizes the MCC, super-inhibits the APC/C, and delays mitotic exit, indicating that Cdc20 proteolysis in prometaphase opposes the checkpoint. Our studies reveal a homeostatic network in which checkpoint-sustaining and -repressing forces oppose each other during mitotic arrest and suggest ways for enhancing the sensitivity of cancer cells to antitubulin chemotherapeutics.     

In silico study of kinetochore control, amplification, and inhibition effects in MCC assembly

Eukaryotic cells rely on a surveillance mechanism, the "Spindle Assembly Checkpoint"SACM in order to ensure accurate chromosome segregation by preventing anaphase initiation until all chromosomes are correctly attached to the mitotic spindle. In different organisms, a mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) composed of Mad2, Bub3, BubR1/Mad3, and Cdc20 inhibits the anaphase promoting complex (APC/C) to initiate promotion into anaphase. The mechanism of MCC formation and its regulation by the kinetochore are unclear. Here, we constructed dynamical models of MCC formation involving different kinetochore control mechanisms including amplification as well as inhibition effects, and analysed their quantitative properties. In particular, in this system, fast and stable metaphase to anaphase transition can only be triggered when the kinetochore controls the Bub3:BubR1-related reactions; signal amplification and inhibition play a subordinate role. Furthermore, when introducing experimentally determined parameter values into the models analysed here, we found that effective MCC formation is not combined with complete Cdc20 sequestering. Instead, the MCC might bind and completely block the APC/C. The SACM might function by an MCC:APC/C complex rearrangement.     

Defining pathways of spindle checkpoint silencing: functional redundancy between Cdc20 ubiquitination and p31(comet)

The spindle checkpoint senses unattached or improperly attached kinetochores during mitosis, inhibits the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C), and delays anaphase onset to prevent aneuploidy. The mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) consisting of BubR1, Bub3, Mad2, and Cdc20 is a critical APC/C-inhibitory checkpoint complex in human cells. At the metaphase-anaphase transition, the spindle checkpoint turns off, and MCC disassembles to allow anaphase onset. The molecular mechanisms of checkpoint inactivation are poorly understood. A major unresolved issue is the role of Cdc20 autoubiquitination in this process. Although Cdc20 autoubiquitination can promote Mad2 dissociation from Cdc20, a nonubiquitinatable Cdc20 mutant still dissociates from Mad2 during checkpoint inactivation. Here, we show that depletion of p31(comet) delays Mad2 dissociation from Cdc20 mutants that cannot undergo autoubiquitination. Thus both p31(comet) and ubiquitination of Cdc20 are critical mechanisms of checkpoint inactivation. They act redundantly to promote Mad2 dissociation from Cdc20.     

Mad3 KEN boxes mediate both Cdc20 and Mad3 turnover, and are critical for the spindle checkpoint

Mitotic progression is controlled by proteolytic destruction of securin and cyclin. The mitotic E3 ubiquitin ligase, known as the anaphase promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C), in partnership with its activators Cdc20p and Cdh1p, targets these proteins for degradation. In the presence of defective kinetochore-microtubule interactions, APC/C(Cdc20) is inhibited by the spindle checkpoint, thereby delaying anaphase onset and providing more time for spindle assembly. Cdc20p interacts directly with Mad2p, and its levels are subject to careful regulation, but the precise mode(s) of APC/C( Cdc20) inhibition remain unclear. The mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC, consisting of Mad3p, Mad2p, Bub3p and Cdc20p in budding yeast) is a potent APC/C inhibitor. Here we focus on Mad3p and how it acts, in concert with Mad2p, to efficiently inhibit Cdc20p. We identify and analyse the function of two motifs in Mad3p, KEN30 and KEN296, which are conserved from yeast Mad3p to human BubR1. These KEN amino acid sequences resemble 'degron' signals that confer interaction with APC/C activators and target proteins for degradation. We show that both Mad3p KEN boxes are necessary for spindle checkpoint function. Mutation of KEN30 abolished MCC formation and stabilised Cdc20p in mitosis. In addition, mutation of Mad3-KEN30, APC/C subunits, or Cdh1p, stabilised Mad3p in G1, indicating that the N-terminal KEN box could be a Mad3p degron. To determine the significance of Mad3p turnover, we analysed the consequences of MAD3 overexpression and found that four-fold overproduction of Mad3p led to chromosome bi-orientation defects and significant chromosome loss during recovery from anti-microtubule drug induced checkpoint arrest. In conclusion, Mad3p KEN30 mediates interactions that regulate the proteolytic turnover of Cdc20p and Mad3p, and the levels of both of these proteins are critical for spindle checkpoint signaling and high fidelity chromosome segregation.     

The closed form of Mad2 is bound to Mad1 and Cdc20 at unattached kinetochores

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) ensures accurate chromosome segregation by delaying anaphase onset in response to unattached kinetochores. Anaphase is delayed by the generation of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) composed of the checkpoint proteins Mad2 and BubR1/Bub3 bound to the protein Cdc20. Current models assume that MCC production is catalyzed at unattached kinetochores and that the Mad1/Mad2 complex is instrumental in the conversion of Mad2 from an open form (O-Mad2) to a closed form (C-Mad2) that can bind to Cdc20. Importantly the levels of Mad2 at kinetochores correlate with SAC activity but whether C-Mad2 at kinetochores exclusively represents its complex with Mad1 is not fully established. Here we use a recently established C-Mad2 specific monoclonal antibody to show that Cdc20 and C-Mad2 levels correlate at kinetochores and that depletion of Cdc20 reduces Mad2 but not Mad1 kinetochore levels. Importantly reintroducing wild type Cdc20 but not Cdc20 R132A, a mutant form that cannot bind Mad2, restores Mad2 levels. In agreement with this live cell imaging of fluorescent tagged Mad2 reveals that Cdc20 depletion strongly reduces Mad2 localization to kinetochores. These results support the presence of Mad2-Cdc20 complexes at kinetochores in agreement with current models of the SAC but also argue that Mad2 levels at kinetochores cannot be used as a direct readout of Mad1 levels.     

Spindle checkpoint activation at meiosis I advances anaphase II onset via meiosis-specific APC/C regulation

During mitosis, the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) inhibits the Cdc20-activated anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C(Cdc20)), which promotes protein degradation, and delays anaphase onset to ensure accurate chromosome segregation. However, the SAC function in meiotic anaphase regulation is poorly understood. Here, we examined the SAC function in fission yeast meiosis. As in mitosis, a SAC factor, Mad2, delayed anaphase onset via Slp1 (fission yeast Cdc20) when chromosomes attach to the spindle improperly. However, when the SAC delayed anaphase I, the interval between meiosis I and II shortened. Furthermore, anaphase onset was advanced and the SAC effect was reduced at meiosis II. The advancement of anaphase onset depended on a meiosis-specific, Cdc20-related factor, Fzr1/Mfr1, which contributed to anaphase cyclin decline and anaphase onset and was inefficiently inhibited by the SAC. Our findings show that impacts of SAC activation are not confined to a single division at meiosis due to meiosis-specific APC/C regulation, which has probably been evolved for execution of two meiotic divisions.     

APC/C- and Mad2-mediated degradation of Cdc20 during spindle checkpoint activation

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is an important mechanism that prevents the separation of sister chromatids until the microtubules radiating from the spindle poles are correctly attached to the kinetochores. Cdc20, an activator of the Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C), is known as a major downstream target for inhibition by the SAC through the binding of mitotic checkpoint proteins, such as Mad2 and BubR1. Here, we report that the SAC also negatively regulates the stability of Cdc20 by targeting it for proteasome-dependent degradation. Once the checkpoint is activated by spindle poisons, a major population of Cdc20 is degraded via APC/C, an event that requires the binding of Cdc20 to Mad2. We propose that the degradation of Cdc20 represents a critical control mechanism to ensure inactivation of APC/C^Cdc20 in response to the SAC.     

Mutually dependent degradation of Ama1p and Cdc20p terminates APC/C ubiquitin ligase activity at the completion of meiotic development in yeast

Background

The execution of meiotic nuclear divisions in S. cerevisiae is regulated by protein degradation mediated by the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) ubiquitin ligase. The correct timing of APC/C activity is essential for normal chromosome segregation. During meiosis, the APC/C is activated by the association of either Cdc20p or the meiosis-specific factor Ama1p. Both Ama1p and Cdc20p are targeted for degradation as cells exit meiosis II with Cdc20p being destroyed by APC/C^Ama1. In this study we investigated how Ama1p is down regulated at the completion of meiosis.

Findings

Here we show that Ama1p is a substrate of APC/C^Cdc20 but not APC/C^Cdh1 in meiotic cells. Cdc20p binds Ama1p in vivo and APC/C^Cdc20 ubiquitylates Ama1p in vitro. Ama1p ubiquitylation requires one of two degradation motifs, a D-box and a “KEN-box” like motif called GxEN. Finally, Ama1p degradation does not require its association with the APC/C via its conserved APC/C binding motifs (C-box and IR) and occurs simultaneously with APC/C^Ama1-mediated Cdc20p degradation.

Conclusions

Unlike the cyclical nature of mitotic cell division, meiosis is a linear pathway leading to the production of quiescent spores. This raises the question of how the APC/C is reset prior to spore germination. This and a previous study revealed that Cdc20p and Ama1p direct each others degradation via APC/C-dependent degradation. These findings suggest a model that the APC/C is inactivated by mutual degradation of the activators. In addition, these results support a model in which Ama1p and Cdc20p relocate to the substrate address within the APC/C cavity prior to degradation.

     

Kinase activity of fission yeast Mph1 is required for Mad2 and Mad3 to stably bind the anaphase promoting complex

Defects in chromosome segregation result in aneuploidy, which can lead to disease or cell death [1, 2]. The spindle checkpoint delays anaphase onset until all chromosomes are attached to spindle microtubules in a bipolar fashion [3, 4]. Mad2 is a key checkpoint component that undergoes conformational activation, catalyzed by a Mad1-Mad2 template enriched at unattached kinetochores [5]. Mad2 and Mad3 (BubR1) then bind and inhibit Cdc20 to form the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), which binds and inhibits the anaphase promoting complex (APC/C). Checkpoint kinases (Aurora, Bub1, and Mps1) are critical for checkpoint signaling, yet they have poorly defined roles and few substrates have been identified [6-8]. Here we demonstrate that a kinase-dead allele of the fission yeast MPS1 homolog (Mph1) is checkpoint defective and that levels of APC/C-associated Mad2 and Mad3 are dramatically reduced in this mutant. Thus, MCC binding to fission yeast APC/C is dependent on Mph1 kinase activity. We map and mutate several phosphorylation sites in Mad2, producing mutants that display reduced Cdc20-APC/C binding and an inability to maintain checkpoint arrest. We conclude that Mph1 kinase regulates the association of Mad2 with its binding partners and thereby mitotic arrest.     

Requirement for proteolysis in spindle assembly checkpoint silencing

Anaphase initiation requires ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of crucial substrates through activation of the ubiquitin ligase Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) in association with its coactivator Cdc20. To prevent chromosome segregation errors, effector proteins of a safeguard mechanism called spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), Mad2 and BubR1, bind Cdc20 and restrain APC/C^Cdc20 activation until spindle assembly. Coordinated chromosome segregation also requires timely SAC inactivation. Spindle assembly appears necessary to silence SAC, however, how resolution of the SAC effector branch is achieved is still largely unknown. We show here that the complex between Mad2 and Cdc20 peaked at prometaphase in mammalian cells, while its dissociation proceeded along with spindle assembly and required proteolysis. Proteolysis did not appear required for assembly of metaphase spindles but rather needed for Mad2-Cdc20 complex resolution by promoting reversal of phosphorylations that maintain the complex. Indeed, in the absence of proteolysis, Mad2-Cdc20 complex dissociation was reversed by treatment with cyclin-dependent kinase or Aurora kinase inhibitors. Mad2-Cdc20 disassembly was, however, resistant to the potent PP1 and PP2A phosphatases inhibitor okadaic acid. We propose that SAC silencing in mammalian cells requires proteolysis-dependent activation of okadaic acid-resistant phosphatase(s) to reverse phosphorylations that lock the Mad2-Cdc20 complex.     

Cdc14 Inhibition by the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Prevents Unscheduled Centrosome Separation in Budding Yeast

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is an evolutionarily conserved surveillance mechanism that delays anaphase onset and mitotic exit in response to the lack of kinetochore attachment. The target of the SAC is the E3 ubiquitin ligase anaphase-promoting complex (APC) bound to its Cdc20 activator. The Cdc20/APC complex is in turn required for sister chromatid separation and mitotic exit through ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of securin, thus relieving inhibition of separase that unties sister chromatids. Separase is also involved in the Cdc-fourteen early anaphase release (FEAR) pathway of nucleolar release and activation of the Cdc14 phosphatase, which regulates several microtubule-linked processes at the metaphase/anaphase transition and also drives mitotic exit. Here, we report that the SAC prevents separation of microtubule-organizing centers (spindle pole bodies [SPBs]) when spindle assembly is defective. Under these circumstances, failure of SAC activation causes unscheduled SPB separation, which requires Cdc20/APC, the FEAR pathway, cytoplasmic dynein, and the actin cytoskeleton. We propose that, besides inhibiting sister chromatid separation, the SAC preserves the accurate transmission of chromosomes also by preventing SPBs to migrate far apart until the conditions to assemble a bipolar spindle are satisfied.     

Phosphodependent recruitment of Bub1 and Bub3 to Spc7/KNL1 by Mph1 kinase maintains the spindle checkpoint

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is the major surveillance system that ensures that sister chromatids do not separate until all chromosomes are correctly bioriented during mitosis. Components of the checkpoint include Mad1, Mad2, Mad3 (BubR1), Bub3, and the kinases Bub1, Mph1 (Mps1), and Aurora B. Checkpoint proteins are recruited to kinetochores when individual kinetochores are not bound to spindle microtubules or not under tension. Kinetochore association of Mad2 causes it to undergo a conformational change, which promotes its association to Mad3 and Cdc20 to form the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC). The MCC inhibits the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) until the checkpoint is satisfied. SAC silencing derepresses Cdc20-APC/C activity. This triggers the polyubiquitination of securin and cyclin, which promotes the dissolution of sister chromatid cohesion and mitotic progression. We, and others, recently showed that association of PP1 to the Spc7/Spc105/KNL1 family of kinetochore proteins is necessary to stabilize microtubule-kinetochore attachments and silence the SAC. We now report that phosphorylation of the conserved MELT motifs in Spc7 by Mph1 (Mps1) recruits Bub1 and Bub3 to the kinetochore and that this is required to maintain the SAC signal.     

Rev7/Mad2B plays a critical role in the assembly of a functional mitotic spindle

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) acts as a guardian against cellular threats that may lead to chromosomal missegregation and aneuploidy. Mad2, an anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome-Cdc20 (APC/C^Cdc20) inhibitor, has an additional homolog in mammals known as Mad2B, Mad2L2 or Rev7. Apart from its role in Polζ-mediated translesion DNA synthesis and double-strand break repair, Rev7 is also believed to inhibit APC/C by negatively regulating Cdh1. Here we report yet another function of Rev7 in cultured human cells. Rev7, as predicted earlier, is involved in the formation of a functional spindle and maintenance of chromosome segregation. In the absence of Rev7, cells tend to arrest in G2/M-phase and display increased monoastral and abnormal spindles with misaligned chromosomes. Furthermore, Rev7-depleted cells show Mad2 localization at the kinetochores of metaphase cells, an indicator of activated SAC, coupled with increased levels of Cyclin B1, an APC^Cdc20 substrate. Surprisingly unlike Mad2, depletion of Rev7 in several cultured human cell lines did not compromise SAC activity. Our data therefore suggest that besides its role in APC/C^Cdh1 inhibition, Rev7 is also required for mitotic spindle organization and faithful chromosome segregation most probably through its physical interaction with RAN.     

Conserved CDC20 cell cycle functions are carried out by two of the five isoforms in Arabidopsis thaliana

Background

The CDC20 and Cdh1/CCS52 proteins are substrate determinants and activators of the Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) E3 ubiquitin ligase and as such they control the mitotic cell cycle by targeting the degradation of various cell cycle regulators. In yeasts and animals the main CDC20 function is the destruction of securin and mitotic cyclins. Plants have multiple CDC20 gene copies whose functions have not been explored yet. In Arabidopsis thaliana there are five CDC20 isoforms and here we aimed at defining their contribution to cell cycle regulation, substrate selectivity and plant development.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Studying the gene structure and phylogeny of plant CDC20s, the expression of the five AtCDC20 gene copies and their interactions with the APC/C subunit APC10, the CCS52 proteins, components of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) and mitotic cyclin substrates, conserved CDC20 functions could be assigned for AtCDC20.1 and AtCDC20.2. The other three intron-less genes were silent and specific for Arabidopsis. We show that AtCDC20.1 and AtCDC20.2 are components of the MCC and interact with mitotic cyclins with unexpected specificity. AtCDC20.1 and AtCDC20.2 are expressed in meristems, organ primordia and AtCDC20.1 also in pollen grains and developing seeds. Knocking down both genes simultaneously by RNAi resulted in severe delay in plant development and male sterility. In these lines, the meristem size was reduced while the cell size and ploidy levels were unaffected indicating that the lower cell number and likely slowdown of the cell cycle are the cause of reduced plant growth.

Conclusions/Significance

The intron-containing CDC20 gene copies provide conserved and redundant functions for cell cycle progression in plants and are required for meristem maintenance, plant growth and male gametophyte formation. The Arabidopsis-specific intron-less genes are possibly “retrogenes” and have hitherto undefined functions or are pseudogenes.