Cdc28 and Cdc14 control stability of the anaphase-promoting complex inhibitor Acm1

The anaphase-promoting complex (APC) regulates the eukaryotic cell cycle by targeting specific proteins for proteasomal degradation. Its activity must be strictly controlled to ensure proper cell cycle progression. The co-activator proteins Cdc20 and Cdh1 are required for APC activity and are important regulatory targets. Recently, budding yeast Acm1 was identified as a Cdh1 binding partner and APC(Cdh1) inhibitor. Acm1 disappears in late mitosis when APC(Cdh1) becomes active and contains conserved degron-like sequences common to APC substrates, suggesting it could be both an inhibitor and substrate. Surprisingly, we found that Acm1 proteolysis is independent of APC. A major determinant of Acm1 stability is phosphorylation at consensus cyclin-dependent kinase sites. Acm1 is a substrate of Cdc28 cyclin-dependent kinase and Cdc14 phosphatase both in vivo and in vitro. Mutation of Cdc28 phosphorylation sites or conditional inactivation of Cdc28 destabilizes Acm1. In contrast, inactivation of Cdc14 prevents Acm1 dephosphorylation and proteolysis. Cdc28 stabilizes Acm1 in part by promoting binding of the 14-3-3 proteins Bmh1 and Bmh2. We conclude that the opposing actions of Cdc28 and Cdc14 are primary factors limiting Acm1 to the interval from G(1)/S to late mitosis and are capable of establishing APC-independent expression patterns similar to APC substrates.     

Phosphorylation by Cdc28 activates the Cdc20-dependent activity of the anaphase-promoting complex

Budding yeast initiates anaphase by activating the Cdc20-dependent anaphase-promoting complex (APC). The mitotic activity of Cdc28 (Cdk1) is required to activate this form of the APC, and mutants that are impaired in mitotic Cdc28 function have difficulty leaving mitosis. This defect can be explained by a defect in APC phosphorylation, which depends on mitotic Cdc28 activity in vivo and can be catalyzed by purified Cdc28 in vitro. Mutating putative Cdc28 phosphorylation sites in three components of the APC, Cdc16, Cdc23, and Cdc27, makes the APC resistant to phosphorylation both in vivo and in vitro. The nonphosphorylatable APC has normal activity in G1, but its mitotic, Cdc20-dependent activity is compromised. These results show that Cdc28 activates the APC in budding yeast to trigger anaphase. Previous reports have shown that the budding yeast Cdc5 homologue, Plk, can also phosphorylate and activate the APC in vitro. We show that, like cdc28 mutants, cdc5 mutants affect APC phosphorylation in vivo. However, although Cdc5 can phosphorylate Cdc16 and Cdc27 in vitro, this in vitro phosphorylation does not occur on in vivo sites of phosphorylation.     

Mitotic regulation of the human anaphase-promoting complex by phosphorylation

The anaphase-promoting complex (APC) or cyclosome is a ubiquitin ligase that initiates anaphase and mitotic exit. APC activation is thought to depend on APC phosphorylation and Cdc20 binding. We have identified 43 phospho-sites on APC of which at least 34 are mitosis specific. Of these, 32 sites are clustered in parts of Apc1 and the tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) subunits Cdc27, Cdc16, Cdc23 and Apc7. In vitro, at least 15 of the mitotic phospho-sites can be generated by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1), and 3 by Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1). APC phosphorylation by Cdk1, but not by Plk1, is sufficient for increased Cdc20 binding and APC activation. Immunofluorescence microscopy using phospho-antibodies indicates that APC phosphorylation is initiated in prophase during nuclear uptake of cyclin B1. In prometaphase phospho-APC accumulates on centrosomes where cyclin B ubiquitination is initiated, appears throughout the cytosol and disappears during mitotic exit. Plk1 depletion neither prevents APC phosphorylation nor cyclin A destruction in vivo. These observations imply that APC activation is initiated by Cdk1 already in the nuclei of late prophase cells.     

Unique D box and KEN box sequences limit ubiquitination of Acm1 and promote pseudosubstrate inhibition of the anaphase-promoting complex

The anaphase-promoting complex (APC) regulates cell division in eukaryotes by targeting specific proteins for destruction. APC substrates generally contain one or more short degron sequences that help mediate their recognition and poly-ubiquitination by the APC. The most common and well characterized degrons are the destruction box (D box) and the KEN box. The budding yeast Acm1 protein, an inhibitor of Cdh1-activated APC (APC(Cdh1)) also contains several conserved D and KEN boxes, and here we report that two of these located in the central region of Acm1 constitute a pseudosubstrate sequence required for APC(Cdh1) inhibition. Acm1 interacted with and inhibited substrate binding to the WD40 repeat domain of Cdh1. Combined mutation of the central D and KEN boxes strongly reduced both binding to the Cdh1 WD40 domain and APC(Cdh1) inhibition. Despite this, the double mutant, but not wild-type Acm1, was poly-ubiquitinated by APC(Cdh1) in vitro. Thus, unlike substrates in which D and KEN boxes promote ubiquitination, these same elements in the central region of Acm1 prevent ubiquitination. We propose that this unique property of the Acm1 degron sequences results from an unusually high affinity interaction with the substrate receptor site on the WD40 domain of Cdh1 that may serve both to promote APC inhibition and protect Acm1 from destruction.     

A Cdc28 mutant uncouples G1 cyclin phosphorylation and ubiquitination from G1 cyclin proteolysis

Proteolysis of the yeast G(1) cyclins is triggered by their Cdc28-dependent phosphorylation. Phosphorylated Cln1 and Cln2 are ubiquitinated by the SCF-Grr1 complex and then degraded by the 26 S proteasome. In this study, we identified a cak1 allele in a genetic screen for mutants that stabilize the yeast G(1) cyclins. Further characterization showed that Cln2HA was hypophosphorylated, unable to bind Cdc28, and stabilized in cak1 mutants at the restrictive temperature. Hypophosphorylation of Cln2HA could thus explain its stabilization. To test this possibility, we expressed a Cak1-independent mutant of Cdc28 (Cdc28-43244) in cak1 mutants and found that Cln2HA phosphorylation was restored, but surprisingly, the phospho-Cln2HA was stabilized. When bound to Cdc28-43244, Cln2HA was recognized and polyubiquitinated by SCF-Grr1. The Cdc28-43244 mutant thus reveals an unexpected complexity in the degradation of polyubiquitinated Cln2HA by the proteasome.     

Mechanisms of pseudosubstrate inhibition of the anaphase promoting complex by Acm1

The anaphase promoting complex (APC) is a ubiquitin ligase that promotes the degradation of cell-cycle regulators by the 26S proteasome. Cdc20 and Cdh1 are WD40-containing APC co-activators that bind destruction boxes (DB) and KEN boxes within substrates to recruit them to the APC for ubiquitination. Acm1 is an APC(Cdh1) inhibitor that utilizes a DB and a KEN box to bind Cdh1 and prevent substrate binding, although Acm1 itself is not a substrate. We investigated what differentiates an APC substrate from an inhibitor. We identified the Acm1 A-motif that interacts with Cdh1 and together with the DB and KEN box is required for APC(Cdh1) inhibition. A genetic screen identified Cdh1 WD40 domain residues important for Acm1 A-motif interaction and inhibition that appears to reside near Cdh1 residues important for DB recognition. Specific lysine insertion mutations within Acm1 promoted its ubiquitination by APC(Cdh1) whereas lysine removal from the APC substrate Hsl1 converted it into a potent APC(Cdh1) inhibitor. These findings suggest that tight Cdh1 binding combined with the inaccessibility of ubiquitinatable lysines contributes to pseudosubstrate inhibition of APC(Cdh1).     

Mitotic Cdc6 stabilizes anaphase-promoting complex substrates by a partially Cdc28-independent mechanism, and this stabilization is suppressed by deletion of Cdc55

Ectopic expression of Cdc6p results in mitotic delay, and this has been attributed to Cdc6p-mediated inhibition of Cdc28 protein kinase and failure to activate the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). Here we show that endogenous Cdc6p delays a specific subset of mitotic events and that Cdc28 inhibition is not sufficient to account for it. The depletion of Cdc6p in G(2)/M cells reveals that Cdc6p is rate limiting for the degradation of the APC/Cdc20 substrates Pds1p and Clb2p. Conversely, the premature expression of Cdc6p delays the degradation of APC/Cdc20 substrates. Abolishing Cdc6p/Cdc28p interaction does not eliminate the Cdc6-dependent delay of these anaphase events. To identify additional Cdc6-mediated, APC-inhibitory mechanisms, we looked for mutants that reversed the mitotic delay. The deletion of SWE1, RAD24, MAD2, or BUB2 had no effect. However, disrupting CDC55, a PP2A regulatory subunit, suppressed the Cdc6p-dependent delay of Pds1 and Clb2 destruction. A specific role for CDC55 was supported by demonstrating that the lethality of Cdc6 ectopic expression in a cdc16-264 mutant is suppressed by the deletion of CDC55, that endogenous Cdc6p coimmunoprecipitates with the Cdc55 and Tpd3 subunits of PP2A, that Cdc6p/Cdc55p/Tpd3 interaction occurs only during mitosis, and that Cdc6 affects PP2A-Cdc55 activity during anaphase. This demonstrates that the levels and timing of accumulation of Cdc6p in mitosis are appropriate for mediating the modulation of APC/Cdc20.     

The anaphase-promoting complex: proteolysis in mitosis and beyond

Key events in mitosis such as sister chromatid separation and subsequent inactivation of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 are regulated by ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. These events are mediated by the anaphase-promoting complex (APC), a cell cycle-regulated ubiquitin ligase that assembles multiubiquitin chains on regulatory proteins such as securin and cyclins and thereby targets them for destruction by the 26S proteasome.     

Methods to measure ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis mediated by the anaphase-promoting complex

The anaphase-promoting complex (APC) or cyclosome is a multi-subunit ubiquitin ligase that controls progression through mitosis and the G1-phase of the cell cycle. The APC ubiquitinates regulatory proteins such as securin and cyclin B and thereby targets them for destruction by the 26S proteasome. Activation of the APC depends on the activator proteins Cdc20 and Cdh1, which are thought to recruit substrates to the APC. In vitro, APC's RING finger subunit Apc11 alone can also function as a ubiquitin ligase. Here, we review different methods that have been used to measure the ubiquitination activity of the APC in vitro and to analyze APC-mediated degradation reactions either in vitro or in vivo. We describe procedures to isolate the APC from human cells or from Xenopus eggs, to activate purified APC with recombinant Cdc20 or Cdh1 and to measure the ubiquitination activity of the resulting APC(Cdc20) and APC(Cdh1) complexes. We also describe procedures to analyze the ubiquitination activity associated with recombinant Apc11.     

Substrate-specific regulation of ubiquitination by the anaphase-promoting complex

By orchestrating the sequential degradation of a large number of cell cycle regulators, the ubiquitin ligase anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) is essential for proliferation in all eukaryotes. The correct timing of APC/C-dependent substrate degradation, a critical feature of progression through mitosis, was long known to be controlled by mechanisms targeting the core APC/C-machinery. Recent experiments, however have revealed an important contribution of substrate-specific regulation of the APC/C to achieve accurate cell division. In this perspective, we describe different mechanisms of substrate-specific APC/C-regulation and discuss their importance for cell division.Key words: ubiquitin, proteasome, anaphase-promoting complex, spindle assembly factors, degradation     

Acm1 is a negative regulator of the CDH1-dependent anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome in budding yeast

Cdh1 is a coactivator of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) and contributes to mitotic exit and G1 maintenance by facilitating the polyubiquitination and subsequent proteolysis of specific substrates. Here, we report that budding yeast Cdh1 is a component of a cell cycle-regulated complex that includes the 14-3-3 homologs Bmh1 and Bmh2 and a previously uncharacterized protein, which we name Acm1 (APC/CCdh1 modulator 1). Association of Cdh1 with Bmh1 and Bmh2 requires Acm1, and the Acm1 protein is cell cycle regulated, appearing late in G1 and disappearing in late M. In acm1Delta strains, Cdh1 localization to the bud neck and association with two substrates, Clb2 and Hsl1, were strongly enhanced. Several lines of evidence suggest that Acm1 can suppress APC/CCdh1-mediated proteolysis of mitotic cyclins. First, overexpression of Acm1 fully restored viability to cells expressing toxic levels of Cdh1 or a constitutively active Cdh1 mutant lacking inhibitory phosphorylation sites. Second, overexpression of Acm1 was toxic in sic1Delta cells. Third, ACM1 deletion exacerbated a low-penetrance elongated-bud phenotype caused by modest overexpression of Cdh1. This bud elongation was independent of the morphogenesis checkpoint, and the combination of acm1Delta and hsl1Delta resulted in a dramatic enhancement of bud elongation and G2/M delay. Effects on bud elongation were attenuated when Cdh1 was replaced with a mutant lacking the C-terminal IR dipeptide, suggesting that APC/C-dependent proteolysis is required for this phenotype. We propose that Acm1 and Bmh1/Bmh2 constitute a specialized inhibitor of APC/CCdh1.     

Emi1 proteolysis: how SCF(beta-Trcp1) helps to activate the anaphase-promoting complex

Emi1 inhibits the anaphase-promoting complex (APC) during S and G2 phase. Two papers by Guardavaccaro et al. and Margottin-Goguet et al. in the June issue of Developmental Cell now show that Emi1 degradation in early mitosis is mediated by beta-Trcp1, an adaptor protein that recruits proteins to the SCF ubiquitin ligase.     

Inhibitory phosphorylation of the APC regulator Hct1 is controlled by the kinase Cdc28 and the phosphatase Cdc14

BACKGROUND: Exit from mitosis requires inactivation of mitotic cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). A key mechanism of CDK inactivation is ubiquitin-mediated cyclin proteolysis, which is triggered by the late mitotic activation of a ubiquitin ligase known as the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). Activation of the APC requires its association with substoichiometric activating subunits termed Cdc20 and Hct1 (also known as Cdh1). Here, we explore the molecular function and regulation of the APC regulatory subunit Hct1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RESULTS: Recombinant Hct1 activated the cyclin-ubiquitin ligase activity of APC isolated from multiple cell cycle stages. APC isolated from cells arrested in G1, or in late mitosis due to the cdc14-1 mutation, was more responsive to Hct1 than APC isolated from other stages. We found that Hct1 was phosphorylated in vivo at multiple CDK consensus sites during cell cycle stages when activity of the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc28 is high and APC activity is low. Purified Hct1 was phosphorylated in vitro at these sites by purified Cdc28-cyclin complexes, and phosphorylation abolished the ability of Hct1 to activate the APC in vitro. The phosphatase Cdc14, which is known to be required for APC activation in vivo, was able to reverse the effects of Cdc28 by catalyzing Hct1 dephosphorylation and activation. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that Hct1 phosphorylation is a key regulatory mechanism in the control of cyclin destruction. Phosphorylation of Hct1 provides a mechanism by which Cdc28 blocks its own inactivation during S phase and early mitosis. Following anaphase, dephosphorylation of Hct1 by Cdc14 may help initiate cyclin destruction.     

Independent regulation of synaptic size and activity by the anaphase-promoting complex

Neuronal plasticity relies on tightly regulated control of protein levels at synapses. One mechanism to control protein abundance is the ubiquitin-proteasome degradation system. Recent studies have implicated ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation in synaptic development, function, and plasticity, but little is known about the regulatory mechanisms controlling ubiquitylation in neurons. In contrast, ubiquitylation has long been studied as a central regulator of the eukaryotic cell cycle. A critical mediator of cell-cycle transitions, the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), is an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Although the APC/C has been detected in several differentiated cell types, a functional role for the complex in postmitotic cells has been elusive. We describe a novel postmitotic role for the APC/C at Drosophila neuromuscular synapses: independent regulation of synaptic growth and synaptic transmission. In neurons, the APC/C controls synaptic size via a downstream effector Liprin-alpha; in muscles, the APC/C regulates synaptic transmission, controlling the concentration of a postsynaptic glutamate receptor.     

Regulation of the anaphase-promoting complex by the dual specificity phosphatase human Cdc14a

Two forms of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC) mediate the degradation of critical cell cycle regulators. APC(Cdc20) promotes sister-chromatid separation by ubiquitinating securin, whereas APC(Cdh1) ubiquitinates mitotic cyclins, allowing the exit from mitosis. Here we show that phosphorylation of human Cdh1 (hCdh1) by cyclin B-Cdc2 alters the conformation of hCdh1 and prevents it from activating APC. A human homologue of yeast Cdc14, human Cdc14a (hCdc14a), dephosphorylates hCdh1 and activates APC(Cdh1). In contrast, hCdc14a does not affect the activity of APC(Cdc20). hCdc14a is a major phosphatase for hCdh1 and localizes to centrosomes in HeLa cells. Therefore, hCdc14a may promote the activation of APC(Cdh1) and exit from mitosis in mammalian cells.     

Ci proteolysis: regulation by a constellation of phosphorylation sites

Proteolytic processing of Ci requires phosphorylation by the kinases Sgg/GSK3 and CK1. The newly identified phosphorylation sites form clusters with previously described PKA sites in which phosphorylation by PKA acts to prime subsequent phosphorylation by Sgg/GSK3 and CK1.     

Ama1p-activated anaphase-promoting complex regulates the destruction of Cdc20p during meiosis II

The execution of meiotic divisions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated by anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C)-mediated protein degradation. During meiosis, the APC/C is activated by association with Cdc20p or the meiosis-specific activator Ama1p. We present evidence that, as cells exit from meiosis II, APC/C(Ama1) mediates Cdc20p destruction. APC/C(Ama1) recognizes two degrons on Cdc20p, the destruction box and destruction degron, with either domain being sufficient to mediate Cdc20p destruction. Cdc20p does not need to associate with the APC/C to bind Ama1p or be destroyed. Coimmunoprecipitation analyses showed that the diverged amino-terminal region of Ama1p recognizes both Cdc20p and Clb1p, a previously identified substrate of APC/C(Ama1). Domain swap experiments revealed that the C-terminal WD region of Cdh1p, when fused to the N-terminal region of Ama1p, could direct most of Ama1p functions, although at a reduced level. In addition, this fusion protein cannot complement the spore wall defect in ama1Δ strains, indicating that substrate specificity is also derived from the WD repeat domain. These findings provide a mechanism to temporally down-regulate APC/C(Cdc20) activity as the cells complete meiosis II and form spores.     

Substrate-specific regulation of ubiquitination by the anaphase-promoting complex

By orchestrating the sequential degradation of a large number of cell cycle regulators, the ubiquitin ligase anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) is essential for proliferation in all eukaryotes. The correct timing of APC/C-dependent substrate degradation, a critical feature of progression through mitosis, was long known to be controlled by mechanisms targeting the core APC/C-machinery. Recent experiments, however, have revealed an important contribution of substrate-specific regulation of the APC/C to achieve accurate cell division. In this perspective, we describe different mechanisms of substrate-specific APC/C-regulation and discuss their importance for cell division.     

Morphogenesis in the yeast cell cycle: regulation by Cdc28 and cyclins

Analysis of cell cycle regulation in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has shown that a central regulatory protein kinase, Cdc28, undergoes changes in activity through the cell cycle by associating with distinct groups of cyclins that accumulate at different times. The various cyclin/Cdc28 complexes control different aspects of cell cycle progression, including the commitment step known as START and mitosis. We found that altering the activity of Cdc28 had profound effects on morphogenesis during the yeast cell cycle. Our results suggest that activation of Cdc28 by G1 cyclins (Cln1, Cln2, or Cln3) in unbudded G1 cells triggers polarization of the cortical actin cytoskeleton to a specialized pre-bud site at one end of the cell, while activation of Cdc28 by mitotic cyclins (Clb1 or Clb2) in budded G2 cells causes depolarization of the cortical actin cytoskeleton and secretory apparatus. Inactivation of Cdc28 following cyclin destruction in mitosis triggers redistribution of cortical actin structures to the neck region for cytokinesis. In the case of pre-bud site assembly following START, we found that the actin rearrangement could be triggered by Cln/Cdc28 activation in the absence of de novo protein synthesis, suggesting that the kinase may directly phosphorylate substrates (such as actin-binding proteins) that regulate actin distribution in cells.