Time-lapse video microscopy analysis reveals astral microtubule detachment in the yeast spindle pole mutant cnm67

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cnm67Delta cells lack the spindle pole body (SPB) outer plaque, the main attachment site for astral (cytoplasmic) microtubules, leading to frequent nuclear segregation failure. We monitored dynamics of green fluorescent protein-labeled nuclei and microtubules over several cell cycles. Early nuclear migration steps such as nuclear positioning and spindle orientation were slightly affected, but late phases such as rapid oscillations and insertion of the anaphase nucleus into the bud neck were mostly absent. Analyzes of microtubule dynamics revealed normal behavior of the nuclear spindle but frequent detachment of astral microtubules after SPB separation. Concomitantly, Spc72 protein, the cytoplasmic anchor for the gamma-tubulin complex, was partially lost from the SPB region with dynamics similar to those observed for microtubules. We postulate that in cnm67Delta cells Spc72-gamma-tubulin complex-capped astral microtubules are released from the half-bridge upon SPB separation but fail to be anchored to the cytoplasmic side of the SPB because of the absence of an outer plaque. However, successful nuclear segregation in cnm67Delta cells can still be achieved by elongation forces of spindles that were correctly oriented before astral microtubule detachment by action of Kip3/Kar3 motors. Interestingly, the first nuclear segregation in newborn diploid cells never fails, even though astral microtubule detachment occurs.     

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells with Defective Spindle Pole Body Outer Plaques Accomplish Nuclear Migration via Half-Bridge–organized Microtubules

Cnm67p, a novel yeast protein, localizes to the microtubule organizing center, the spindle pole body (SPB). Deletion of CNM67 (YNL225c) frequently results in spindle misorientation and impaired nuclear migration, leading to the generation of bi- and multinucleated cells (40%). Electron microscopy indicated that CNM67 is required for proper formation of the SPB outer plaque, a structure that nucleates cytoplasmic (astral) microtubules. Interestingly, cytoplasmic microtubules that are essential for spindle orientation and nuclear migration are still present in cnm67Δ1 cells that lack a detectable outer plaque. These microtubules are attached to the SPB half- bridge throughout the cell cycle. This interaction presumably allows for low-efficiency nuclear migration and thus provides a rescue mechanism in the absence of a functional outer plaque. Although CNM67 is not strictly required for mitosis, it is essential for sporulation. Time-lapse microscopy of cnm67Δ1 cells with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled nuclei indicated that CNM67 is dispensable for nuclear migration (congression) and nuclear fusion during conjugation. This is in agreement with previous data, indicating that cytoplasmic microtubules are organized by the half-bridge during mating.     

Analysis of a spindle pole body mutant reveals a defect in biorientation and illuminates spindle forces

The spindle pole body (SPB) is the microtubule organizing center in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An essential task of the SPB is to ensure assembly of the bipolar spindle, which requires a proper balancing of forces on the microtubules and chromosomes. The SPB component Spc110p connects the ends of the spindle microtubules to the core of the SPB. We previously reported the isolation of a mutant allele spc110-226 that causes broken spindles and SPB disintegration 30 min after spindle formation. By live cell imaging of mutant cells with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Tub1p or Spc97p-GFP, we show that spc110-226 mutant cells have early defects in spindle assembly. Short spindles form but do not advance to the 1.5-microm stage and frequently collapse. Kinetochores are not arranged properly in the mutant cells. In 70% of the cells, no stable biorientation occurs and all kinetochores are associated with only one SPB. Examination of the SPB remnants by electron microscopy tomography and fluorescence microscopy revealed that the Spc110-226p/calmodulin complex is stripped off of the central plaque of the SPB and coalesces to from a nucleating structure in the nucleoplasm. The central plaque components Spc42p and Spc29p remain behind in the nuclear envelope. The delamination is likely due to a perturbed interaction between Spc42p and Spc110-226p as detected by fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis. We suggest that the force exerted on the SPB by biorientation of the chromosomes pulls the Spc110-226p out of the SPB; removal of force exerted by coherence of the sister chromatids reduced fragmentation fourfold. Removal of the forces exerted by the cytoplasmic microtubules had no effect on fragmentation. Our results provide insights into the relative contributions of the kinetochore and cytoplasmic microtubules to the forces involved in formation of a bipolar spindle.     

Astral Microtubule Dynamics in Yeast: A Microtubule-based Searching Mechanism for Spindle Orientation and Nuclear Migration into the Bud

Localization of dynein–green fluorescent protein (GFP) to cytoplasmic microtubules allowed us to obtain one of the first views of the dynamic properties of astral microtubules in live budding yeast. Several novel aspects of microtubule function were revealed by time-lapse, three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy. Astral microtubules, about four to six in number for each pole, exhibited asynchronous dynamic instability throughout the cell cycle, growing at 0.3–1.5 μm/min toward the cell surface then switching to shortening at similar velocities back to the spindle pole body (SPB). During interphase, a conical array of microtubules trailed the SPB as the nucleus traversed the cytoplasm. Microtubule disassembly by nocodozole inhibited these movements, indicating that the nucleus was pushed around the interior of the cell via dynamic astral microtubules. These forays were evident in unbudded G1 cells, as well as in late telophase cells after spindle disassembly. Nuclear movement and orientation to the bud neck in S/G2 or G2/M was dependent on dynamic astral microtubules growing into the bud. The SPB and nucleus were then pulled toward the bud neck, and further microtubule growth from that SPB was mainly oriented toward the bud. After SPB separation and central spindle formation, a temporal delay in the acquisition of cytoplasmic dynein at one of the spindle poles was evident. Stable microtubule interactions with the cell cortex were rarely observed during anaphase, and did not appear to contribute significantly to spindle alignment or elongation into the bud. Alterations of microtubule dynamics, as observed in cells overexpressing dynein-GFP, resulted in eventual spindle misalignment. These studies provide the first mechanistic basis for understanding how spindle orientation and nuclear positioning are established and are indicative of a microtubule-based searching mechanism that requires dynamic microtubules for nuclear migration into the bud.     

Dynamic Behavior of Microtubules during Dynein-dependent Nuclear Migrations of Meiotic Prophase in Fission Yeast

During meiotic prophase in fission yeast, the nucleus migrates back and forth between the two ends of the cell, led by the spindle pole body (SPB). This nuclear oscillation is dependent on astral microtubules radiating from the SPB and a microtubule motor, cytoplasmic dynein. Here we have examined the dynamic behavior of astral microtubules labeled with the green fluorescent protein during meiotic prophase with the use of optical sectioning microscopy. During nuclear migrations, the SPB mostly follows the microtubules that extend toward the cell cortex. SPB migrations start when these microtubules interact with the cortex and stop when they disappear, suggesting that these microtubules drive nuclear migrations. The microtubules that are followed by the SPB often slide along the cortex and are shortened by disassembly at their ends proximal to the cortex. In dynein-mutant cells, where nuclear oscillations are absent, the SPB never migrates by following microtubules, and microtubule assembly/disassembly dynamics is significantly altered. Based on these observations, together with the frequent accumulation of dynein at a cortical site where the directing microtubules interact, we propose a model in which dynein drives nuclear oscillation by mediating cortical microtubule interactions and regulating the dynamics of microtubule disassembly at the cortex.     

Nud1p links astral microtubule organization and the control of exit from mitosis

The budding yeast spindle pole body (SPB) not only organizes the astral and nuclear microtubules but is also associated with a number of cell-cycle regulators that control mitotic exit. Here, we describe that the core SPB component Nud1p is a key protein that functions in both processes. The astral microtubule organizing function of Nud1p is mediated by its interaction with the gamma-tubulin complex binding protein Spc72p. This function of Nud1p is distinct from its role in cell-cycle control: Nud1p binds the spindle checkpoint control proteins Bfa1p and Bub2p to the SPB, and is part of the mitotic exit network (MEN) in which it functions upstream of CDC15 but downstream of LTE1. In conditional lethal nud1-2 cells, the MEN component Tem1p, a GTPase, is mislocalized, whereas the kinase Cdc15p is still associated with the SPB. Thus, in nud1-2 cells the failure of Tem1p to interact with Cdc15p at the SPB probably prevents mitotic exit.     

Receptors determine the cellular localization of a gamma-tubulin complex and thereby the site of microtubule formation.

The yeast microtubule organizing centre (MTOC), known as the spindle pole body (SPB), organizes the nuclear and cytoplasmic microtubules which are functionally and spatially distinct. Microtubule organization requires the yeast gamma-tubulin complex (Tub4p complex) which binds to the nuclear side of the SPB at the N-terminal domain of Spc110p. Here, we describe the identification of the essential SPB component Spc72p whose N-terminal domain interacts with the Tub4p complex on the cytoplasmic side of the SPB. We further report that this Tub4p complex-binding domain of Spc72p is essential and that temperature-sensitive alleles of SPC72 or overexpression of a binding domain-deleted variant of SPC72 (DeltaN-SPC72) impair cytoplasmic microtubule formation. Consequently, polynucleated and anucleated cells accumulated in these cultures. In contrast, overexpression of the entire SPC72 results in more cytoplasmic microtubules compared with wild-type. Finally, exchange of the Tub4p complex-binding domains of Spc110p and Spc72p established that the Spc110p domain, when attached to DeltaN-Spc72p, was functional at the cytoplasmic site of the SPB, while the corresponding domain of Spc72p fused to DeltaN-Spc110p led to a dominant-negative effect. These results suggest that different components of MTOCs act as receptors for gamma-tubulin complexes and that they are essential for the function of MTOCs.     

Nud1p, the yeast homolog of Centriolin, regulates spindle pole body inheritance in meiosis

Nud1p, a protein homologous to the mammalian centrosome and midbody component Centriolin, is a component of the budding yeast spindle pole body (SPB), with roles in anchorage of microtubules and regulation of the mitotic exit network during vegetative growth. Here we analyze the function of Nud1p during yeast meiosis. We find that a nud1-2 temperature-sensitive mutant has two meiosis-related defects that reflect genetically distinct functions of Nud1p. First, the mutation affects spore formation due to its late function during spore maturation. Second, and most important, the mutant loses its ability to distinguish between the ages of the four spindle pole bodies, which normally determine which SPB would be preferentially included in the mature spores. This affects the regulation of genome inheritance in starved meiotic cells and leads to the formation of random dyads instead of non-sister dyads under these conditions. Both functions of Nud1p are connected to the ability of Spc72p to bind to the outer plaque and half-bridge (via Kar1p) of the SPB.     

Microtubule organization by the budding yeast spindle pole body.

In budding yeast microtubule organizing functions are provided by the spindle pole body (SPB), a multi-layered structure that is embedded in the nuclear envelope throughout the cell cycle. The SPB organizes the nuclear and cytoplasmic microtubules which are spatially and functionally distinct. Microtubule formation in yeast requires the Tub4p-complex, containing the gamma-tubulin Tub4p, and two additional proteins, the SPB components Spc97p and Spc98p. The Tub4p complex assembles in the cytoplasm and is then anchored to the sides of the SPB which organize microtubules. This is achieved by the binding of Spc97p and Spc98p to so-called gamma-tubulin complex binding proteins (GTBPs) at the SPB. Spc72p is the yeast GTBP at the cytoplasmic side of the SPB, while Spc110p is the nuclear GTBP. Both GTBPs control the number of Tub4p complexes associated with the SPB and thereby the number of microtubules formed. In addition, the GTBPs may regulate the activity of the Tub4p complex. Homologues of Spc97p and Spc98p have been identified from yeast to mammalian cells and these are also part of gamma-tubulin complexes, suggesting that these related proteins may also interact with GTBPs at the centrosome. Candidates for GTBPs have been identified in mammalian and insect cells.     

The Bbp1p-Mps2p complex connects the SPB to the nuclear envelope and is essential for SPB duplication

In budding yeast, microtubules are organized by the spindle pole body (SPB), which is embedded in the nuclear envelope via its central plaque structure. Here, we describe the identification of BBP1 in a suppressor screen with a conditional lethal allele of SPC29. Bbp1p was detected at the central plaque periphery of the SPB and bbp1-1 cells were found to be defective in SPB duplication. bbp1-1 cells extend their satellite into a duplication plaque like wild-type cells; however, this duplication plaque then fails to insert properly into the nuclear envelope and does not assemble a functional inner plaque. This function in SPB duplication is probably fulfilled by a stable complex of Bbp1p and Mps2p, a nuclear envelope protein that is also essential for duplication plaque insertion. In addition, we found that Bbp1p interacts with Spc29p and the half-bridge component Kar1p. These interactions are likely to play a role in connecting the SPB with the nuclear envelope and the central plaque with the half-bridge.     

Cnm67p is a spacer protein of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae spindle pole body outer plaque

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the spindle pole body (SPB) is the functional homolog of the mammalian centrosome, responsible for the organization of the tubulin cytoskeleton. Cytoplasmic (astral) microtubules essential for the proper segregation of the nucleus into the daughter cell are attached at the outer plaque on the SPB cytoplasmic face. Previously, it has been shown that Cnm67p is an integral component of this structure; cells deleted for CNM67 are lacking the SPB outer plaque and thus experience severe nuclear migration defects. With the use of partial deletion mutants of CNM67, we show that the N- and C-terminal domains of the protein are important for nuclear migration. The C terminus, not the N terminus, is essential for Cnm67p localization to the SPB. On the other hand, only the N terminus is subject to protein phosphorylation of a yet unknown function. Electron microscopy of SPB serial thin sections reveals that deletion of the N- or C-terminal domains disturbs outer plaque formation, whereas mutations in the central coiled-coil domain of Cnm67p change the distance between the SPB core and the outer plaque. We conclude that Cnm67p is the protein that connects the outer plaque to the central plaque embedded in the nuclear envelope, adjusting the space between them by the length of its coiled-coil.     

Dynamic positioning of mitotic spindles in yeast: role of microtubule motors and cortical determinants

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, movement of the mitotic spindle to a predetermined cleavage plane at the bud neck is essential for partitioning chromosomes into the mother and daughter cells. Astral microtubule dynamics are critical to the mechanism that ensures nuclear migration to the bud neck. The nucleus moves in the opposite direction of astral microtubule growth in the mother cell, apparently being "pushed" by microtubule contacts at the cortex. In contrast, microtubules growing toward the neck and within the bud promote nuclear movement in the same direction of microtubule growth, thus "pulling" the nucleus toward the bud neck. Failure of "pulling" is evident in cells lacking Bud6p, Bni1p, Kar9p, or the kinesin homolog, Kip3p. As a consequence, there is a loss of asymmetry in spindle pole body segregation into the bud. The cytoplasmic motor protein, dynein, is not required for nuclear movement to the neck; rather, it has been postulated to contribute to spindle elongation through the neck. In the absence of KAR9, dynein-dependent spindle oscillations are evident before anaphase onset, as are postanaphase dynein-dependent pulling forces that exceed the velocity of wild-type spindle elongation threefold. In addition, dynein-mediated forces on astral microtubules are sufficient to segregate a 2N chromosome set through the neck in the absence of spindle elongation, but cytoplasmic kinesins are not. These observations support a model in which spindle polarity determinants (BUD6, BNI1, KAR9) and cytoplasmic kinesin (KIP3) provide directional cues for spindle orientation to the bud while restraining the spindle to the neck. Cytoplasmic dynein is attenuated by these spindle polarity determinants and kinesin until anaphase onset, when dynein directs spindle elongation to distal points in the mother and bud.     

Nuclear export receptor Xpo1/Crm1 is physically and functionally linked to the spindle pole body in budding yeast

The spindle pole body (SPB) represents the microtubule organizing center in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is a highly structured organelle embedded in the nuclear membrane, which is required to anchor microtubules on both sides of the nuclear envelope. The protein Spc72, a component of the SPB, is located at the cytoplasmic face of this organelle and serves as a receptor for the gamma-tubulin complex. In this paper we show that it is also a binding partner of the nuclear export receptor Xpo1/Crm1. Xpo1 binds its cargoes in a Ran-dependent fashion via a short leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES). We show that binding of Spc72 to Xpo1 depends on Ran-GTP and a functional NES in Spc72. Mutations in this NES have severe consequences for mitotic spindle morphology in vivo. This is also the case for xpo1 mutants, which show a reduction in cytoplasmic microtubules. In addition, we find a subpopulation of Xpo1 localized at the SPB. Based on these data, we propose a functional link between Xpo1 and the SPB and discuss a role for this exportin in spindle biogenesis in budding yeast.     

The XMAP215 homologue Stu2 at yeast spindle pole bodies regulates microtubule dynamics and anchorage

The yeast protein Stu2 belongs to the XMAP215 family of conserved microtubule-binding proteins which regulate microtubule plus end dynamics. XMAP215-related proteins also bind to centrosomes and spindle pole bodies (SPBs) through proteins like the mammalian transforming acidic coiled coil protein TACC or the yeast Spc72. We show that yeast Spc72 has two distinct domains involved in microtubule organization. The essential 100 N-terminal amino acids of Spc72 interact directly with the gamma-tubulin complex, and an adjacent non-essential domain of Spc72 mediates binding to Stu2. Through these domains, Spc72 brings Stu2 and the gamma-tubulin complex together into a single complex. Manipulation of Spc72-Stu2 interaction at SPBs compromises the anchorage of astral microtubules at the SPB and surprisingly also influences the dynamics of microtubule plus ends. Permanently tethering Stu2 to SPBs by fusing it to a version of Spc72 that lacks the Stu2-binding site in part complements these defects in a manner which is dependent upon the microtubule-binding domain of Stu2. Thus, the SPB-associated Spc72-Stu2 complex plays a key role in regulating microtubule properties.     

The spindle pole body component Spc97p interacts with the gamma-tubulin of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and functions in microtubule organization and spindle pole body duplication.

Previously, we have shown that the gamma-tubulin Tub4p and the spindle pole body component Spc98p are involved in microtubule organization by the yeast microtubule organizing centre, the spindle pole body (SPB). In this paper we report the identification of SPC97 encoding an essential SPB component that is in association with the SPB substructures that organize the cytoplasmic and nuclear microtubules. Evidence is provided for a physical and functional interaction between Tub4p, Spc98p and Spc97p: first, temperature-sensitive spc97(ts) mutants are suppressed by high gene dosage of SPC98 or TUB4. Second, Spc97p interacts with Spc98p and Tub4p in the two-hybrid system. Finally, immunoprecipitation and fractionation studies revealed complexes containing Tub4p, Spc98p and Spc97p. Further support for a direct interaction of Tub4p, Spc98p and Spc97p comes from the toxicity of strong SPC97 overexpression which is suppressed by co-overexpression of TUB4 or SPC98. Analysis of temperature-sensitive spc97(ts) alleles revealed multiple spindle defects. While spc97-14 cells are either impaired in SPB separation or mitotic spindle formation, spc97-20 cells show an additional defect in SPB duplication. We discuss a model in which the Tub4p-Spc98p-Spc97p complex is part of the microtubule attachment site at the SPB.     

Interaction of the yeast gamma-tubulin complex-binding protein Spc72p with Kar1p is essential for microtubule function during karyogamy.

The spindle pole body component Kar1p has a function in nuclear fusion during conjugation, a process known as karyogamy. The molecular role of Kar1p during this process is poorly understood. Here we show that the yeast gamma-tubulin complex-binding protein Spc72p interacts directly with the N-terminal domain of Kar1p, thereby targeting the gamma-tubulin complex to the half bridge, a substructure of the spindle pole body, where it organizes microtubules. This binding of Spc72p to Kar1p has only a minor role during vegetative growth, whereas it becomes essential for karyogamy in mating cells, explaining the important role of Kar1p in this process. We also show that the localization of Spc72p within the spindle pole body changes throughout the cell cycle and even more strongly in response to mating pheromone. Taken together, these observations suggest that the relocalization of Spc72p within the spindle pole body is the 'landmark' event in the pheromone-induced reorganization of the cytoplasmic microtubules.     

Yeast Cdk1 translocates to the plus end of cytoplasmic microtubules to regulate bud cortex interactions

The budding yeast spindle aligns along the mother- bud axis through interactions between cytoplasmic microtubules (CMs) and the cell cortex. Kar9, in complex with the EB1-related protein Bim1, mediates contacts of CMs with the cortex of the daughter cell, the bud. Here we established a novel series of events that target Kar9 to the bud cortex. First, Kar9 binds to spindle pole bodies (SPBs) in G(1) of the cell cycle. Secondly, in G(1)/S the yeast Cdk1, Cdc28, associates with SPBs and phosphorylates Kar9. Thirdly, Kar9 and Cdc28 then move from the SPB to the plus end of CMs directed towards the bud. This movement is dependent upon the microtubule motor protein Kip2. Cdc28 activity is required to concentrate Kar9 at the plus end of CMs and hence to establish contacts with the bud cortex. The Cdc28-regulated localization of Kar9 is therefore an integral part of the program that aligns spindles.     

Spindle pole bodies exploit the mitotic exit network in metaphase to drive their age-dependent segregation

Like many asymmetrically dividing cells, budding yeast segregates mitotic spindle poles nonrandomly between mother and daughter cells. During metaphase, the spindle positioning protein Kar9 accumulates asymmetrically, localizing specifically to astral microtubules emanating from the old spindle pole body (SPB) and driving its segregation to the bud. Here, we show that the SPB component Nud1/centriolin acts through the mitotic exit network (MEN) to specify asymmetric SPB inheritance. In the absence of MEN signaling, Kar9 asymmetry is unstable and its preference for the old SPB is disrupted. Consistent with this, phosphorylation of Kar9 by the MEN kinases Dbf2 and Dbf20 is not required to break Kar9 symmetry but is instead required to maintain stable association of Kar9 with the old SPB throughout metaphase. We propose that MEN signaling links Kar9 regulation to SPB identity through biasing and stabilizing the age-insensitive, cyclin-B-dependent mechanism of symmetry breaking.     

The minus end-directed motor Kar3 is required for coupling dynamic microtubule plus ends to the cortical shmoo tip in budding yeast

The budding yeast shmoo tip is a model system for analyzing mechanisms coupling force production to microtubule plus-end polymerization/depolymerization. Dynamic plus ends of astral microtubules interact with the shmoo tip in mating yeast cells, positioning nuclei for karyogamy. We have used live-cell imaging of GFP fusions to identify proteins that couple dynamic microtubule plus ends to the shmoo tip. We find that Kar3p, a minus end-directed kinesin motor protein, is required, whereas the other cytoplasmic motors, dynein and the kinesins Kip2p and Kip3p, are not. In the absence of Kar3p, attached microtubule plus ends released from the shmoo tip when they switched to depolymerization. Furthermore, microtubules in cells expressing kar3-1, a mutant that results in rigor binding to microtubules [2], were stabilized specifically at shmoo tips. Imaging of Kar3p-GFP during mating revealed that fluorescence at the shmoo tip increased during periods of microtubule depolymerization. These data are the first to localize the activity of a minus end-directed kinesin at the plus ends of microtubules. We propose a model in which Kar3p couples depolymerizing microtubule plus ends to the cell cortex and the Bim1p-Kar9p protein complex maintains attachment during microtubule polymerization. In support of this model, analysis of Bim1p-GFP at the shmoo tip results in a localization pattern complementary to that of Kar3p-GFP.     

Role of calmodulin and Spc110p interaction in the proper assembly of spindle pole body compenents

Previously we demonstrated that calmodulin binds to the carboxy terminus of Spc110p, an essential component of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae spindle pole body (SPB), and that this interaction is required for chromosome segregation. Immunoelectron microscopy presented here shows that calmodulin and thus the carboxy terminus of Spc110p localize to the central plaque. We created temperature- sensitive SPC110 mutations by combining PCR mutagenesis with a plasmid shuffle strategy. The temperature-sensitive allele spc110-220 differs from wild type at two sites. The cysteine 911 to arginine mutation resides in the calmodulin-binding site and alone confers a temperature- sensitive phenotype. Calmodulin overproduction suppresses the temperature sensitivity of spc110-220. Furthermore, calmodulin levels at the SPB decrease in the mutant cells at the restrictive temperature. Thus, calmodulin binding to Spc110-220p is defective at the nonpermissive temperature. Synchronized mutant cells incubated at the nonpermissive temperature arrest as large budded cells with a G2 content of DNA and suffer considerable lethality. Immunofluorescent staining demonstrates failure of nuclear DNA segregation and breakage of many spindles. Electron microscopy reveals an aberrant nuclear structure, the intranuclear microtubule organizer (IMO), that differs from a SPB but serves as a center of microtubule organization. The IMO appears during nascent SPB formation and disappears after SPB separation. The IMO contains both the 90-kD and the mutant 110-kD SPB components. Our results suggest that disruption of the calmodulin Spc110p interaction leads to the aberrant assembly of SPB components into the IMO, which in turn perturbs spindle formation.