Concerted mechanism of Swe1/Wee1 regulation by multiple kinases in budding yeast

In eukaryotes, entry into mitosis is induced by cyclin B-bound Cdk1, which is held in check by the protein kinase, Wee1. In budding yeast, Swe1 (Wee1 ortholog) is targeted to the bud neck through Hsl1 (Nim1-related kinase) and its adaptor Hsl7, and is hyperphosphorylated prior to ubiquitin-mediated degradation. Here, we show that Hsl1 and Hsl7 are required for proper localization of Cdc5 (Polo-like kinase homolog) to the bud neck and Cdc5-dependent Swe1 phosphorylation. Mitotic cyclin (Clb2)-bound Cdc28 (Cdk1 homolog) directly phosphorylated Swe1 and this modification served as a priming step to promote subsequent Cdc5-dependent Swe1 hyperphosphorylation and degradation. Clb2-Cdc28 also facilitated Cdc5 localization to the bud neck through the enhanced interaction between the Clb2-Cdc28-phosphorylated Swe1 and the polo-box domain of Cdc5. We propose that the concerted action of Cdc28/Cdk1 and Cdc5/Polo on their common substrates is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that is crucial for effectively triggering mitotic entry and other critical mitotic events.     

Nif1, a novel mitotic inhibitor in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the activity of the M-phase-inducing Cdc2/Cdc13 cyclin-dependent kinase is inhibited by Wee1 and Mik1 tyrosine kinases, and activated by Cdc25 and Pyp3 tyrosine phosphatases. Cdc2/Cdc13 activity is also indirectly regulated by the approximately 70 kDa Nim1 (Cdrl) serine/threonine kinase, which promotes mitosis by inhibiting Wee1 via direct phosphorylation. To understand better the function and regulation of Nim1, the yeast two-hybrid system was used to isolate S.pombe cDNA clones encoding proteins that interact with Nim1. Sixteen of the 17 cDNA clones were derived from the same gene, named nif1 + (nim1 interacting factor-1). Nif1 is a novel approximately 75 kDa protein containing a leucine zipper motif. The Nif1-Nim1 interaction requires a small region of Nim1 that immediately follows the N-terminal catalytic domain. This region is required for Nim1 activity both in vivo and in vitro. delta nif1 mutants are approximately 10% smaller than wild type, indicating that Nif1 is involved in inhibiting the onset of mitosis. Consistent with this proposal, overproduction of Nif1 was found to cause a cell elongation phenotype that is very similar to delta nim1 mutants. Nif1 overproduction causes cell cycle arrest in cells that are partly defective for Cdc25 activity, but has no effect in delta nim1 or delta wee1 mutants. Nif1 also inhibits Nim1-mediated phosphorylation of Wee1 in an insect cell expression system. These observations strongly suggest that Nif1 negatively regulates the onset of mitosis by a novel mechanism, namely inhibiting Nim1 kinase.     

The Protein Kinase Cdr2, Related to Nim1/Cdr1 Mitotic Inducer, Regulates the Onset of Mitosis in Fission Yeast

Cdc2–Cyclin B, the protein kinase that catalyzes the onset of mitosis, is subject to multiple forms of regulation. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and most other species, a key mode of Cdc2–Cyclin B regulation is the inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdc2 on tyrosine-15. This phosphorylation is catalyzed by the protein kinases Wee1 and Mik1 and removed by the phosphatase Cdc25. These proteins are also regulated, a notable example being the inhibition of Wee1 by the protein kinase Nim1/Cdr1. The temperature-sensitive mutation cdc25–22 is synthetic lethal with nim1/cdr1 mutations, suggesting that a synthetic lethal genetic screen could be used to identify novel mitotic regulators. Here we describe that such a screen has identified cdr2⁺, a gene that has an important role in the mitotic control. Cdr2 is a 775 amino acid protein kinase that is closely related to Nim1 and mitotic control proteins in budding yeast. Deletion of cdr2 causes a G2-M delay that is more severe than that caused by nim1/cdr1 mutations. Genetic studies are consistent with a model in which Cdr2 negatively regulates Wee1. This model is supported by experiments showing that Cdr2 associates with the N-terminal regulatory domain of Wee1 in cell lysates and phosphorylates Wee1 in vitro. Thus, Cdr2 is a novel mitotic control protein that appears to regulate Wee1.     

Two distinct mechanisms for negative regulation of the Wee1 protein kinase.

The Wee1 protein kinase negatively regulates the entry into mitosis by catalyzing the inhibitory tyrosine phosphorylation of the Cdc2 protein. To examine the potential mechanisms for Wee1 regulation during the cell cycle, we have introduced a recombinant form of the fission yeast Wee1 protein kinase into Xenopus egg extracts. We find that the Wee1 protein undergoes dramatic changes in its phosphorylation state and kinase activity during the cell cycle. The Wee1 protein oscillates between an underphosphorylated 107 kDa form during interphase and a hyperphosphorylated 170 kDa version at mitosis. The mitosis-specific hyperphosphorylation of the Wee1 protein results in a substantial reduction in its activity as a Cdc2-specific tyrosine kinase. This phosphorylation occurs in the N-terminal region of the protein that lies outside the C-terminal catalytic domain, which was recently shown to be a substrate for the fission yeast Nim1 protein kinase. These experiments demonstrate the existence of a Wee1 regulatory system, consisting of both a Wee1-inhibitory kinase and a Wee1-stimulatory phosphatase, which controls the phosphorylation of the N-terminal region of the Wee1 protein. Moreover, these findings indicate that there are apparently two potential mechanisms for negative regulation of the Wee1 protein, one involving phosphorylation of its C-terminal domain by the Nim1 protein and the other involving phosphorylation of its N-terminal region by a different kinase.     

Cell cycle regulation of a Xenopus Wee1-like kinase.

Using a polymerase chain reaction-based strategy, we have isolated a gene encoding a Wee1-like kinase from Xenopus eggs. The recombinant Xenopus Wee1 protein efficiently phosphorylates Cdc2 exclusively on Tyr-15 in a cyclin-dependent manner. The addition of exogenous Wee1 protein to Xenopus cell cycle extracts results in a dose-dependent delay of mitotic initiation that is accompanied by enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of Cdc2. The activity of the Wee1 protein is highly regulated during the cell cycle: the interphase, underphosphorylated form of Wee1 (68 kDa) phosphorylates Cdc2 very efficiently, whereas the mitotic, hyperphosphorylated version (75 kDa) is weakly active as a Cdc2-specific tyrosine kinase. The down-modulation of Wee1 at mitosis is directly attributable to phosphorylation, since dephosphorylation with protein phosphatase 2A restores its kinase activity. During interphase, the activity of this Wee1 homolog does not vary in response to the presence of unreplicated DNA. The mitosis-specific phosphorylation of Wee1 is due to at least two distinct kinases: the Cdc2 protein and another activity (kinase X) that may correspond to an MPM-2 epitope kinase. These studies indicate that the down-regulation of Wee1-like kinase activity at mitosis is a multistep process that occurs after other biochemical reactions have signaled the successful completion of S phase.     

Mechanisms controlling subcellular localization of the G(1) cyclins Cln2p and Cln3p in budding yeast

Different G₁ cyclins confer functional specificity to the cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) Cdc28p in budding yeast. The Cln3p G₁ cyclin is localized primarily to the nucleus, while Cln2p is localized primarily to the cytoplasm. Both binding to Cdc28p and Cdc28p-dependent phosphorylation in the C-terminal region of Cln2p are independently required for efficient nuclear depletion of Cln2p, suggesting that this process may be physiologically regulated. The accumulation of hypophosphorylated Cln2 in the nucleus is an energy-dependent process, but may not involve the RAN GTPase. Phosphorylation of Cln2p is inefficient in small newborn cells obtained by elutriation, and this lowered phosphorylation correlates with reduced Cln2p nuclear depletion in newborn cells. Thus, Cln2p may have a brief period of nuclear residence early in the cell cycle. In contrast, the nuclear localization pattern of Cln3p is not influenced by Cdk activity. Cln3p localization requires a bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) located at the C terminus of the protein. This sequence is required for nuclear localization of Cln3p and is sufficient to confer nuclear localization to green fluorescent protein in a RAN-dependent manner. Mislocalized Cln3p, lacking the NLS, is much less active in genetic assays specific for Cln3p, but more active in assays normally specific for Cln2p, consistent with the idea that Cln3p localization explains a significant part of Clnp functional specificity.     

14-3-3 binding regulates catalytic activity of human Wee1 kinase.

The mitotic inducer Cdc2 is negatively regulated, in part, by phosphorylation on tyrosine 15. Human Wee1 is a tyrosine-specific protein kinase that phosphorylates Cdc2 on tyrosine 15. Human Wee1 is subject to multiple levels of regulation including reversible phosphorylation, proteolysis, and protein-protein interactions. Here we have investigated the contributions made by 14-3-3 binding to human Wee1 regulation and function. We report that the interactions of 14-3-3 proteins with human Wee1 are reduced during mitosis and are stable in the presence of the protein kinase inhibitor UCN-01. A mutant of Wee1 that is incapable of binding to 14-3-3 proteins has lower enzymatic activity, and this likely accounts for its reduced potency relative to wild-type Wee1 in inducing a G(2) cell cycle delay when overproduced in vivo. These findings indicate that 14-3-3 proteins function as positive regulators of the human Wee1 protein kinase.     

The identification of Wos2, a p23 homologue that interacts with Wee1 and Cdc2 in the mitotic control of fission yeasts

The Wee1 kinase inhibits entry into mitosis by phosphorylation of the Cdc2 kinase. Searching for multicopy suppressors that abolish this inhibition in the fission yeast, we have identified a novel gene, here named wos2, encoding a protein with significant homology to human p23, an Hsp90-associated cochaperone. The deletion mutant has a modest phenotype, being heat-shock sensitive. Using antibodies raised against bacterially produced protein, we determined that Wos2 is very abundant, ubiquitously distributed in the yeast cell, and its expression dropped drastically as cells entered into early stationary phase, indicating that its function is associated with cell proliferation. In proliferating cells, the amount of Wos2 protein was not subjected to cell cycle regulation. However, in vitro assays demonstrated that this Hsp90 cochaperone is potentially regulated by phosphorylation. In addition to suppressing Wee1 activity, overproduction of Wos2 displayed synthetic lethality with Cdc2 mutant proteins, indicating that this Hsp90 cochaperone functionally interacts with Cdc2. The level of Cdc2 protein and its associated H1 kinase activity under synthetic lethal conditions suggested a regulatory role for this Wos2-Cdc2 interaction. Hsp90 complexes are required for CDK regulation; the synergy found between the excess of Wos2 and a deficiency in Hsp90 activity suggests that Wos2 could specifically interfere with the Hsp90-dependent regulation of Cdc2. In vitro analysis indicated that the above genetic interactions could take place by physical association of Wos2 with the single CDK complex of the fission yeast. Expression of the budding yeast p23 protein (encoded by the SBA1 gene) in the fission yeast indicated that Wos2 and Sba1 are functionally exchangeable and therefore that properties described here for Wos2 could be of wide significance in understanding the biological function of cochaperone p23 in eukaryotic cells.     

Identification of Clb2 residues required for Swe1 regulation of Clb2-Cdc28 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Wee1 kinases regulate the cell cycle through inhibitory phosphorylation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Eukaryotic cells express multiple CDKs, each having a kinase subunit (Cdk) and a regulatory "cyclin" subunit that function at different stages of the cell cycle to regulate distinct processes. The cyclin imparts specificity to CDK-substrate interactions and also determines whether a particular CDK is subject to Wee1 regulation. Saccharomyces Wee1 (Swe1) inhibits Cdc28 (Cdk1) associated with the mitotic cyclin, Clb2, but not with the G(1) (Cln1, -2, and -3) or the S-phase (Clb5 and -6) cyclins. Here, we show that this specificity depends on two amino acids associated with a conserved "hydrophobic patch" (HP) motif on the cyclin surface, which mediates specificity of CDK-substrate interactions. Mutation of Clb2 residues N260 and K270 largely abrogates Clb2-Cdc28 regulation by Swe1, and reciprocal mutation of the corresponding residues in Clb5 can subject Clb5-Cdc28 to regulation by Swe1. Swe1 phosphorylation by Clb2-Cdc28, which is thought to activate Swe1 kinase, depends on N260 and K270, suggesting that specific regulation of Clb2-Cdc28 by Swe1 derives from the specific ability of Clb2 to target Swe1 for activating phosphorylation. The stable association of Swe1 with Clb2-Cdc28 also depends on these residues, suggesting that Swe1 may competitively inhibit Clb2-Cdc28 interactions with substrates, in addition to its well-known function as a regulator of CDK activity through tyrosine phosphorylation.     

Hsp90-dependent activation of protein kinases is regulated by chaperone-targeted dephosphorylation of Cdc37

Activation of protein kinase clients by the Hsp90 system is mediated by the cochaperone protein Cdc37. Cdc37 requires phosphorylation at Ser13, but little is known about the regulation of this essential posttranslational modification. We show that Ser13 of uncomplexed Cdc37 is phosphorylated in vivo, as well as in binary complex with a kinase (C-K), or in ternary complex with Hsp90 and kinase (H-C-K). Whereas pSer13-Cdc37 in the H-C-K complex is resistant to nonspecific phosphatases, it is efficiently dephosphorylated by the chaperone-targeted protein phosphatase 5 (PP5/Ppt1), which does not affect isolated Cdc37. We show that Cdc37 and PP5/Ppt1 associate in Hsp90 complexes in yeast and in human tumor cells, and that PP5/Ppt1 regulates phosphorylation of Ser13-Cdc37 in vivo, directly affecting activation of protein kinase clients by Hsp90-Cdc37. These data reveal a cyclic regulatory mechanism for Cdc37, in which its constitutive phosphorylation is reversed by targeted dephosphorylation in Hsp90 complexes.     

Wee1B,Myt1, and Cdc25 function in distinct compartments of the mouse oocyte to control meiotic resumption

After a long period of quiescence at dictyate prophase I, termed the germinal vesicle (GV) stage, mammalian oocytes reenter meiosis by activating the Cdc2–cyclin B complex (maturation-promoting factor [MPF]). The activity of MPF is regulated by Wee1/Myt1 kinases and Cdc25 phosphatases. In this study, we demonstrate that the sequestration of components that regulate MPF activity in distinct subcellular compartments is essential for their function during meiosis. Down-regulation of either Wee1B or Myt1 causes partial meiotic resumption, and oocytes reenter the cell cycle only when both proteins are down-regulated. Shortly before GV breakdown (GVBD), Cdc25B is translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, whereas Wee1B is exported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. These movements are regulated by PKA inactivation and MPF activation, respectively. Mislocalized Wee1B or Myt1 is not able to maintain meiotic arrest. Thus, cooperation of Wee1B, Myt1, and Cdc25 is required to maintain meiotic arrest and relocation of these components before GVBD is necessary for meiotic reentry.     

Byr4 localizes to spindle-pole bodies in a cell cycle-regulated manner to control Cdc7 localization and septation in fission yeast

Cytokinesis and septation in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe are studied as a model for mammalian cell division. In fission yeast, septation is positively regulated by Spg1, a Ras family GTPase that localizes to spindle-pole bodies (SPBs) throughout the cell cycle. As cells enter mitosis, Spg1 accumulates in an active, GTP-bound form and binds the Cdc7 protein kinase to cause Cdc7 translocation to SPBs. Cdc7 disappears from one SPB in mid-anaphase and from the second SPB in late mitosis. Byr4 plus Cdc16 negatively regulate septation by forming a two-component GTPase-activating protein for Spg1. These results led us to hypothesize that Byr4 localization to SPBs regulated the nucleotide state of Spg1, due to its ability to form Spg1GAP activity with Cdc16 and thus the binding of Cdc7 to Spg1 at SPBs. To test this hypothesis, Byr4 localization was determined using indirect immunofluorescence. This analysis revealed that Byr4 was localized to SPBs that did not contain Cdc7. In byr4(-) mutants, Cdc7 localized to interphase SPBs and only symmetrically localized to mitotic SPBs. In contrast, Byr4 overexpression prevented Spg1 and Cdc7 localization to SPBs. These results suggest that Byr4 localization to SPBs maintains Spg1 in an inactive form, presumably by stimulating Spg1 GTPase activity with Cdc16, and that loss of Byr4 from mitotic SPBs increases the active fraction of Spg1 and thereby increases Spg1-Cdc7 binding. Byr4 localization to SPBs was decreased in spg1, cdc16, sid4, and cdc11 mutants as well as in several mutants that affect medial F-actin structures, suggesting that multiple pathways regulate Byr4 localization to SPBs.     

Regulation of the human WEE1Hu CDK tyrosine 15-kinase during the cell cycle.

In higher eukaryotes, the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are negatively regulated by phosphorylation on threonine 14 (T14) and tyrosine 15 (Y15). In fission yeast, the Wee1 and mitosis inhibitory kinase 1 (Mik1) protein kinases phosphorylate Y15 in Cdc2. WEE1Hu is the only known protein kinase that can carry out this inhibitory phosphorylation on Y15 in higher eukaryotes. In the present study, we examined the endogenous products of WEE1Hu in human cells and found that the original WEE1Hu cDNA lacked 214 amino acids at the N-terminus. The predicted full-length protein has weak, but significant, similarity over its entire length with Mik1. Thus, we suggest that 'WEE1Hu' is a Mik1-related protein rather than a Wee1 homologue. When isolated in immunoprecipitates, the endogenous WEE1Hu phosphorylated several cyclin-associated CDKs on Y15. WEE1Hu activity increased during S and G2 phases in parallel with the level of protein. Its activity decreased at M phase when WEE1Hu became transiently hyperphosphorylated. In addition, a decrease in WEE1Hu protein level was observed at M/G1 phase. Apparently, the hyperphosphorylation and degradation in combination caused inactivation of WEE1Hu at M phase and the following G1 phase. These results suggest that the activity of WEE1Hu is regulated by phosphorylation and proteolytic degradation, and that WEE1Hu plays a role in inhibiting mitosis before M phase by phosphorylating cyclin B1-Cdc2.     

Cks1 is required for G(1) cyclin-cyclin-dependent kinase activity in budding yeast

p13(suc1) (Cks) proteins have been implicated in the regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity. However, the mechanism by which Cks influences the function of cyclin-CDK complexes has remained elusive. We show here that Cks1 is required for the protein kinase activity of budding yeast G(1) cyclin-CDK complexes. Cln2 and Cdc28 subunits coexpressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells fail to exhibit protein kinase activity towards multiple substrates in the absence of Cks1. Cks1 can both stabilize Cln2-Cdc28 complexes and activate intact complexes in vitro, suggesting that it plays multiple roles in the biogenesis of active G(1) cyclin-CDK complexes. In contrast, Cdc28 forms stable, active complexes with the B-type cyclins Clb4 and Clb5 regardless of whether Cks1 is present. The levels of Cln2-Cdc28 and Cln3-Cdc28 protein kinase activity are severely reduced in cks1-38 cell extracts. Moreover, phosphorylation of G(1) cyclins, which depends on Cdc28 activity, is reduced in cks1-38 cells. The role of Cks1 in promoting G(1) cyclin-CDK protein kinase activity both in vitro and in vivo provides a simple molecular rationale for the essential role of CKS1 in progression through G(1) phase in budding yeast.     

Identification and characterization of human cdc7 nuclear retention and export sequences in the context of chromatin binding

The Cdc7 serine/threonine kinase activates the initiation of DNA replication by phosphorylating MCM proteins that are bound to the origins of DNA replication. We reported previously that human Cdc7 nuclear import is mediated directly by importin-beta through its binding to the Cdc7 nuclear localization sequence (NLS). Here, we report that human Cdc7 nuclear localization is regulated by two additional elements: nuclear retention (NRS) and export sequences (NES). Cdc7 proteins imported into the nucleus are retained in the nucleus by associating with chromatin, for which NRS-(306-326) is essential. Importantly, this binding appears to be specific to the origin of DNA replication, because the binding of wild-type Cdc7 to origin is 2.4-fold higher than to non-origin DNA. Furthermore, an NRS-defective Cdc7 mutant could not be retained in the nucleus, although it was imported into the nucleus normally. Together, our data suggest that NRS plays an important role in the activation of DNA replication by Cdc7. The Cdc7 proteins unassociated with chromatin are bound by CRM1 via two NES elements: NES1 at 458-467 within kinase insert III, and NES2 at 545-554 within the kinase IX domain. The primary function of the Cdc7-CRM1 association may be to translocate nuclear Cdc7 to the cytoplasm. However, the binding of CRM1 with Cdc7 at NES2 raises an interesting possibility that CRM1 may also down-regulate Cdc7 by masking its kinase domain.     

Regulation of the localization and stability of Cdc6 in living yeast cells

The Cdc6 protein is an essential regulator for initiation of DNA replication. Following the G1/S transition, Cdc6 is degraded through a ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathway. In this study, we tagged Cdc6 with green fluorescent protein (GFP) and used site-specific mutations to study the regulation of Cdc6 localization and degradation in living yeast cells. Our major findings are: (1). Cdc6-GFP distributes predominantly in the nucleus in all cell cycle stages, with a small increase in cytoplasmic localization in G2/M cells. (2). This nuclear localization is critical for Cdc6 degradation. When the N-terminal nuclear localization signal (NLS) was mutated, Cdc6-GFP no longer accumulated in the nucleus, and the mutant cdc6 was stabilized compared to wild type. (3). The putative CDK phosphorylation sites are not required for Cdc6 nuclear localization, but are important for protein stability. These observations suggest that the stability of Cdc6 protein is regulated by two factors: nuclear localization and phosphorylation by CDK1.     

Subcellular Localization of the Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor Sic1 is Modulated by the Carbon Source in Budding Yeast

The cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor Sic1 and the cyclin Clb5 are essential regulators of the cyclindependent kinase Cdc28 during the G1 to S transition in budding yeast. Yeast enters S phase afterubiquitin-mediated degradation of Sic1, an event triggered by Cln1,2-Cdc28 mediated phosphorylation. We recently showed that Sic1 is involved in carbon source modulation of the critical cell sizerequired to enter S phase. Here we show that the amount and sub-cellular localization of Sic1 are alsocarbon source-modulated. We identify a bipartite nuclear localization sequence responsible for nuclearlocalization of Sic1 and for correct cell cycle progression in a carbon-source dependent manner.Similarly to Cip/Kip proteins ? Sic1 mammalian counterparts ? Sic1 facilitates nuclear accumulation ofits cognate cyclin, since cytoplasmic building-up of Clb5 is observed upon switching off expression ofthe SIC1 gene. Our data indicate a previously unrecognized inhibitor/activator dual role for Sic1 andput it among key molecules whose activity is regulated by their nuclear-cytoplasmic localization.