Degradation of the Human Mitotic Checkpoint Kinase Mps1 Is Cell Cycle-regulated by APC-cCdc20 and APC-cCdh1 Ubiquitin Ligases

Mps1 is a dual specificity protein kinase with key roles in regulating the spindle assembly checkpoint and chromosome-microtubule attachments. Consistent with these mitotic functions, Mps1 protein levels fluctuate during the cell cycle, peaking at early mitosis and abruptly declining during mitotic exit and progression into the G₁ phase. Although evidence in budding yeast indicates that Mps1 is targeted for degradation at anaphase by the anaphase-promoting complex (APC)-c^Cdc20 complex, little is known about the regulatory mechanisms that govern Mps1 protein levels in human cells. Here, we provide evidence for the ubiquitin ligase/proteosome pathway in regulating human Mps1 levels during late mitosis through G₁ phase. First, we showed that treatment of HEK 293T cells with the proteosome inhibitor MG132 resulted in an increase in both the polyubiquitination and the accumulation of Mps1 protein levels. Next, Mps1 was shown to co-precipitate with APC and its activators Cdc20 and Cdh1 in a cell cycle-dependent manner. Consistent with this, overexpression of Cdc20 or Cdh1 led to a marked reduction of endogenous Mps1 levels during anaphase or G₁ phase, respectively. In contrast, depletion of Cdc20 or Cdh1 by RNAi treatment both led to the stabilization of Mps1 protein during mitosis or G₁ phase, respectively. Finally, we identified a single D-box motif in human Mps1 that is required for its ubiquitination and degradation. Failure to appropriately degrade Mps1 is sufficient to trigger centrosome amplification and mitotic abnormalities in human cells. Thus, our results suggest that the sequential actions of the APC-c^Cdc20 and APC-c^Cdh1 ubiquitin ligases regulate the clearance of Mps1 levels and are critical for Mps1 functions during the cell cycle in human cells.     

Substrate degradation by the anaphase promoting complex occurs during mitotic slippage

Microtubule targeting drugs are successful in chemotherapy because they indefinitely activate the spindle assembly checkpoint. The spindle assembly checkpoint monitors proper attachment of all kinetochores to microtubules and tension between the kinetochores of sister chromatids to prevent premature anaphase entry. To this end, the activated spindle assembly checkpoint suppresses the E3 ubiquitin ligase activity of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). In the continued presence of conditions that activate the spindle assembly checkpoint, cells eventually escape from mitosis by "slippage". It has not been directly tested whether APC activation accompanies slippage. Using cells blocked in mitosis with the microtubule assembly inhibitor nocodazole, we show that mitotic APC substrates are degraded upon mitotic slippage. To confirm that APC is normally activated upon mitotic slippage we have found that knockdown of Cdc20 and Cdh1, two mitotic activators of APC, prevents the degradation of APC substrates during mitotic slippage. Knockdown of Cdc20 and Cdh1 prevents the degradation of APC substrates during mitotic slippage. We provide the first direct demonstration that despite conditions that activate the spindle checkpoint, APC is indeed activated upon mitotic slippage of cells to interphase cells. Activation of the spindle checkpoint by microtubule targeting drugs used in chemotherapy may not indefinitely prevent APC activation.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

The APC/C recruits cyclin B1–Cdk1–Cks in prometaphase before D box recognition to control mitotic exit

The ubiquitin ligase anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) is activated at prometaphase by mitotic phosphorylation and binding of its activator, Cdc20. This initiates cyclin A degradation, whereas cyclin B1 is stabilized by the spindle checkpoint. Upon checkpoint release, the RXXL destruction box (D box) was proposed to direct cyclin B1 to core APC/C or Cdc20. In this study, we report that endogenous cyclin B1–Cdk1 is recruited to checkpoint-inhibited, phosphorylated APC/C in prometaphase independently of Cdc20 or the cyclin B1 D box. Like cyclin A, cyclin B1 binds the APC/C by the Cdk cofactor Cks and the APC3 subunit. Prior binding to APC/C^Cdc20 makes cyclin B1 a better APC/C substrate in metaphase, driving mitotic exit and cytokinesis. We conclude that in prometaphase, the phosphorylated APC/C can recruit both cyclin A and cyclin B1 in a Cks-dependent manner. This suggests that the spindle checkpoint blocks D box recognition of APC/C-bound cyclin B1, whereas distinctive complexes between the N terminus of cyclin A and Cdc20 evade checkpoint control.     

Coupling of Cdc20 inhibition and activation by BubR1

Tight regulation of the APC/C-Cdc20 ubiquitin ligase that targets cyclin B1 for degradation is important for mitotic fidelity. The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) inhibits Cdc20 through the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC). In addition, phosphorylation of Cdc20 by cyclin B1–Cdk1 independently inhibits APC/C–Cdc20 activation. This creates a conundrum for how Cdc20 is activated before cyclin B1 degradation. Here, we show that the MCC component BubR1 harbors both Cdc20 inhibition and activation activities, allowing for cross-talk between the two Cdc20 inhibition pathways. Specifically, BubR1 acts as a substrate specifier for PP2A-B56 to enable efficient Cdc20 dephosphorylation in the MCC. A mutant Cdc20 mimicking the dephosphorylated state escapes a mitotic checkpoint arrest, arguing that restricting Cdc20 dephosphorylation to the MCC is important. Collectively, our work reveals how Cdc20 can be dephosphorylated in the presence of cyclin B1-Cdk1 activity without causing premature anaphase onset.     

NUP98 fusion oncoproteins interact with the APC/CCdc20 as a pseudosubstrate and prevent mitotic checkpoint complex binding

NUP98 is a recurrent partner gene in translocations causing acute myeloid leukemias and myelodisplastic syndrome. The expression of NUP98 fusion oncoproteins has been shown to induce mitotic spindle defects and chromosome missegregation, which correlate with the capability of NUP98 fusions to cause mitotic checkpoint attenuation. We show that NUP98 oncoproteins physically interact with the APC/C^Cdc20 in the absence of the NUP98 partner protein RAE1, and prevent the binding of the mitotic checkpoint complex to the APC/C^Cdc20. NUP98 oncoproteins require the GLEBS-like domain present in their NUP98 moiety to bind the APC/C^Cdc20. We found that NUP98 wild-type is a substrate of APC/C^Cdc20 prior to mitotic entry, and that its binding to APC/C^Cdc20 is controlled via phosphorylation of a PEST sequence located within its C-terminal portion. We identify S606, within the PEST sequence, as a key target site, whose phosphorylation modulates the capability of NUP98 to interact with APC/C^Cdc20. We finally provide evidence for an involvement of the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase PIN1 in modulating the possible conformational changes within NUP98 that lead to its dissociation from the APC/C^Cdc20 during mitosis. Our results provide novel insight into the mechanisms underlying the aberrant capability of NUP98 oncoproteins to interact with APC/C^Cdc20 and to interfere with its function.     

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.     

The spindle checkpoint,APC/CCdc20, and APC/CCdh1 play distinct roles in connecting mitosis to S phase

DNA replication depends on a preceding licensing event by Cdt1 and Cdc6. In animal cells, relicensing after S phase but before mitosis is prevented by the Cdt1 inhibitor geminin and mitotic cyclin activity. Here, we show that geminin, like cyclin B1 and securin, is a bona fide target of the spindle checkpoint and APC/C^Cdc20. Cyclin B1 and geminin are degraded simultaneously during metaphase, which directs Cdt1 accumulation on segregating sister chromatids. Subsequent activation of APC/C^Cdh1 leads to degradation of Cdc6 well before Cdt1 becomes unstable in a replication-coupled manner. In mitosis, the spindle checkpoint supports Cdt1 accumulation, which promotes S phase onset. We conclude that the spindle checkpoint, APC/C^Cdc20, and APC/C^Cdh1 act successively to ensure that the disappearance of licensing inhibitors coincides exactly with a peak of Cdt1 and Cdc6. Whereas cell cycle entry from quiescence requires Cdc6 resynthesis, our results indicate that proliferating cells use a window of time in mitosis, before Cdc6 is degraded, as an earlier opportunity to direct S phase.     

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.     

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.     

Bub3 promotes Cdc20-dependent activation of the APC/C in S. cerevisiae

The spindle checkpoint ensures accurate chromosome segregation by sending a signal from an unattached kinetochore to inhibit anaphase onset. Numerous studies have described the role of Bub3 in checkpoint activation, but less is known about its functions apart from the spindle checkpoint. In this paper, we demonstrate that Bub3 has an unexpected role promoting metaphase progression in budding yeast. Loss of Bub3 resulted in a metaphase delay that was not a consequence of aneuploidy or the activation of a checkpoint. Instead, bub3Δ cells had impaired binding of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) with its activator Cdc20, and the delay could be rescued by Cdc20 overexpression. Kinetochore localization of Bub3 was required for normal mitotic progression, and Bub3 and Cdc20 colocalized at the kinetochore. Although Bub1 binds Bub3 at the kinetochore, bub1Δ cells did not have compromised APC/C and Cdc20 binding. The results demonstrate that Bub3 has a previously unknown function at the kinetochore in activating APC/C-Cdc20 for normal mitotic progression.     

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.     

Bub1, a gatekeeper for Cdc20-dependent mitotic exit

The mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint arrests cells at metaphase by suppressing Cdc20, a protein required to trigger ubiquitination and consequent degradation of cyclin B. New evidence from Tang et al. appearing in the November 5th issue of Molecular Cell finds that one of the checkpoint proteins, Bub1, specifically phosphorylates Cdc20 to suppress APC/C activation.     

APC/C(Cdc20) controls the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of p21 in prometaphase

During the G1/S transition, p21 proteolysis is mediated by Skp2; however, p21 reaccumulates in G2 and is degraded again in prometaphase. How p21 degradation is controlled in mitosis remains unexplored. We found that Cdc20 (an activator of the ubiquitin ligase APC/C) binds p21 in cultured cells and identified a D box motif in p21 necessary for APC/C(Cdc20)-mediated ubiquitylation of p21. Overexpression of Cdc20 or Skp2 destabilized wild-type p21; however, only Skp2, but not Cdc20, was able to destabilize a p21(D box) mutant. Silencing of Cdc20 induced an accumulation of p21, increased the fraction of p21 bound to Cdk1, and inhibited Cdk1 activity in p21(+/+) prometaphase cells, but not in p21(-/-) cells. Thus, in prometaphase Cdc20 positively regulates Cdk1 by mediating the degradation of p21. We propose that the APC/C(Cdc20)-mediated degradation of p21 contributes to the full activation of Cdk1 necessary for mitotic events and prevents mitotic slippage during spindle checkpoint activation.     

Cdc20 proteolysis requires p38 MAPK signaling and Cdh1‐independent APC/C ubiquitination during spindle assembly checkpoint activation by cadmium

Cdc20, an activator of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) ubiquitin ligase, initiates the destruction of key mitotic regulators to facilitate mitosis, while it is negatively regulated by the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) to prevent premature anaphase entry. Activation of the p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase could contribute to mitotic arrest, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Here we report a novel pathway in which the p38 signaling triggers Cdc20 destruction under SAC elicited by cadmium, a human carcinogen. We found that the cadmium‐induced prometaphase arrest was linked to decreased Cdc20 and accumulated cyclin A protein levels in human cells, whereas the activity of cyclin B1–Cdk1 was unaffected. The Cdc20 half‐life was markedly shortened along with its ubiquitination and degradation via 26S proteasome in cadmium‐treated asynchronous or G₂‐enriched cells. Depletion of APC3 markedly suppressed the cadmium‐induced Cdc20 ubiquitination and proteolysis, while depletion of Cdh1, another activator of APC/C, did not. Intriguingly, blockage of p38 activity restored the Cdc20 levels for continuing mitosis under cadmium, while inhibition of JNK activity had no effect. The cadmium‐induced Cdc20 proteolysis was also suppressed during transient depletion of p38α or stable expression a dominant negative form of p38. Inhibition of p38 abolished the induction of Mad2–Cdc20–APC3 complex by cadmium. Moreover, forced expression of MKK6–p38 signaling could promote Cdc20 degradation in a Cdh1‐independent APC/C pathway. In summary, accelerated ubiquitination and proteolysis of Cdc20 is essential for prometaphase arrest that is mediated via the p38 signaling during SAC activation. J. Cell. Physiol. 223: 327–334, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

An E2 enzyme Ubc11 is required for ubiquitination of Slp1/Cdc20 and spindle checkpoint silencing in fission yeast

For ordered mitotic progression, various proteins have to be regulated by an ubiquitin ligase, the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C) with appropriate timing. Recent studies have implied that the activity of APC/C also contributes to release of mitotic checkpoint complexes (MCCs) from its target Cdc20 in the process of silencing the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). Here we describe a temperature-sensitive mutant (ubc11-P93L) in which cell cycle progression is arrested at mitosis. The mutant grows normally at the restrictive temperature when SAC is inactivated, suggesting that the arrest is not due to abnormal spindle assembly, but rather due to prolonged activation of SAC. Supporting this notion, MCCs remain bound to APC/C even when SAC is satisfied. The ubc11⁺ gene encodes one of the two E2 enzymes required for progression through mitosis in fission yeast. Remarkably, Slp1 (a fission yeast homolog of Cdc20), which is degraded in an APC/C-dependent manner, stays stable throughout the cell cycle in the ubc11-P93L mutant lacking the functional SAC. Other APC/C substrates, in contrast, were degraded on schedule. We have also found that a loss of Ubc4, the other E2 required for progression through mitosis, does not affect the stability of Slp1. We propose that each of the two E2 enzymes is responsible for collaborating with APC/C for a specific set of substrates, and that Ubc11 is responsible for regulating Slp1 with APC/C for silencing the SAC.     

The anaphase inhibitor Pds1 binds to the APC/C-associated protein Cdc20 in a destruction box-dependent manner.

An essential aspect of progression through mitosis is the sequential degradation of key mitotic regulators in a process that is mediated by the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) ubiquitin ligase [1]. In mitotic cells, two forms of the APC/C exist, APC/C(Cdc20) and APC/C(Cdh1), which differ in their associated WD-repeat proteins (Cdc20 and Cdh1, respectively), time of activation, and substrate specificity [2, 3]. How the WD-repeat proteins contribute to APC/C's activation and substrate specificity is not clear. Many APC/C substrates contain a destruction box element that is necessary for their ubiquitination [4-6]. One such APC/C substrate, the budding yeast anaphase inhibitor Pds1 (securin), is degraded prior to anaphase initiation in a destruction box and APC/C(Cdc20)-dependent manner [3, 7]. Here we find that Pds1 interacts directly with Cdc20 and that this interaction requires Pds1's destruction box. Our results suggest that Cdc20 provides a link between the substrate and the core APC/C and that the destruction box is essential for efficient Cdc20-substrate interaction. We also find that Pds1 does not interact with Cdh1. Finally, the effect of spindle assembly checkpoint activation, known to inhibit APC/C function [8], on the Pds1-Cdc20 interaction is examined.