SPD-1 is required for the formation of the spindle midzone but is not essential for the completion of cytokinesis in C. elegans embryos

The process of cytokinesis can be divided into two stages: the assembly and constriction of an actomyosin ring giving rise to a narrow intracellular canal and the final breaking and resealing of this canal. Mutations in several genes of Caenorhabditis elegans disrupt the spindle midzone (anti-parallel microtubules and associated proteins that form between the spindle poles) and give rise to failures in the completion of cytokinesis. We show that loss of function of spd-1 causes midzone disruptions, although cytokinesis generally completes. SPD-1 is a conserved microtubule-bundling protein that localizes to the midzone and also to microtubule bundles in the cytoplasm. The midzone localization of SPD-1 is perturbed in embryos depleted of other midzone components, yet the cytoplasmic bundles are not affected. We found that two other midzone components also localize to the ingressing furrow in wild-type embryos; when SPD-1 is depleted, there is no visible midzone, and only this furrow localization remains. SPD-1 differs from other midzone components in that it is essential for the integrity of the midzone, yet not for cytokinesis. Also, it can localize to the midzone when other midzone components are depleted, suggesting that SPD-1 may play an early role in the pathway of midzone assembly.