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Biomedical subjects

Sue L Jaspersen

Publications and source records attributed to Sue L Jaspersen.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

The Sad1-UNC-84 homology domain in Mps3 interacts with Mps2 to connect the spindle pole body with the nuclear envelope.

The spindle pole body (SPB) is the sole site of microtubule nucleation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae; yet, details of its assembly are poorly understood. Integral membrane proteins including Mps2 anchor the soluble core SPB in the nuclear envelope. Adjacent to the core SPB is a membrane-associated SPB substructure known as the half-bridge, where SPB duplication and microtubule nucleation during G1 occurs. We found that the half-bridge component Mps3 is the budding yeast member of the SUN protein family (Sad1-UNC-84 homology) and provide evidence that it interacts with the Mps2 C terminus to tether the half-bridge to the core SPB. Mutants in the Mps3 SUN domain or Mps2 C terminus have SPB duplication and karyogamy defects that are consistent with the aberrant half-bridge structures we observe cytologically. The interaction between the Mps3 SUN domain and Mps2 C terminus is the first biochemical link known to connect the half-bridge with the core SPB. Association with Mps3 also defines a novel function for Mps2 during SPB duplication.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Anaphase inactivation of the spindle checkpoint.

The spindle checkpoint delays cell cycle progression until microtubules attach each pair of sister chromosomes to opposite poles of the mitotic spindle. Following sister chromatid separation, however, the checkpoint ignores chromosomes whose kinetochores are attached to only one spindle pole, a state that activates the checkpoint prior to metaphase. We demonstrate that, in budding yeast, mutual inhibition between the anaphase-promoting complex (APC) and Mps1, an essential component of the checkpoint, leads to sustained inactivation of the spindle checkpoint. Mps1 protein abundance decreases in anaphase, and Mps1 is a target of the APC. Furthermore, expression of Mps1 in anaphase, or repression of the APC in anaphase, reactivates the spindle checkpoint. This APC-Mps1 feedback circuit allows cells to irreversibly inactivate the checkpoint during anaphase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae spindle pole body (SPB) component Nbp1p is required for SPB membrane insertion and interacts with the integral membrane proteins Ndc1p and Mps2p.

The spindle pole body (SPB) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae functions to nucleate and organize spindle microtubules, and it is embedded in the nuclear envelope throughout the yeast life cycle. However, the mechanism of membrane insertion of the SPB has not been elucidated. Ndc1p is an integral membrane protein that localizes to SPBs, and it is required for insertion of the SPB into the nuclear envelope during SPB duplication. To better understand the function of Ndc1p, we performed a dosage suppressor screen using the ndc1-39 temperature-sensitive allele. We identified an essential SPB component, Nbp1p. NBP1 shows genetic interactions with several SPB genes in addition to NDC1, and two-hybrid analysis revealed that Nbp1p binds to Ndc1p. Furthermore, Nbp1p is in the Mps2p-Bbp1p complex in the SPB. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed that Nbp1p localizes to the SPB, suggesting a function at this location. Consistent with this hypothesis, nbp1-td (a degron allele) cells fail in SPB duplication upon depletion of Nbp1p. Importantly, these cells exhibit a "dead" SPB phenotype, similar to cells mutant in MPS2, NDC1, or BBP1. These results demonstrate that Nbp1p is a SPB component that acts in SPB duplication at the point of SPB insertion into the nuclear envelope.

Alleles↗

Cdc28/Cdk1 regulates spindle pole body duplication through phosphorylation of Spc42 and Mps1.

Duplication of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae spindle pole body (SPB) once per cell cycle is essential for bipolar spindle formation and accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis. We have investigated the role that the major yeast cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc28/Cdk1 plays in assembly of a core SPB component, Spc42, to better understand how SPB duplication is coordinated with cell cycle progression. Cdc28 is required for SPB duplication and Spc42 assembly, and we found that Cdc28 directly phosphorylates Spc42 to promote its assembly into the SPB. The Mps1 kinase, previously shown to regulate Spc42 phosphorylation and assembly, is also a Cdc28 substrate, and Cdc28 phosphorylation of Mps1 is needed to maintain wild-type levels of Mps1 in cells. Analysis of nonphosphorylatable mutants in SPC42 and MPS1 indicates that direct Spc42 phosphorylation and indirect regulation of Spc42 through Mps1 are two overlapping pathways by which Cdc28 regulates Spc42 assembly and SPB duplication during the cell cycle.

Alleles↗

The budding yeast spindle pole body: structure, duplication, and function.

Nucleation of microtubules by eukaryotic microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) is required for a variety of functions, including chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis, cytokinesis, fertilization, cellular morphogenesis, cell motility, and intracellular trafficking. Analysis of MTOCs from different organisms shows that the structure of these organelles is widely varied even though they all share the function of microtubule nucleation. Despite their morphological diversity, many components and regulators of MTOCs, as well as principles in their assembly, seem to be conserved. This review focuses on one of the best-characterized MTOCs, the budding yeast spindle pole body (SPB). We review what is known about its structure, protein composition, duplication, regulation, and functions. In addition, we discuss how studies of the yeast SPB have aided investigation of other MTOCs, most notably the centrosome of animal cells.

Cell Cycle↗

Mps3p is a novel component of the yeast spindle pole body that interacts with the yeast centrin homologue Cdc31p.

Accurate duplication of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae spindle pole body (SPB) is required for formation of a bipolar mitotic spindle. We identified mutants in SPB assembly by screening a temperature-sensitive collection of yeast for defects in SPB incorporation of a fluorescently marked integral SPB component, Spc42p. One SPB assembly mutant contained a mutation in a previously uncharacterized open reading frame that we call MPS3 (for monopolar spindle). mps3-1 mutants arrest in mitosis with monopolar spindles at the nonpermissive temperature, suggesting a defect in SPB duplication. Execution point experiments revealed that MPS3 function is required for the first step of SPB duplication in G1. Like cells containing mutations in two other genes required for this step of SPB duplication (CDC31 and KAR1), mps3-1 mutants arrest with a single unduplicated SPB that lacks an associated half-bridge. MPS3 encodes an essential integral membrane protein that localizes to the SPB half-bridge. Genetic interactions between MPS3 and CDC31 and binding of Cdc31p to Mps3p in vitro, as well as the fact that Cdc31p localization to the SPB is partially dependent on Mps3p function, suggest that one function for Mps3p during SPB duplication is to recruit Cdc31p, the yeast centrin homologue, to the half-bridge.

Amino Acid Motifs↗