In:
eLife, eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, Vol. 6 ( 2017-08-30)
Abstract:
Before a cell divides, it needs to duplicate its genetic material to provide the new daughter cell with a full set of genetic information. To do so, the cell forms a complex of proteins called the spindle apparatus, which is made up of string-like microtubules that divide the chromosomes evenly. In many organisms, the position of the spindle determines where in the cell this separation happens. However, in baker’s yeast, the location where the cell will divide is determined well before the spindle is formed. Unlike many other eukaryotic cells, these yeast cells divide asymmetrically and create buds that will form the new daughter cells. The position of this bud determines where the spindle should be located and where the chromosomes separate. The spindle itself is then organised by a structure called the spindle pole body, which connects to microtubules inside the cell nucleus and microtubules in the cell plasma. Several proteins control where and how the spindle forms, including a protein called the spindle pole component 72, or Spc72 for short, and an enzyme called Cdc5. However, until now it was unclear how spindle formation is timed and controlled in other yeast species. Now, Maekawa et al. have used fluorescent markers and time lapse microscopy to examine how the spindle forms in the yeast species Ogataea polymorpha, an important industrial yeast used to produce medicines and alcohol. The results show that in O. polymorpha, the positioning and orientation of the spindle only occurred very late in the cell cycle and the microtubules in the cell plasma remained unstable until the chromosomes were about to separate. This was linked to changes in the level of Spc72, which increased at the spindle pole body before the chromosomes separated and then dropped again. This was controlled by Cdc5. Understanding when and where microtubules are formed is an important step in understanding how cells divide. This is the first example of a budding yeast that creates new microtubules in the cell plasma every time the cell divides. Unravelling the molecular differences between yeast species could lead to new ways to optimise the use of industrial yeasts like O. polymorpha, or to combat disease-causing ones.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2050-084X
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.001
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.002
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.003
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.004
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.005
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.006
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.007
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.008
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.009
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.010
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.011
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.012
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.013
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.014
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.015
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.016
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.017
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.018
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.019
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.020
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.021
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.022
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.023
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.024
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.025
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.026
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.027
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.028
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.029
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.030
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.031
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.032
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.033
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.034
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.035
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.036
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.037
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.038
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.043
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.24340.044
Language:
English
Publisher:
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Publication Date:
2017
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2687154-3
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