Special Libraries, April 1933

Volume 24, Issue 3https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1933/1002/thumbnail.jp

CENP-E Function at Kinetochores Is Essential for Chromosome Alignment

CENP-E is a kinesin-like protein that binds to kinetochores and may provide functions that are critical for normal chromosome motility during mitosis. To directly test the in vivo function of CENP-E, we microinjected affinity-purified antibodies to block the assembly of CENP-E onto kinetochores and then examined the behavior of these chromosomes. Chromosomes lacking CENP-E at their kinetochores consistently exhibited two types of defects that blocked their alignment at the spindle equator. Chromosomes positioned near a pole remained mono-oriented as they were unable to establish bipolar microtubule connections with the opposite pole. Chromosomes within the spindle established bipolar connections that supported oscillations and normal velocities of kinetochore movement between the poles, but these bipolar connections were defective because they failed to align the chromosomes into a metaphase plate

Zwilch, a New Component of the ZW10/ROD Complex Required for Kinetochore Functions

The Zeste-White 10 (ZW10) and Rough Deal (ROD) proteins are part of a complex necessary for accurate chromosome segregation. This complex recruits cytoplasmic dynein to the kinetochore and participates in the spindle checkpoint. We used immunoaffinity chromatography and mass spectroscopy to identify the Drosophila proteins in this complex. We found that the complex contains an additional protein we name Zwilch. Zwilch localizes to kinetochores and kinetochore microtubules in a manner identical to ZW10 and ROD. We have also isolated a zwilch mutant, which exhibits the same mitotic phenotypes associated with zw10 and rod mutations: lagging chromosomes at anaphase and precocious sister chromatid separation upon activation of the spindle checkpoint. Zwilch's role within the context of this complex is evolutionarily conserved. The human Zwilch protein (hZwilch) coimmunoprecipitates with hZW10 and hROD from HeLa cell extracts and localizes to the kinetochores at prometaphase. Finally, we discuss immunoaffinity chromatography results that suggest the existence of a weak interaction between the ZW10/ROD/Zwilch complex and the kinesin-like kinetochore component CENP-meta

RINT-1 Regulates the Localization and Entry of ZW10 to the Syntaxin 18 Complex

RINT-1 was first identified as a Rad50-interacting protein that participates in radiation-induced G(2)/M checkpoint control. We have recently reported that RINT-1, together with the dynamitin-interacting protein ZW10 and others, is associated with syntaxin 18, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized SNARE involved in membrane trafficking between the ER and Golgi. To address the role of RINT-1 in membrane trafficking, we examined the effects of overexpression and knockdown of RINT-1 on Golgi morphology and protein transport from the ER. Overexpression of the N-terminal region of RINT-1, which is responsible for the interaction with ZW10, caused redistribution of ZW10. Concomitantly, ER-to-Golgi transport was blocked and the Golgi was dispersed. Knockdown of RINT-1 also disrupted membrane trafficking between the ER and Golgi. Notably, silencing of RINT-1 resulted in a reduction in the amount of ZW10 associated with syntaxin 18, concomitant with ZW10 redistribution. In contrast, no redistribution or release of RINT-1 from the syntaxin 18 complex was observed when ZW10 expression was reduced. These results taken together suggest that RINT-1 coordinates the localization and function of ZW10 by serving as a link between ZW10 and the SNARE complex comprising syntaxin 18