QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

Vol. 20, Issue 6, 1772-1784, March 15, 2009

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Materials All Versions of this Article: E08-10-1011v1 20/6/1772    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nakajima, Y. Articles by Barnes, G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nakajima, Y. Articles by Barnes, G.

Nbl1p: A Borealin/Dasra/CSC-1-like Protein Essential for Aurora/Ipl1 Complex Function and Integrity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Yuko Nakajima^*, Randall G. Tyers^*, Catherine C.L. Wong, John R. Yates, III, David G. Drubin^*, and Georjana Barnes^*

*Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720; and Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037

Submitted October 10, 2008; Revised January 8, 2009; Accepted January 13, 2009
Monitoring Editor: Kerry S. Bloom

The Aurora kinase complex, also called the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC), is essential for faithful chromosome segregation and completion of cell division. In Fungi and Animalia, this complex consists of the kinase Aurora B/AIR-2/Ipl1p, INCENP/ICP-1/Sli15p, and Survivin/BIR-1/Bir1p. A fourth subunit, Borealin/Dasra/CSC-1, is required for CPC targeting to centromeres and central spindles and has only been found in Animalia. Here we identified a new core component of the CPC in budding yeast, Nbl1p. NBL1 is essential for viability and nbl1 mutations cause chromosome missegregation and lagging chromosomes. Nbl1p colocalizes and copurifies with the CPC, and it is essential for CPC localization, stability, integrity, and function. Nbl1p is related to the N-terminus of Borealin/Dasra/CSC-1 and is similarly involved in connecting the other CPC subunits. Distant homology searching identified nearly 200, mostly unannotated, Borealin/Dasra/CSC-1–related proteins from nearly 150 species within Fungi and Animalia. Analysis of the sequence of these proteins, combined with comparative protein structure modeling of Bir1p-Nbl1p-Sli15p using the crystal structure of the human Survivin–Borealin–INCENP complex, revealed a striking structural conservation across a broad range of species. Our biological and computational analyses therefore establish that the fundamental design of the CPC is conserved from Fungi to Animalia.

Address correspondence to: Georjana Barnes (gbarnes{at}berkeley.edu)

Abbreviations used: CPC, chromosomal passenger complex, aka Aurora/Ipl1 complex; MT, microtubule; THB, three-helix bundle of the CPC; HMM, Hidden Markov Model.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				V. Makrantoni and M. J. R. Stark Efficient Chromosome Biorientation and the Tension Checkpoint in Saccharomyces cerevisiae both Require Bir1 Mol. Cell. Biol., August 15, 2009; 29(16): 4552 - 4562. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. A. Bohnert, J.-S. Chen, D. M. Clifford, C. W. Vander Kooi, and K. L. Gould A Link between Aurora Kinase and Clp1/Cdc14 Regulation Uncovered by the Identification of a Fission Yeast Borealin-Like Protein Mol. Biol. Cell, August 15, 2009; 20(16): 3646 - 3659. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]