Molecular Biology of the Cell Call for Nominations: MBC Editor-in-Chief

Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] --
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

MBC in Press, published online ahead of print November 17, 2004
Mol. Biol. Cell 10.1091/mbc.E04-08-0682

A more recent version of this article appeared on February 1, 2005
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental Material
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
E04-08-0682v1
16/2/742    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bishop, J. D.
Right arrow Articles by Schumacher, J. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bishop, J. D.
Right arrow Articles by Schumacher, J. M.

Submitted on August 9, 2004
Revised on October 6, 2004
Accepted on October 31, 2004

The C. elegans Aurora B Kinase AIR-2 Phosphorylates and Is Required for the Localization of a BimC Kinesin to Meiotic and Mitotic Spindles

John D. Bishop,*{dagger} Zhenbo Han,* and Jill M. Schumacher{ddagger}{sect}

*Department of Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030; {ddagger}Genes and Development Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas-Houston, Houston, TX 77030

Monitoring Editor: Susan Strome

BimC kinesins are required for mitotic spindle assembly in a variety of organisms. These proteins are localized to centrosomes, spindle microtubules, and the spindle midzone. We have previously shown that the C. elegans Aurora B kinase AIR-2 is required for the localization of the ZEN-4 kinesin protein to midzone microtubules. To determine whether the association of BimC kinesins with spindle microtubules is also dependent on AIR-2, we examined the expression pattern of BMK-1, a C. elegans BimC kinesin, in wild-type and AIR-2-deficient embryos. BMK-1 is highly expressed in the hermaphrodite gonad and is localized to meiotic spindle microtubules in the newly fertilized embryo. In mitotic embryos, BMK-1 is associated with spindle microtubules from prophase through anaphase, and is concentrated at the spindle midzone during anaphase and telophase. In the absence of AIR-2, BMK-1 localization to meiotic and mitotic spindles is greatly reduced. This is not consequence of loss of ZEN-4 localization as BMK-1 is appropriately localized in ZEN-4 deficient embryos. Furthermore, AIR-2 and BMK-1 directly interact with one another and the C-terminal tail domain of BMK-1 is specifically phosphorylated by AIR-2 in vitro. Together with our previous data, these results suggest that at least one function of the Aurora B kinases is to recruit spindle-associated motor proteins to their sites of action.

{dagger}Present Address: Invitrogen Corporation, 1600 Faraday Ave., PO Box 6482, Carlsbad, CA 92008.

{sect}Corresponding author. E-mail: jschumac{at}mdanderson.org






Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] --
Copyright © 2004 by The American Society for Cell Biology. Terms of copyright protection, warranties, and disclaimers.