WorldWideScience

Sample records for mitotic checkpoint function

  1. Smurf2 as a novel mitotic regulator: From the spindle assembly checkpoint to tumorigenesis

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    Moore Finola E

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The execution of the mitotic program with high fidelity is dependent upon precise spatiotemporal regulation of posttranslational protein modifications. For example, the timely polyubiquitination of critical mitotic regulators by Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C is essential for the metaphase to anaphase transition and mitotic exit. The spindle assembly checkpoint prevents unscheduled activity of APC/C-Cdc20 in early mitosis, allowing bipolar attachment of kinetochores to mitotic spindle and facilitating equal segregation of sister chromatids. The critical effector of the spindle checkpoint, Mitotic arrest deficient 2 (Mad2, is recruited to unattached kinetochores forming a complex with other regulatory proteins to efficiently and cooperatively inhibit APC/C-Cdc20. A weakened and/or dysfunctional spindle checkpoint has been linked to the development of genomic instability in both cell culture and animal models, and evidence suggests that aberrant regulation of the spindle checkpoint plays a critical role in human carcinogenesis. Recent studies have illuminated a network of both degradative and non-degradative ubiquitination events that regulate the metaphase to anaphase transition and mitotic exit. Within this context, our recent work showed that the HECT (Homologous to E6-AP C-terminus-family E3 ligase Smurf2 (Smad specific ubiquitin regulatory factor 2, known as a negative regulator of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β signaling, is required for a functional spindle checkpoint by promoting the functional localization and stability of Mad2. Here we discuss putative models explaining the role of Smurf2 as a new regulator in the spindle checkpoint. The dynamic mitotic localization of Smurf2 to the centrosome and other critical mitotic structures provides implications about mitotic checkpoint control dependent on various ubiquitination events. Finally, deregulated Smurf2 activity may contribute to carcinogenesis by

  2. Aurora-B Mediated ATM Serine 1403 Phosphorylation Is Required For Mitotic ATM Activation and the Spindle Checkpoint

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    Yang, Chunying; Tang, Xi; Guo, Xiaojing; Niikura, Yohei; Kitagawa, Katsumi; Cui, Kemi; Wong, Stephen T.C.; Fu, Li; Xu, Bo

    2011-01-01

    The ATM kinase plays a critical role in the maintenance of genetic stability. ATM is activated in response to DNA damage and is essential for cell cycle checkpoints. Here, we report that ATM is activated in mitosis in the absence of DNA damage. We demonstrate that mitotic ATM activation is dependent on the Aurora-B kinase and that Aurora-B phosphorylates ATM on serine 1403. This phosphorylation event is required for mitotic ATM activation. Further, we show that loss of ATM function results in...

  3. The flavonoid eupatorin inactivates the mitotic checkpoint leading to polyploidy and apoptosis

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    Salmela, Anna-Leena [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Medical Biotechnology, P.O. Box 106, Turku (Finland); Turku Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Turku (Finland); Turku Centre for Biotechnology, P.O. Box 123, University of Turku (Finland); Pouwels, Jeroen; Kukkonen-Macchi, Anu [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Medical Biotechnology, P.O. Box 106, Turku (Finland); Waris, Sinikka; Toivonen, Pauliina [Turku Centre for Biotechnology, P.O. Box 123, University of Turku (Finland); Jaakkola, Kimmo [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Medical Biotechnology, P.O. Box 106, Turku (Finland); Maeki-Jouppila, Jenni [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Medical Biotechnology, P.O. Box 106, Turku (Finland); Turku Centre for Biotechnology, P.O. Box 123, University of Turku (Finland); Drug Discovery Graduate School, University of Turku (Finland); Kallio, Lila, E-mail: lila.kallio@vtt.fi [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Medical Biotechnology, P.O. Box 106, Turku (Finland); Kallio, Marko J. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Medical Biotechnology, P.O. Box 106, Turku (Finland); Turku Centre for Biotechnology, P.O. Box 123, University of Turku (Finland); Centre of Excellence for Translational Genome-Scale Biology, P.O. Box 106, Academy of Finland (Finland)

    2012-03-10

    The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is a conserved mechanism that ensures the fidelity of chromosome distribution in mitosis by preventing anaphase onset until the correct bipolar microtubule-kinetochore attachments are formed. Errors in SAC function may contribute to tumorigenesis by inducing numerical chromosome anomalies (aneuploidy). On the other hand, total disruption of SAC can lead to massive genomic imbalance followed by cell death, a phenomena that has therapeutic potency. We performed a cell-based high-throughput screen with a compound library of 2000 bioactives for novel SAC inhibitors and discovered a plant-derived phenolic compound eupatorin (3 Prime ,5-dihydroxy-4 Prime ,6,7-trimethoxyflavone) as an anti-mitotic flavonoid. The premature override of the microtubule drug-imposed mitotic arrest by eupatorin is dependent on microtubule-kinetochore attachments but not interkinetochore tension. Aurora B kinase activity, which is essential for maintenance of normal SAC signaling, is diminished by eupatorin in cells and in vitro providing a mechanistic explanation for the observed forced mitotic exit. Eupatorin likely has additional targets since eupatorin treatment of pre-mitotic cells causes spindle anomalies triggering a transient M phase delay followed by impaired cytokinesis and polyploidy. Finally, eupatorin potently induces apoptosis in multiple cancer cell lines and suppresses cancer cell proliferation in organotypic 3D cell culture model.

  4. Unconventional functions of mitotic kinases in kidney tumourigenesis

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    Pauline eHascoet

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Human tumours exhibit a variety of genetic alterations, including point mutations, translocations, gene amplifications and deletions, as well as aneuploid chromosome numbers. For carcinomas, aneuploidy is associated with poor patient outcome for a large variety of tumour types, including breast, colon and renal cell carcinoma. The Renal cell cancer (RCC is a heterogeneous carcinoma consisting of different histologic types. The clear renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC is the most common subtype and represents 85 % of the RCC. Central to the biology of the ccRCC is the loss of function of the Von Hippel Lindau gene but is also associated with genetic instability that could be caused by abrogation of the cell cycle mitotic spindle checkpoint and may involve the Aurora kinases, which regulate centrosome maturation. Aneuploidy can also result from the loss of cell-cell adhesion and apical-basal cell polarity that also may be regulated by the mitotic kinases (Plk1, CK2, DLCK1 and Aurora kinases. In this review, we describe the non mitotic unconventional functions of these kinases in renal tumourigenesis.

  5. In-silico modeling of the mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint.

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    Bashar Ibrahim

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available The Mitotic Spindle Assembly Checkpoint ((MSAC is an evolutionary conserved mechanism that ensures the correct segregation of chromosomes by restraining cell cycle progression from entering anaphase until all chromosomes have made proper bipolar attachments to the mitotic spindle. Its malfunction can lead to cancer.We have constructed and validated for the human (MSAC mechanism an in silico dynamical model, integrating 11 proteins and complexes. The model incorporates the perspectives of three central control pathways, namely Mad1/Mad2 induced Cdc20 sequestering based on the Template Model, MCC formation, and APC inhibition. Originating from the biochemical reactions for the underlying molecular processes, non-linear ordinary differential equations for the concentrations of 11 proteins and complexes of the (MSAC are derived. Most of the kinetic constants are taken from literature, the remaining four unknown parameters are derived by an evolutionary optimization procedure for an objective function describing the dynamics of the APC:Cdc20 complex. MCC:APC dissociation is described by two alternatives, namely the "Dissociation" and the "Convey" model variants. The attachment of the kinetochore to microtubuli is simulated by a switching parameter silencing those reactions which are stopped by the attachment. For both, the Dissociation and the Convey variants, we compare two different scenarios concerning the microtubule attachment dependent control of the dissociation reaction. Our model is validated by simulation of ten perturbation experiments.Only in the controlled case, our models show (MSAC behaviour at meta- to anaphase transition in agreement with experimental observations. Our simulations revealed that for (MSAC activation, Cdc20 is not fully sequestered; instead APC is inhibited by MCC binding.

  6. Mitotic catastrophe occurs in the absence of apoptosis in p53-null cells with a defective G1 checkpoint.

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    Michalis Fragkos

    Full Text Available Cell death occurring during mitosis, or mitotic catastrophe, often takes place in conjunction with apoptosis, but the conditions in which mitotic catastrophe may exhibit features of programmed cell death are still unclear. In the work presented here, we studied mitotic cell death by making use of a UV-inactivated parvovirus (adeno-associated virus; AAV that has been shown to induce a DNA damage response and subsequent death of p53-defective cells in mitosis, without affecting the integrity of the host genome. Osteosarcoma cells (U2OSp53DD that are deficient in p53 and lack the G1 cell cycle checkpoint respond to AAV infection through a transient G2 arrest. We found that the infected U2OSp53DD cells died through mitotic catastrophe with no signs of chromosome condensation or DNA fragmentation. Moreover, cell death was independent of caspases, apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF, autophagy and necroptosis. These findings were confirmed by time-lapse microscopy of cellular morphology following AAV infection. The assays used readily revealed apoptosis in other cell types when it was indeed occurring. Taken together the results indicate that in the absence of the G1 checkpoint, mitotic catastrophe occurs in these p53-null cells predominantly as a result of mechanical disruption induced by centrosome overduplication, and not as a consequence of a suicide signal.

  7. Phyllanthus emblica Fruit Extract Activates Spindle Assembly Checkpoint, Prevents Mitotic Aberrations and Genomic Instability in Human Colon Epithelial NCM460 Cells

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    Xihan Guo

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The fruit of Phyllanthus emblica Linn. (PE has been widely consumed as a functional food and folk medicine in Southeast Asia due to its remarkable nutritional and pharmacological effects. Previous research showed PE delays mitotic progress and increases genomic instability (GIN in human colorectal cancer cells. This study aimed to investigate the similar effects of PE by the biomarkers related to spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC, mitotic aberrations and GIN in human NCM460 normal colon epithelial cells. Cells were treated with PE and harvested differently according to the biomarkers observed. Frequencies of micronuclei (MN, nucleoplasmic bridge (NPB and nuclear bud (NB in cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay were used as indicators of GIN. Mitotic aberrations were assessed by the biomarkers of chromosome misalignment, multipolar division, chromosome lagging and chromatin bridge. SAC activity was determined by anaphase-to- metaphase ratio (AMR and the expression of core SAC gene budding uninhibited by benzimidazoles related 1 (BubR1. Compared with the control, PE-treated cells showed (1 decreased incidences of MN, NPB and NB (p < 0.01; (2 decreased frequencies of all mitotic aberration biomarkers (p < 0.01; and (3 decreased AMR (p < 0.01 and increased BubR1 expression (p < 0.001. The results revealed PE has the potential to protect human normal colon epithelial cells from mitotic and genomic damages partially by enhancing the function of SAC.

  8. The kinetochore proteins CENP-E and CENP-F directly and specifically interact with distinct BUB mitotic checkpoint Ser/Thr kinases.

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    Ciossani, Giuseppe; Overlack, Katharina; Petrovic, Arsen; Huis In 't Veld, Pim J; Koerner, Carolin; Wohlgemuth, Sabine; Maffini, Stefano; Musacchio, Andrea

    2018-05-10

    The segregation of chromosomes during cell division relies on the function of the kinetochores, protein complexes that physically connect chromosomes with microtubules of the spindle. The metazoan proteins, centromere protein E (CENP-E) and CENP-F, are components of a fibrous layer of mitotic kinetochores named the corona. Several of their features suggest that CENP-E and CENP-F are paralogs: they are very large (comprising approximately 2700 and 3200 residues, respectively), contain abundant predicted coiled-coil structures, are C-terminally prenylated, and are endowed with microtubule-binding sites at their termini. Moreover, CENP-E contains an ATP-hydrolyzing motor domain that promotes microtubule plus end-directed motion. Here, we show that both CENP-E and CENP-F are recruited to mitotic kinetochores independently of the main corona constituent, the Rod-Zwilch-ZW10 (RZZ) complex. We identified specific interactions of CENP-F and CENP-E with budding uninhibited by benzimidazole 1 (BUB1) and BUB1-related (BUBR1) mitotic checkpoint Ser/Thr kinases, respectively, paralogous proteins involved in mitotic checkpoint control and chromosome alignment. Whereas BUBR1 was dispensable for kinetochore localization of CENP-E, BUB1 was stringently required for CENP-F localization. Through biochemical reconstitution, we demonstrated that the CENP-E-BUBR1 and CENP-F-BUB1 interactions are direct and require similar determinants, a dimeric coiled-coil in CENP-E or CENP-F and a kinase domain in BUBR1 or BUB1. Our findings are consistent with the existence of structurally similar BUB1-CENP-F and BUBR1-CENP-E complexes, supporting the notion that CENP-E and CENP-F are evolutionarily related. Published under license by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  9. Human papillomavirus type 16 E7 oncoprotein engages but does not abrogate the mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint

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    Yu, Yueyang [Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women' s Hospital and Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Munger, Karl, E-mail: kmunger@rics.bwh.harvard.edu [Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women' s Hospital and Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States)

    2012-10-10

    The mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) ensures faithful chromosome segregation during mitosis by censoring kinetochore-microtubule interactions. It is frequently rendered dysfunctional during carcinogenesis causing chromosome missegregation and genomic instability. There are conflicting reports whether the HPV16 E7 oncoprotein drives chromosomal instability by abolishing the SAC. Here we report that degradation of mitotic cyclins is impaired in cells with HPV16 E7 expression. RNAi-mediated depletion of Mad2 or BubR1 indicated the involvement of the SAC, suggesting that HPV16 E7 expression causes sustained SAC engagement. Mutational analyses revealed that HPV16 E7 sequences that are necessary for retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein binding as well as sequences previously implicated in binding the nuclear and mitotic apparatus (NuMA) protein and in delocalizing dynein from the mitotic spindle contribute to SAC engagement. Importantly, however, HPV16 E7 does not markedly compromise the SAC response to microtubule poisons.

  10. Prevention of DNA Rereplication Through a Meiotic Recombination Checkpoint Response

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    Nicole A. Najor

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, unnatural stabilization of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Sic1 during meiosis can trigger extra rounds of DNA replication. When programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs are generated but not repaired due to absence of DMC1, a pathway involving the checkpoint gene RAD17 prevents this DNA rereplication. Further genetic analysis has now revealed that prevention of DNA rereplication also requires MEC1, which encodes a protein kinase that serves as a central checkpoint regulator in several pathways including the meiotic recombination checkpoint response. Downstream of MEC1, MEK1 is required through its function to inhibit repair between sister chromatids. By contrast, meiotic recombination checkpoint effectors that regulate gene expression and cyclin-dependent kinase activity are not necessary. Phosphorylation of histone H2A, which is catalyzed by Mec1 and the related Tel1 protein kinase in response to DSBs, and can help coordinate activation of the Rad53 checkpoint protein kinase in the mitotic cell cycle, is required for the full checkpoint response. Phosphorylation sites that are targeted by Rad53 in a mitotic S phase checkpoint response are also involved, based on the behavior of cells containing mutations in the DBF4 and SLD3 DNA replication genes. However, RAD53 does not appear to be required, nor does RAD9, which encodes a mediator of Rad53, consistent with their lack of function in the recombination checkpoint pathway that prevents meiotic progression. While this response is similar to a checkpoint mechanism that inhibits initiation of DNA replication in the mitotic cell cycle, the evidence points to a new variation on DNA replication control.

  11. Dietary flavonoid fisetin induces a forced exit from mitosis by targeting the mitotic spindle checkpoint

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    Salmela, Anna-Leena; Pouwels, Jeroen; Varis, Asta; Kukkonen, Anu M.; Toivonen, Pauliina; Halonen, Pasi K.; Perälä, Merja; Kallioniemi, Olli; Gorbsky, Gary J.; Kallio, Marko J.

    2009-01-01

    Fisetin is a natural flavonol present in edible vegetables, fruits and wine at 2–160 μg/g concentrations and an ingredient in nutritional supplements with much higher concentrations. The compound has been reported to exert anticarcinogenic effects as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity via its ability to act as an inhibitor of cell proliferation and free radical scavenger, respectively. Our cell-based high-throughput screen for small molecules that override chemically induced mitotic arrest identified fisetin as an antimitotic compound. Fisetin rapidly compromised microtubule drug-induced mitotic block in a proteasome-dependent manner in several human cell lines. Moreover, in unperturbed human cancer cells fisetin caused premature initiation of chromosome segregation and exit from mitosis without normal cytokinesis. To understand the molecular mechanism behind these mitotic errors, we analyzed the consequences of fisetin treatment on the localization and phoshorylation of several mitotic proteins. Aurora B, Bub1, BubR1 and Cenp-F rapidly lost their kinetochore/centromere localization and others became dephosphorylated upon addition of fisetin to the culture medium. Finally, we identified Aurora B kinase as a novel direct target of fisetin. The activity of Aurora B was significantly reduced by fisetin in vitro and in cells, an effect that can explain the observed forced mitotic exit, failure of cytokinesis and decreased cell viability. In conclusion, our data propose that fisetin perturbs spindle checkpoint signaling, which may contribute to the antiproliferative effects of the compound. PMID:19395653

  12. The architecture of the BubR1 tetratricopeptide tandem repeat defines a protein motif underlying mitotic checkpoint-kinetochore communication

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bolanos-Garcia, Victor M; Nilsson, Jakob; Blundell, Tom L

    2012-01-01

    advance to anaphase before every chromosome is properly attached to microtubules of the mitotic spindle. The architecture of the KNL1-BubR1 complex reveals important features of the molecular recognition between SAC components and the kinetochore. The interaction is important for a functional SAC...... as substitution of BubR1 residues engaged in KNL1 binding impaired the SAC and BubR1 recruitment into checkpoint complexes in stable cell lines. Here we discuss the implications of the disorder-to-order transition of KNL1 upon BubR1 binding for SAC signaling and propose a mechanistic model of how BUBs binding may...

  13. Structure of a Blinkin-BUBR1 complex reveals an interaction crucial for kinetochore-mitotic checkpoint regulation via an unanticipated binding Site

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    Bolanos-Garcia, Victor M; Lischetti, Tiziana; Matak-Vinković, Dijana

    2011-01-01

    The maintenance of genomic stability relies on the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), which ensures accurate chromosome segregation by delaying the onset of anaphase until all chromosomes are properly bioriented and attached to the mitotic spindle. BUB1 and BUBR1 kinases are central for this proc...

  14. Cenp-meta is required for sustained spindle checkpoint

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    Thomas Rubin

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Cenp-E is a kinesin-like motor protein required for efficient end-on attachment of kinetochores to the spindle microtubules. Cenp-E immunodepletion in Xenopus mitotic extracts results in the loss of mitotic arrest and massive chromosome missegregation, whereas its depletion in mammalian cells leads to chromosome segregation defects despite the presence of a functional spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC. Cenp-meta has previously been reported to be the Drosophila homolog of vertebrate Cenp-E. In this study, we show that cenp-metaΔ mutant neuroblasts arrest in mitosis when treated with colchicine. cenp-metaΔ mutant cells display a mitotic delay. Yet, despite the persistence of the two checkpoint proteins Mad2 and BubR1 on unattached kinetochores, these cells eventually enter anaphase and give rise to highly aneuploid daughter cells. Indeed, we find that cenp-metaΔ mutant cells display a slow but continuous degradation of cyclin B, which eventually triggers the mitotic exit observed. Thus, our data provide evidence for a role of Cenp-meta in sustaining the SAC response.

  15. The NIMA Kinase Is Required To Execute Stage-Specific Mitotic Functions after Initiation of Mitosis

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    Govindaraghavan, Meera; Lad, Alisha A.

    2014-01-01

    The G2-M transition in Aspergillus nidulans requires the NIMA kinase, the founding member of the Nek kinase family. Inactivation of NIMA results in a late G2 arrest, while overexpression of NIMA is sufficient to promote mitotic events independently of cell cycle phase. Endogenously tagged NIMA-GFP has dynamic mitotic localizations appearing first at the spindle pole body and then at nuclear pore complexes before transitioning to within nuclei and the mitotic spindle and back at the spindle pole bodies at mitotic exit, suggesting that it functions sequentially at these locations. Since NIMA is indispensable for mitotic entry, it has been difficult to determine the requirement of NIMA for subaspects of mitosis. We show here that when NIMA is partially inactivated, although mitosis can be initiated, a proportion of cells fail to successfully generate two daughter nuclei. We further define the mitotic defects to show that normal NIMA function is required for the formation of a bipolar spindle, nuclear pore complex disassembly, completion of chromatin segregation, and the normal structural rearrangements of the nuclear envelope required to generate two nuclei from one. In the remaining population of cells that enter mitosis with inadequate NIMA, two daughter nuclei are generated in a manner dependent on the spindle assembly checkpoint, indicating highly penetrant defects in mitotic progression without sufficient NIMA activity. This study shows that NIMA is required not only for mitotic entry but also sequentially for successful completion of stage-specific mitotic events. PMID:24186954

  16. Taxifolin enhances andrographolide-induced mitotic arrest and apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells via spindle assembly checkpoint activation.

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    Zhong Rong Zhang

    Full Text Available Andrographolide (Andro suppresses proliferation and triggers apoptosis in many types of cancer cells. Taxifolin (Taxi has been proposed to prevent cancer development similar to other dietary flavonoids. In the present study, the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of the addition of Andro alone and Andro and Taxi together on human prostate carcinoma DU145 cells were assessed. Andro inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation by mitotic arrest and activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Although the effect of Taxi alone on DU145 cell proliferation was not significant, the combined use of Taxi with Andro significantly potentiated the anti-proliferative effect of increased mitotic arrest and apoptosis by enhancing the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose polymerase, and caspases-7 and -9. Andro together with Taxi enhanced microtubule polymerization in vitro, and they induced the formation of twisted and elongated spindles in the cancer cells, thus leading to mitotic arrest. In addition, we showed that depletion of MAD2, a component in the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC, alleviated the mitotic block induced by the two compounds, suggesting that they trigger mitotic arrest by SAC activation. This study suggests that the anti-cancer activity of Andro can be significantly enhanced in combination with Taxi by disrupting microtubule dynamics and activating the SAC.

  17. Taxifolin Enhances Andrographolide-Induced Mitotic Arrest and Apoptosis in Human Prostate Cancer Cells via Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Activation

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    Wong, Matthew Man-Kin; Chiu, Sung-Kay; Cheung, Hon-Yeung

    2013-01-01

    Andrographolide (Andro) suppresses proliferation and triggers apoptosis in many types of cancer cells. Taxifolin (Taxi) has been proposed to prevent cancer development similar to other dietary flavonoids. In the present study, the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of the addition of Andro alone and Andro and Taxi together on human prostate carcinoma DU145 cells were assessed. Andro inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation by mitotic arrest and activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Although the effect of Taxi alone on DU145 cell proliferation was not significant, the combined use of Taxi with Andro significantly potentiated the anti-proliferative effect of increased mitotic arrest and apoptosis by enhancing the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and caspases-7 and -9. Andro together with Taxi enhanced microtubule polymerization in vitro, and they induced the formation of twisted and elongated spindles in the cancer cells, thus leading to mitotic arrest. In addition, we showed that depletion of MAD2, a component in the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), alleviated the mitotic block induced by the two compounds, suggesting that they trigger mitotic arrest by SAC activation. This study suggests that the anti-cancer activity of Andro can be significantly enhanced in combination with Taxi by disrupting microtubule dynamics and activating the SAC. PMID:23382917

  18. Interlinked bistable mechanisms generate robust mitotic transitions.

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    Hutter, Lukas H; Rata, Scott; Hochegger, Helfrid; Novák, Béla

    2017-10-18

    The transitions between phases of the cell cycle have evolved to be robust and switch-like, which ensures temporal separation of DNA replication, sister chromatid separation, and cell division. Mathematical models describing the biochemical interaction networks of cell cycle regulators attribute these properties to underlying bistable switches, which inherently generate robust, switch-like, and irreversible transitions between states. We have recently presented new mathematical models for two control systems that regulate crucial transitions in the cell cycle: mitotic entry and exit, 1 and the mitotic checkpoint. 2 Each of the two control systems is characterized by two interlinked bistable switches. In the case of mitotic checkpoint control, these switches are mutually activating, whereas in the case of the mitotic entry/exit network, the switches are mutually inhibiting. In this Perspective we describe the qualitative features of these regulatory motifs and show that having two interlinked bistable mechanisms further enhances robustness and irreversibility. We speculate that these network motifs also underlie other cell cycle transitions and cellular transitions between distinct biochemical states.

  19. Involvement of CNOT3 in mitotic progression through inhibition of MAD1 expression

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    Takahashi, Akinori [Division of Oncology, Department of Cancer Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639 (Japan); Kikuguchi, Chisato [Cell Signal Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-0412 (Japan); Morita, Masahiro; Shimodaira, Tetsuhiro; Tokai-Nishizumi, Noriko; Yokoyama, Kazumasa; Ohsugi, Miho; Suzuki, Toru [Division of Oncology, Department of Cancer Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639 (Japan); Yamamoto, Tadashi, E-mail: tyamamot@ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Division of Oncology, Department of Cancer Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639 (Japan); Cell Signal Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-0412 (Japan)

    2012-03-09

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CNOT3 depletion increases the mitotic index. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CNOT3 inhibits the expression of MAD1. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CNOT3 destabilizes the MAD1 mRNA. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MAD1 knockdown attenuates the CNOT3 depletion-induced mitotic arrest. -- Abstract: The stability of mRNA influences the dynamics of gene expression. The CCR4-NOT complex, the major deadenylase in mammalian cells, shortens the mRNA poly(A) tail and contributes to the destabilization of mRNAs. The CCR4-NOT complex plays pivotal roles in various physiological functions, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metabolism. Here, we show that CNOT3, a subunit of the CCR4-NOT complex, is involved in the regulation of the spindle assembly checkpoint, suggesting that the CCR4-NOT complex also plays a part in the regulation of mitosis. CNOT3 depletion increases the population of mitotic-arrested cells and specifically increases the expression of MAD1 mRNA and its protein product that plays a part in the spindle assembly checkpoint. We showed that CNOT3 depletion stabilizes the MAD1 mRNA, and that MAD1 knockdown attenuates the CNOT3 depletion-induced increase of the mitotic index. Basing on these observations, we propose that CNOT3 is involved in the regulation of the spindle assembly checkpoint through its ability to regulate the stability of MAD1 mRNA.

  20. Involvement of CNOT3 in mitotic progression through inhibition of MAD1 expression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Akinori; Kikuguchi, Chisato; Morita, Masahiro; Shimodaira, Tetsuhiro; Tokai-Nishizumi, Noriko; Yokoyama, Kazumasa; Ohsugi, Miho; Suzuki, Toru; Yamamoto, Tadashi

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► CNOT3 depletion increases the mitotic index. ► CNOT3 inhibits the expression of MAD1. ► CNOT3 destabilizes the MAD1 mRNA. ► MAD1 knockdown attenuates the CNOT3 depletion-induced mitotic arrest. -- Abstract: The stability of mRNA influences the dynamics of gene expression. The CCR4–NOT complex, the major deadenylase in mammalian cells, shortens the mRNA poly(A) tail and contributes to the destabilization of mRNAs. The CCR4–NOT complex plays pivotal roles in various physiological functions, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metabolism. Here, we show that CNOT3, a subunit of the CCR4–NOT complex, is involved in the regulation of the spindle assembly checkpoint, suggesting that the CCR4–NOT complex also plays a part in the regulation of mitosis. CNOT3 depletion increases the population of mitotic-arrested cells and specifically increases the expression of MAD1 mRNA and its protein product that plays a part in the spindle assembly checkpoint. We showed that CNOT3 depletion stabilizes the MAD1 mRNA, and that MAD1 knockdown attenuates the CNOT3 depletion-induced increase of the mitotic index. Basing on these observations, we propose that CNOT3 is involved in the regulation of the spindle assembly checkpoint through its ability to regulate the stability of MAD1 mRNA.

  1. A tumor suppressor role of the Bub3 spindle checkpoint protein after apoptosis inhibition

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    Moutinho-Santos, Tatiana

    2013-01-01

    Most solid tumors contain aneuploid cells, indicating that the mitotic checkpoint is permissive to the proliferation of chromosomally aberrant cells. However, mutated or altered expression of mitotic checkpoint genes accounts for a minor proportion of human tumors. We describe a Drosophila melanogaster tumorigenesis model derived from knocking down spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) genes and preventing apoptosis in wing imaginal discs. Bub3-deficient tumors that were also deficient in apoptosis displayed neoplastic growth, chromosomal aneuploidy, and high proliferative potential after transplantation into adult flies. Inducing aneuploidy by knocking down CENP-E and preventing apoptosis does not induce tumorigenesis, indicating that aneuploidy is not sufficient for hyperplasia. In this system, the aneuploidy caused by a deficient SAC is not driving tumorigenesis because preventing Bub3 from binding to the kinetochore does not cause hyperproliferation. Our data suggest that Bub3 has a nonkinetochore-dependent function that is consistent with its role as a tumor suppressor. PMID:23609535

  2. A link between mitotic entry and membrane growth suggests a novel model for cell size control.

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    Anastasia, Steph D; Nguyen, Duy Linh; Thai, Vu; Meloy, Melissa; MacDonough, Tracy; Kellogg, Douglas R

    2012-04-02

    Addition of new membrane to the cell surface by membrane trafficking is necessary for cell growth. In this paper, we report that blocking membrane traffic causes a mitotic checkpoint arrest via Wee1-dependent inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdk1. Checkpoint signals are relayed by the Rho1 GTPase, protein kinase C (Pkc1), and a specific form of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A(Cdc55)). Signaling via this pathway is dependent on membrane traffic and appears to increase gradually during polar bud growth. We hypothesize that delivery of vesicles to the site of bud growth generates a signal that is proportional to the extent of polarized membrane growth and that the strength of the signal is read by downstream components to determine when sufficient growth has occurred for initiation of mitosis. Growth-dependent signaling could explain how membrane growth is integrated with cell cycle progression. It could also control both cell size and morphogenesis, thereby reconciling divergent models for mitotic checkpoint function.

  3. The amount of DNA damage needed to activate the radiation-induced G2 checkpoint varies between single cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tkacz-Stachowska, Kinga; Lund-Andersen, Christin; Velissarou, Angeliki; Myklebust, June H.; Stokke, Trond; Syljuåsen, Randi G.

    2011-01-01

    Background and purpose: The radiation-induced G2 checkpoint helps facilitate DNA repair before cell division. However, recent work has revealed that human cells often escape the G2 checkpoint with unrepaired DNA breaks. The purpose was to explore whether G2 checkpoint activation occurs according to a threshold level of DNA damage. Materials and methods: G2 checkpoint activation was assayed at 75–90 min and 24–48 h after X-ray irradiation of BJ diploid fibroblasts and U2OS osteosarcoma cells. Multiparameter flow cytometry with pacific blue barcoding, and flow cytometry-based sorting of phospho-H3 positive cells to microscope slides, were used to examine the DNA damage marker γ-H2AX in individual mitotic cells that had escaped the G2 checkpoint. Results: For all radiation doses and times tested, the number of γ-H2AX foci varied between individual mitotic cells. At 75 min the median levels of γ-H2AX in mitotic cells increased with higher radiation doses. At 24–48 h, following a prolonged G2 checkpoint, cells were more resistant to checkpoint re-activation by a second dose of radiation. Conclusion: Our results suggest that different amounts of DNA damage are needed to activate the G2 checkpoint in individual cells. Such single cell variation in checkpoint activation may potentially contribute to radiation-induced genomic instability.

  4. Multiple functions of the S-phase checkpoint mediator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Katsunori

    2010-01-01

    There is mounting evidence that replication defects are the major source of spontaneous genomic instability in cells, and that S-phase checkpoints are the principal defense against such instability. The S-phase checkpoint mediator protein Mrc1/Claspin mediates the checkpoint response to replication stress by facilitating phosphorylation of effector kinase by a sensor kinase. In this review, the multiple functions and the regulation of the S-phase checkpoint mediator are discussed.

  5. Radiation-induced mitotic catastrophe in PARG-deficient cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ame, J.Ch.; Fouquerel, E.; Dantzer, F.; De Murcia, G.; Schreiber, V. [IREBS-FRE3211 du CNRS, Universite de Strasbourg, ESBS, Bd Sebastien Brant, BP 10413, 67412 Illkirch Cedex (France); Gauthier, L.R.; Boussin, F.D. [Laboratoire de Radiopathologie/INSERM U967, CEA-DSV-IRCM, 92265 Fontenay aux Roses, Cedex 6 (France); Biard, D. [CEA-DSV-IRCM/INSERM U935, Institut A. Lwoff-CNRS, BP 8, 94801 Villejuif cedex (France)

    2009-07-01

    Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is a post-translational modification of proteins involved in the regulation of chromatin structure, DNA metabolism, cell division and cell death. Through the hydrolysis of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR), Poly(ADP-ribose) glyco-hydrolase (PARG) has a crucial role in the control of life-and-death balance following DNA insult. Comprehension of PARG function has been hindered by the existence of many PARG isoforms encoded by a single gene and displaying various subcellular localizations. To gain insight into the function of PARG in response to irradiation, we constitutively and stably knocked down expression of PARG isoforms in HeLa cells. PARG depletion leading to PAR accumulation was not deleterious to undamaged cells and was in fact rather beneficial, because it protected cells from spontaneous single-strand breaks and telomeric abnormalities. By contrast, PARG-deficient cells showed increased radiosensitivity, caused by defects in the repair of single- and double-strand breaks and in mitotic spindle checkpoint, leading to alteration of progression of mitosis. Irradiated PARG-deficient cells displayed centrosome amplification leading to mitotic supernumerary spindle poles, and accumulated aberrant mitotic figures, which induced either polyploidy or cell death by mitotic catastrophe. Our results suggest that PARG could be a novel potential therapeutic target for radiotherapy. (authors)

  6. Loss of p53 induces M-phase retardation following G2 DNA damage checkpoint abrogation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minemoto, Yuzuru; Uchida, Sanae; Ohtsubo, Motoaki; Shimura, Mari; Sasagawa, Toshiyuki; Hirata, Masato; Nakagama, Hitoshi; Ishizaka, Yukihito; Yamashita, Katsumi

    2003-04-01

    Most cell lines that lack functional p53 protein are arrested in the G2 phase of the cell cycle due to DNA damage. When the G2 checkpoint is abrogated, these cells are forced into mitotic catastrophe. A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells, in which p53 was eliminated with the HPV16 E6 gene, exhibited efficient arrest in the G2 phase when treated with adriamycin. Administration of caffeine to G2-arrested cells induced a drastic change in cell phenotype, the nature of which depended on the status of p53. Flow cytometric and microscopic observations revealed that cells that either contained or lacked p53 resumed their cell cycles and entered mitosis upon caffeine treatment. However, transit to the M phase was slower in p53-negative cells than in p53-positive cells. Consistent with these observations, CDK1 activity was maintained at high levels, along with stable cyclin B1, in p53-negative cells. The addition of butyrolactone I, which is an inhibitor of CDK1 and CDK2, to the p53-negative cells reduced the floating round cell population and induced the disappearance of cyclin B1. These results suggest a relationship between the p53 pathway and the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of mitotic cyclins and possible cross-talk between the G2-DNA damage checkpoint and the mitotic checkpoint.

  7. Inhibition of clathrin by pitstop 2 activates the spindle assembly checkpoint and induces cell death in dividing HeLa cancer cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Smith Charlotte M

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background During metaphase clathrin stabilises the mitotic spindle kinetochore(K-fibres. Many anti-mitotic compounds target microtubule dynamics. Pitstop 2™ is the first small molecule inhibitor of clathrin terminal domain and inhibits clathrin-mediated endocytosis. We investigated its effects on a second function for clathrin in mitosis. Results Pitstop 2 did not impair clathrin recruitment to the spindle but disrupted its function once stationed there. Pitstop 2 trapped HeLa cells in metaphase through loss of mitotic spindle integrity and activation of the spindle assembly checkpoint, phenocopying clathrin depletion and aurora A kinase inhibition. Conclusions Pitstop 2 is therefore a new tool for investigating clathrin spindle dynamics. Pitstop 2 reduced viability in dividing HeLa cells, without affecting dividing non-cancerous NIH3T3 cells, suggesting that clathrin is a possible novel anti-mitotic drug target.

  8. Dynein Light Intermediate Chain 2 Facilitates the Metaphase to Anaphase Transition by Inactivating the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sagar P Mahale

    Full Text Available The multi-functional molecular motor cytoplasmic dynein performs diverse essential roles during mitosis. The mechanistic importance of the dynein Light Intermediate Chain homologs, LIC1 and LIC2 is unappreciated, especially in the context of mitosis. LIC1 and LIC2 are believed to exist in distinct cytoplasmic dynein complexes as obligate subunits. LIC1 had earlier been reported to be required for metaphase to anaphase progression by inactivating the kinetochore-microtubule attachment-sensing arm of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC. However, the functional importance of LIC2 during mitosis remains elusive. Here we report prominent novel roles for the LIC2 subunit of cytoplasmic dynein in regulating the spindle assembly checkpoint. LIC2 depletion in mammalian cells led to prolonged metaphase arrest in the presence of an active SAC and also to stretched kinetochores, thus implicating it in SAC inactivation. Quantitative fluorescence microscopy of SAC components revealed accumulation of both attachment- and tension-sensing checkpoint proteins at metaphase kinetochores upon LIC2 depletion. These observations support a stronger and more diverse role in checkpoint inactivation for LIC2 in comparison to its close homolog LIC1. Our study uncovers a novel functional hierarchy during mitotic checkpoint inactivation between the closely related but homologous LIC subunits of cytoplasmic dynein. These subtle functional distinctions between dynein subpopulations could be exploited to study specific aspects of the spindle assembly checkpoint, which is a key mediator of fidelity in eukaryotic cell division.

  9. The role of p53 in the response to mitotic spindle damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meek, D.W.

    2000-01-01

    The p53 tumour suppressor protein has defined roles in G1/S and G2/M cell cycle checkpoint in response to a range of cellular stresses including DNA damage, dominant oncogene expression, hypoxia, metabolic changes and viral infection. In addition to these responses, p53 can also be activated when damage occurs to the mitotic spindle. Initially, spindle damage activates a p53-independent checkpoint which functions at the metaphase-anaphase transition and prevents cells from progressing through mitosis until the completion of spindle formation. Cells eventually escape from this block (a process termed 'mitotic slippage'), and an aberrant mitosis ensues in which sister chromatids fail to segregate properly. After a delay period, p53 responds to this mitotic failure by instituting a G1-like growth arrest, with an intact nucleus containing 4N DNA, but without the cells undergoing division. Cells lacking wild-type p53 are still able to arrest transiently at mitosis, and also fail to undergo division, underscoring that the delay in mitosis is p53-independent. However, these cells are not prevented from re-entering the cell cycle and can reduplicate their DNA unchecked, leading to polyploidy. Additionally, p53-null cells which experience spindle failure often show the appearance of micronuclei arising from poorly segregated chromosomes which have de-condensed and been enclosed in a nuclear envelope. The ability of p53 to prevent their formation suggests an additional G2 involvement which prevents nuclear breakdown prior to mitosis. The molecular mechanism by which p53 is able to sense mitotic failure is still unknown, but may be linked to the ability of p53 to regulate duplication of the centrosome, the organelle which nucleates spindle formation. (authors)

  10. The internal Cdc20 binding site in BubR1 facilitates both spindle assembly checkpoint signalling and silencing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lischetti, Tiziana; Zhang, Gang; Sedgwick, Garry G

    2014-01-01

    Improperly attached kinetochores activate the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) and by an unknown mechanism catalyse the binding of two checkpoint proteins, Mad2 and BubR1, to Cdc20 forming the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC). Here, to address the functional role of Cdc20 kinetochore localization...... in the SAC, we delineate the molecular details of its interaction with kinetochores. We find that BubR1 recruits the bulk of Cdc20 to kinetochores through its internal Cdc20 binding domain (IC20BD). We show that preventing Cdc20 kinetochore localization by removal of the IC20BD has a limited effect...... on the SAC because the IC20BD is also required for efficient SAC silencing. Indeed, the IC20BD can disrupt the MCC providing a mechanism for its role in SAC silencing. We thus uncover an unexpected dual function of the second Cdc20 binding site in BubR1 in promoting both efficient SAC signalling and SAC...

  11. Timeless links replication termination to mitotic kinase activation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jayaraju Dheekollu

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available The mechanisms that coordinate the termination of DNA replication with progression through mitosis are not completely understood. The human Timeless protein (Tim associates with S phase replication checkpoint proteins Claspin and Tipin, and plays an important role in maintaining replication fork stability at physical barriers, like centromeres, telomeres and ribosomal DNA repeats, as well as at termination sites. We show here that human Tim can be isolated in a complex with mitotic entry kinases CDK1, Auroras A and B, and Polo-like kinase (Plk1. Plk1 bound Tim directly and colocalized with Tim at a subset of mitotic structures in M phase. Tim depletion caused multiple mitotic defects, including the loss of sister-chromatid cohesion, loss of mitotic spindle architecture, and a failure to exit mitosis. Tim depletion caused a delay in mitotic kinase activity in vivo and in vitro, as well as a reduction in global histone H3 S10 phosphorylation during G2/M phase. Tim was also required for the recruitment of Plk1 to centromeric DNA and formation of catenated DNA structures at human centromere alpha satellite repeats. Taken together, these findings suggest that Tim coordinates mitotic kinase activation with termination of DNA replication.

  12. The fission yeast spindle orientation checkpoint: a model that generates tension?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gachet, Yannick; Reyes, Céline; Goldstone, Sherilyn; Tournier, Sylvie

    2006-10-15

    In all eukaryotes, the alignment of the mitotic spindle with the axis of cell polarity is essential for accurate chromosome segregation as well as for the establishment of cell fate, and thus morphogenesis, during development. Studies in invertebrates, higher eukaryotes and yeast suggest that astral microtubules interact with the cell cortex to position the spindle. These microtubules are thought to impose pushing or pulling forces on the spindle poles to affect the rotation or movement of the spindle. In the fission yeast model, where cell division is symmetrical, spindle rotation is dependent on the interaction of astral microtubules with the cortical actin cytoskeleton. In these cells, a bub1-dependent mitotic checkpoint, the spindle orientation checkpoint (SOC), is activated when the spindles fail to align with the cell polarity axis. In this paper we review the mechanism that orientates the spindle during mitosis in fission yeast, and discuss the consequences of misorientation on metaphase progression. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. DNA lesions induced by replication stress trigger mitotic aberration and tetraploidy development.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yosuke Ichijima

    Full Text Available During tumorigenesis, cells acquire immortality in association with the development of genomic instability. However, it is still elusive how genomic instability spontaneously generates during the process of tumorigenesis. Here, we show that precancerous DNA lesions induced by oncogene acceleration, which induce situations identical to the initial stages of cancer development, trigger tetraploidy/aneuploidy generation in association with mitotic aberration. Although oncogene acceleration primarily induces DNA replication stress and the resulting lesions in the S phase, these lesions are carried over into the M phase and cause cytokinesis failure and genomic instability. Unlike directly induced DNA double-strand breaks, DNA replication stress-associated lesions are cryptogenic and pass through cell-cycle checkpoints due to limited and ineffective activation of checkpoint factors. Furthermore, since damaged M-phase cells still progress in mitotic steps, these cells result in chromosomal mis-segregation, cytokinesis failure and the resulting tetraploidy generation. Thus, our results reveal a process of genomic instability generation triggered by precancerous DNA replication stress.

  14. Cell size checkpoint control by the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Su-Chiung; de los Reyes, Chris; Umen, James G

    2006-10-13

    Size control is essential for all proliferating cells, and is thought to be regulated by checkpoints that couple cell size to cell cycle progression. The aberrant cell-size phenotypes caused by mutations in the retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor pathway are consistent with a role in size checkpoint control, but indirect effects on size caused by altered cell cycle kinetics are difficult to rule out. The multiple fission cell cycle of the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii uncouples growth from division, allowing direct assessment of the relationship between size phenotypes and checkpoint function. Mutations in the C. reinhardtii RB homolog encoded by MAT3 cause supernumerous cell divisions and small cells, suggesting a role for MAT3 in size control. We identified suppressors of an mat3 null allele that had recessive mutations in DP1 or dominant mutations in E2F1, loci encoding homologs of a heterodimeric transcription factor that is targeted by RB-related proteins. Significantly, we determined that the dp1 and e2f1 phenotypes were caused by defects in size checkpoint control and were not due to a lengthened cell cycle. Despite their cell division defects, mat3, dp1, and e2f1 mutants showed almost no changes in periodic transcription of genes induced during S phase and mitosis, many of which are conserved targets of the RB pathway. Conversely, we found that regulation of cell size was unaffected when S phase and mitotic transcription were inhibited. Our data provide direct evidence that the RB pathway mediates cell size checkpoint control and suggest that such control is not directly coupled to the magnitude of periodic cell cycle transcription.

  15. APC/C-Cdh1-dependent anaphase and telophase progression during mitotic slippage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toda Kazuhiro

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC inhibits anaphase progression in the presence of insufficient kinetochore-microtubule attachments, but cells can eventually override mitotic arrest by a process known as mitotic slippage or adaptation. This is a problem for cancer chemotherapy using microtubule poisons. Results Here we describe mitotic slippage in yeast bub2Δ mutant cells that are defective in the repression of precocious telophase onset (mitotic exit. Precocious activation of anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C-Cdh1 caused mitotic slippage in the presence of nocodazole, while the SAC was still active. APC/C-Cdh1, but not APC/C-Cdc20, triggered anaphase progression (securin degradation, separase-mediated cohesin cleavage, sister-chromatid separation and chromosome missegregation, in addition to telophase onset (mitotic exit, during mitotic slippage. This demonstrates that an inhibitory system not only of APC/C-Cdc20 but also of APC/C-Cdh1 is critical for accurate chromosome segregation in the presence of insufficient kinetochore-microtubule attachments. Conclusions The sequential activation of APC/C-Cdc20 to APC/C-Cdh1 during mitosis is central to accurate mitosis. Precocious activation of APC/C-Cdh1 in metaphase (pre-anaphase causes mitotic slippage in SAC-activated cells. For the prevention of mitotic slippage, concomitant inhibition of APC/C-Cdh1 may be effective for tumor therapy with mitotic spindle poisons in humans.

  16. The accuracy of survival time prediction for patients with glioma is improved by measuring mitotic spindle checkpoint gene expression.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Bie

    Full Text Available Identification of gene expression changes that improve prediction of survival time across all glioma grades would be clinically useful. Four Affymetrix GeneChip datasets from the literature, containing data from 771 glioma samples representing all WHO grades and eight normal brain samples, were used in an ANOVA model to screen for transcript changes that correlated with grade. Observations were confirmed and extended using qPCR assays on RNA derived from 38 additional glioma samples and eight normal samples for which survival data were available. RNA levels of eight major mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC genes (BUB1, BUB1B, BUB3, CENPE, MAD1L1, MAD2L1, CDC20, TTK significantly correlated with glioma grade and six also significantly correlated with survival time. In particular, the level of BUB1B expression was highly correlated with survival time (p<0.0001, and significantly outperformed all other measured parameters, including two standards; WHO grade and MIB-1 (Ki-67 labeling index. Measurement of the expression levels of a small set of SAC genes may complement histological grade and other clinical parameters for predicting survival time.

  17. Sensitivity to sodium arsenite in human melanoma cells depends upon susceptibility to arsenite-induced mitotic arrest

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McNeely, Samuel C.; Belshoff, Alex C.; Taylor, B. Frazier; Fan, Teresa W-M.; McCabe, Michael J.; Pinhas, Allan R.

    2008-01-01

    Arsenic induces clinical remission in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia and has potential for treatment of other cancers. The current study examines factors influencing sensitivity to arsenic using human malignant melanoma cell lines. A375 and SK-Mel-2 cells were sensitive to clinically achievable concentrations of arsenite, whereas SK-Mel-3 and SK-Mel-28 cells required supratherapeutic levels for toxicity. Inhibition of glutathione synthesis, glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity, and multidrug resistance protein (MRP) transporter function attenuated arsenite resistance, consistent with studies suggesting that arsenite is extruded from the cell as a glutathione conjugate by MRP-1. However, MRP-1 was not overexpressed in resistant lines and GST-π was only slightly elevated. ICP-MS analysis indicated that arsenite-resistant SK-Mel-28 cells did not accumulate less arsenic than arsenite-sensitive A375 cells, suggesting that resistance was not attributable to reduced arsenic accumulation but rather to intrinsic properties of resistant cell lines. The mode of arsenite-induced cell death was apoptosis. Arsenite-induced apoptosis is associated with cell cycle alterations. Cell cycle analysis revealed arsenite-sensitive cells arrested in mitosis whereas arsenite-resistant cells did not, suggesting that induction of mitotic arrest occurs at lower intracellular arsenic concentrations. Higher intracellular arsenic levels induced cell cycle arrest in the S-phase and G 2 -phase in SK-Mel-3 and SK-Mel-28 cells, respectively. The lack of arsenite-induced mitotic arrest in resistant cell lines was associated with a weakened spindle checkpoint resulting from reduced expression of spindle checkpoint protein BUBR1. These data suggest that arsenite has potential for treatment of solid tumors but a functional spindle checkpoint is a prerequisite for a positive response to its clinical application

  18. Drosophila MOF controls Checkpoint protein2 and regulates genomic stability during early embryogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pushpavalli, Sreerangam N C V L; Sarkar, Arpita; Ramaiah, M Janaki; Chowdhury, Debabani Roy; Bhadra, Utpal; Pal-Bhadra, Manika

    2013-01-24

    In Drosophila embryos, checkpoints maintain genome stability by delaying cell cycle progression that allows time for damage repair or to complete DNA synthesis. Drosophila MOF, a member of MYST histone acetyl transferase is an essential component of male X hyperactivation process. Until recently its involvement in G2/M cell cycle arrest and defects in ionizing radiation induced DNA damage pathways was not well established. Drosophila MOF is highly expressed during early embryogenesis. In the present study we show that haplo-insufficiency of maternal MOF leads to spontaneous mitotic defects like mitotic asynchrony, mitotic catastrophe and chromatid bridges in the syncytial embryos. Such abnormal nuclei are eliminated and digested in the yolk tissues by nuclear fall out mechanism. MOF negatively regulates Drosophila checkpoint kinase 2 tumor suppressor homologue. In response to DNA damage the checkpoint gene Chk2 (Drosophila mnk) is activated in the mof mutants, there by causing centrosomal inactivation suggesting its role in response to genotoxic stress. A drastic decrease in the fall out nuclei in the syncytial embryos derived from mof¹/+; mnkp⁶/+ females further confirms the role of DNA damage response gene Chk2 to ensure the removal of abnormal nuclei from the embryonic precursor pool and maintain genome stability. The fact that mof mutants undergo DNA damage has been further elucidated by the increased number of single and double stranded DNA breaks. mof mutants exhibited genomic instability as evidenced by the occurance of frequent mitotic bridges in anaphase, asynchronous nuclear divisions, disruption of cytoskeleton, inactivation of centrosomes finally leading to DNA damage. Our findings are consistent to what has been reported earlier in mammals that; reduced levels of MOF resulted in increased genomic instability while total loss resulted in lethality. The study can be further extended using Drosophila as model system and carry out the interaction of MOF

  19. Drosophila MOF controls Checkpoint protein2 and regulates genomic stability during early embryogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pushpavalli Sreerangam NCVL

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In Drosophila embryos, checkpoints maintain genome stability by delaying cell cycle progression that allows time for damage repair or to complete DNA synthesis. Drosophila MOF, a member of MYST histone acetyl transferase is an essential component of male X hyperactivation process. Until recently its involvement in G2/M cell cycle arrest and defects in ionizing radiation induced DNA damage pathways was not well established. Results Drosophila MOF is highly expressed during early embryogenesis. In the present study we show that haplo-insufficiency of maternal MOF leads to spontaneous mitotic defects like mitotic asynchrony, mitotic catastrophe and chromatid bridges in the syncytial embryos. Such abnormal nuclei are eliminated and digested in the yolk tissues by nuclear fall out mechanism. MOF negatively regulates Drosophila checkpoint kinase 2 tumor suppressor homologue. In response to DNA damage the checkpoint gene Chk2 (Drosophila mnk is activated in the mof mutants, there by causing centrosomal inactivation suggesting its role in response to genotoxic stress. A drastic decrease in the fall out nuclei in the syncytial embryos derived from mof1/+; mnkp6/+ females further confirms the role of DNA damage response gene Chk2 to ensure the removal of abnormal nuclei from the embryonic precursor pool and maintain genome stability. The fact that mof mutants undergo DNA damage has been further elucidated by the increased number of single and double stranded DNA breaks. Conclusion mof mutants exhibited genomic instability as evidenced by the occurance of frequent mitotic bridges in anaphase, asynchronous nuclear divisions, disruption of cytoskeleton, inactivation of centrosomes finally leading to DNA damage. Our findings are consistent to what has been reported earlier in mammals that; reduced levels of MOF resulted in increased genomic instability while total loss resulted in lethality. The study can be further extended using

  20. Drosophila Polo regulates the spindle assembly checkpoint through Mps1-dependent BubR1 phosphorylation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conde, Carlos; Osswald, Mariana; Barbosa, João; Moutinho-Santos, Tatiana; Pinheiro, Diana; Guimarães, Sofia; Matos, Irina; Maiato, Helder; Sunkel, Claudio E

    2013-06-12

    Maintenance of genomic stability during eukaryotic cell division relies on the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) that prevents mitotic exit until all chromosomes are properly attached to the spindle. Polo is a mitotic kinase proposed to be involved in SAC function, but its role has remained elusive. We demonstrate that Polo and Aurora B functional interdependency comprises a positive feedback loop that promotes Mps1 kinetochore localization and activity. Expression of constitutively active Polo restores normal Mps1 kinetochore levels even after Aurora B inhibition, highlighting a role for Polo in Mps1 recruitment to unattached kinetochores downstream of Aurora B. We also show that Mps1 kinetochore localization is required for BubR1 hyperphosphorylation and formation of the 3F3/2 phosphoepitope. This is essential to allow recruitment of Cdc20 to unattached kinetochores and the assembly of anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome-inhibitory complexes to levels that ensure long-term SAC activity. We propose a model in which Polo controls Mps1-dependent BubR1 phosphorylation to promote Cdc20 kinetochore recruitment and sustained SAC function.

  1. Localization of latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) on mitotic chromosomes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rahayu, Retno; Ohsaki, Eriko [Division of Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Omori, Hiroko [Central Instrumentation Laboratory Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (BIKEN), Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Ueda, Keiji, E-mail: kueda@virus.med.osaka-u.ac.jp [Division of Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)

    2016-09-15

    In latent infection of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), viral gene expression is extremely limited and copy numbers of viral genomes remain constant. Latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) is known to have a role in maintaining viral genome copy numbers in growing cells. Several studies have shown that LANA is localized in particular regions on mitotic chromosomes, such as centromeres/pericentromeres. We independently examined the distinct localization of LANA on mitotic chromosomes during mitosis, using super-resolution laser confocal microscopy and correlative fluorescence microscopy–electron microscopy (FM-EM) analyses. We found that the majority of LANA were not localized at particular regions such as telomeres/peritelomeres, centromeres/pericentromeres, and cohesion sites, but at the bodies of condensed chromosomes. Thus, LANA may undergo various interactions with the host factors on the condensed chromosomes in order to tether the viral genome to mitotic chromosomes and realize faithful viral genome segregation during cell division. - Highlights: • This is the first report showing LANA dots on mitotic chromosomes by fluorescent microscopy followed by electron microscopy. • LANA dots localized randomly on condensed chromosomes other than centromere/pericentromere and telomere/peritelomre. • Cellular mitotic checkpoint should not be always involved in the segregation of KSHV genomes in the latency.

  2. Localization of latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) on mitotic chromosomes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahayu, Retno; Ohsaki, Eriko; Omori, Hiroko; Ueda, Keiji

    2016-01-01

    In latent infection of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), viral gene expression is extremely limited and copy numbers of viral genomes remain constant. Latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) is known to have a role in maintaining viral genome copy numbers in growing cells. Several studies have shown that LANA is localized in particular regions on mitotic chromosomes, such as centromeres/pericentromeres. We independently examined the distinct localization of LANA on mitotic chromosomes during mitosis, using super-resolution laser confocal microscopy and correlative fluorescence microscopy–electron microscopy (FM-EM) analyses. We found that the majority of LANA were not localized at particular regions such as telomeres/peritelomeres, centromeres/pericentromeres, and cohesion sites, but at the bodies of condensed chromosomes. Thus, LANA may undergo various interactions with the host factors on the condensed chromosomes in order to tether the viral genome to mitotic chromosomes and realize faithful viral genome segregation during cell division. - Highlights: • This is the first report showing LANA dots on mitotic chromosomes by fluorescent microscopy followed by electron microscopy. • LANA dots localized randomly on condensed chromosomes other than centromere/pericentromere and telomere/peritelomre. • Cellular mitotic checkpoint should not be always involved in the segregation of KSHV genomes in the latency.

  3. Inhibition of the mitotic exit network in response to damaged telomeres.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauricio Valerio-Santiago

    Full Text Available When chromosomal DNA is damaged, progression through the cell cycle is halted to provide the cells with time to repair the genetic material before it is distributed between the mother and daughter cells. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, this cell cycle arrest occurs at the G2/M transition. However, it is also necessary to restrain exit from mitosis by maintaining Bfa1-Bub2, the inhibitor of the Mitotic Exit Network (MEN, in an active state. While the role of Bfa1 and Bub2 in the inhibition of mitotic exit when the spindle is not properly aligned and the spindle position checkpoint is activated has been extensively studied, the mechanism by which these proteins prevent MEN function after DNA damage is still unclear. Here, we propose that the inhibition of the MEN is specifically required when telomeres are damaged but it is not necessary to face all types of chromosomal DNA damage, which is in agreement with previous data in mammals suggesting the existence of a putative telomere-specific DNA damage response that inhibits mitotic exit. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the mechanism of MEN inhibition when telomeres are damaged relies on the Rad53-dependent inhibition of Bfa1 phosphorylation by the Polo-like kinase Cdc5, establishing a new key role of this kinase in regulating cell cycle progression.

  4. Molecular basis of APC/C regulation by the spindle assembly checkpoint

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ziguo; Yang, Jing; Maslen, Sarah; Skehel, Mark; Barford, David

    2016-01-01

    In the dividing eukaryotic cell the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) ensures each daughter cell inherits an identical set of chromosomes. The SAC coordinates the correct attachment of sister chromatid kinetochores to the mitotic spindle with activation of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), the E3 ubiquitin ligase that initiates chromosome separation. In response to unattached kinetochores, the SAC generates the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), a multimeric assembly that inhibits the APC/C, delaying chromosome segregation. Here, using cryo-electron microscopy we determined the near-atomic resolution structure of an APC/C-MCC complex (APC/CMCC). We reveal how degron-like sequences of the MCC subunit BubR1 block degron recognition sites on Cdc20, the APC/C coactivator subunit (Cdc20APC/C) responsible for substrate interactions. BubR1 also obstructs binding of UbcH10 (APC/C’s initiating E2) to repress APC/C ubiquitination activity. Conformational variability of the complex allows for UbcH10 association, and we show from a structure of APC/CMCC in complex with UbcH10 how the Cdc20 subunit intrinsic to the MCC (Cdc20MCC) is ubiquitinated, a process that results in APC/C reactivation when the SAC is silenced. PMID:27509861

  5. Checkpoint responses to replication stalling: inducing tolerance and preventing mutagenesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kai, Mihoko; Wang, Teresa S.-F

    2003-11-27

    Replication mutants often exhibit a mutator phenotype characterized by point mutations, single base frameshifts, and the deletion or duplication of sequences flanked by homologous repeats. Mutation in genes encoding checkpoint proteins can significantly affect the mutator phenotype. Here, we use fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) as a model system to discuss the checkpoint responses to replication perturbations induced by replication mutants. Checkpoint activation induced by a DNA polymerase mutant, aside from delay of mitotic entry, up-regulates the translesion polymerase DinB (Pol{kappa}). Checkpoint Rad9-Rad1-Hus1 (9-1-1) complex, which is loaded onto chromatin by the Rad17-Rfc2-5 checkpoint complex in response to replication perturbation, recruits DinB onto chromatin to generate the point mutations and single nucleotide frameshifts in the replication mutator. This chain of events reveals a novel checkpoint-induced tolerance mechanism that allows cells to cope with replication perturbation, presumably to make possible restarting stalled replication forks. Fission yeast Cds1 kinase plays an essential role in maintaining DNA replication fork stability in the face of DNA damage and replication fork stalling. Cds1 kinase is known to regulate three proteins that are implicated in maintaining replication fork stability: Mus81-Eme1, a hetero-dimeric structure-specific endonuclease complex; Rqh1, a RecQ-family helicase involved in suppressing inappropriate recombination during replication; and Rad60, a protein required for recombinational repair during replication. These Cds1-regulated proteins are thought to cooperatively prevent mutagenesis and maintain replication fork stability in cells under replication stress. These checkpoint-regulated processes allow cells to survive replication perturbation by preventing stalled replication forks from degenerating into deleterious DNA structures resulting in genomic instability and cancer development.

  6. Checkpoint responses to replication stalling: inducing tolerance and preventing mutagenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kai, Mihoko; Wang, Teresa S.-F.

    2003-01-01

    Replication mutants often exhibit a mutator phenotype characterized by point mutations, single base frameshifts, and the deletion or duplication of sequences flanked by homologous repeats. Mutation in genes encoding checkpoint proteins can significantly affect the mutator phenotype. Here, we use fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) as a model system to discuss the checkpoint responses to replication perturbations induced by replication mutants. Checkpoint activation induced by a DNA polymerase mutant, aside from delay of mitotic entry, up-regulates the translesion polymerase DinB (Polκ). Checkpoint Rad9-Rad1-Hus1 (9-1-1) complex, which is loaded onto chromatin by the Rad17-Rfc2-5 checkpoint complex in response to replication perturbation, recruits DinB onto chromatin to generate the point mutations and single nucleotide frameshifts in the replication mutator. This chain of events reveals a novel checkpoint-induced tolerance mechanism that allows cells to cope with replication perturbation, presumably to make possible restarting stalled replication forks. Fission yeast Cds1 kinase plays an essential role in maintaining DNA replication fork stability in the face of DNA damage and replication fork stalling. Cds1 kinase is known to regulate three proteins that are implicated in maintaining replication fork stability: Mus81-Eme1, a hetero-dimeric structure-specific endonuclease complex; Rqh1, a RecQ-family helicase involved in suppressing inappropriate recombination during replication; and Rad60, a protein required for recombinational repair during replication. These Cds1-regulated proteins are thought to cooperatively prevent mutagenesis and maintain replication fork stability in cells under replication stress. These checkpoint-regulated processes allow cells to survive replication perturbation by preventing stalled replication forks from degenerating into deleterious DNA structures resulting in genomic instability and cancer development

  7. Plk1 inhibition causes post-mitotic DNA damage and senescence in a range of human tumor cell lines.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise L Driscoll

    Full Text Available Plk1 is a checkpoint protein whose role spans all of mitosis and includes DNA repair, and is highly conserved in eukaryotes from yeast to man. Consistent with this wide array of functions for Plk1, the cellular consequences of Plk1 disruption are diverse, spanning delays in mitotic entry, mitotic spindle abnormalities, and transient mitotic arrest leading to mitotic slippage and failures in cytokinesis. In this work, we present the in vitro and in vivo consequences of Plk1 inhibition in cancer cells using potent, selective small-molecule Plk1 inhibitors and Plk1 genetic knock-down approaches. We demonstrate for the first time that cellular senescence is the predominant outcome of Plk1 inhibition in some cancer cell lines, whereas in other cancer cell lines the dominant outcome appears to be apoptosis, as has been reported in the literature. We also demonstrate strong induction of DNA double-strand breaks in all six lines examined (as assayed by γH2AX, which occurs either during mitotic arrest or mitotic-exit, and may be linked to the downstream induction of senescence. Taken together, our findings expand the view of Plk1 inhibition, demonstrating the occurrence of a non-apoptotic outcome in some settings. Our findings are also consistent with the possibility that mitotic arrest observed as a result of Plk1 inhibition is at least partially due to the presence of unrepaired double-strand breaks in mitosis. These novel findings may lead to alternative strategies for the development of novel therapeutic agents targeting Plk1, in the selection of biomarkers, patient populations, combination partners and dosing regimens.

  8. Rad9 contribution to radiosensitivity and the G2 checkpoint in a DT40 cell line

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumano, Tomoyasu [Kanazawa Univ. (Japan). Graduate School of Medical Science

    2002-12-01

    In fission yeast, the rad9 (radiation sensitive) gene was cloned from a mutant that is sensitive to ionizing radiation, ultraviolet and hydroxyurea. This gene has also been shown to be required for a DNA damage checkpoint. Orthologues of the rad9 gene have recently been identified in higher eukaryote cells including human. Here we generated Rad9 knockout (Rad9-/-) cells from the chicken B lymphocyte line DT40 to examine the role of Rad9 in higher eukaryotes. First we isolated a part of the chicken Rad9 gene which was 54% identical with human Rad9 at the amino acid sequence level. Next we isolated genomic clones, determined exons and introns, and constructed targeting vectors designed to disrupt exon 1-3 of the chicken Rad9 gene by replacement with a drug-resistant gene. Successful targeted integration was verified by Southern blot analysis and the disruption of the Rad9 gene was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). To analyze the radiosensitivity of these Rad9-/- cells, we monitored the clonogenic survival after various degrees of X-ray irradiation. Rad9-/- cells were more sensitive to X-rays than wild type cells at all dosages. However, these cells were less sensitive than ATM knockout (ATM-/-) cells that are known to be X-ray sensitive and that showed a defective checkpoint control. In contrast, Rad9-/- cells were markedly more sensitive to ultraviolet and hydroxyruea. In addition, we assessed the G2 checkpoint by measurement of the mitotic index that is the fraction of the accumulating number of cells in mitosis at various times after X-ray irradiation. While the number of mitotic wild type cells did not increase until 2 hrs after X-ray irradiation, the number of mitotic Rad9-/- cells showed an increase similar to that of ATM-/- cells. These results suggest that just as in fission yeast, in higher eukaryotes Rad9 also contributes to X-ray, ultraviolet and hydroxyurea sensitivity, and plays an important role in the G2 checkpoint

  9. Rad9 contribution to radiosensitivity and the G2 checkpoint in a DT40 cell line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumano, Tomoyasu

    2002-01-01

    In fission yeast, the rad9 (radiation sensitive) gene was cloned from a mutant that is sensitive to ionizing radiation, ultraviolet and hydroxyurea. This gene has also been shown to be required for a DNA damage checkpoint. Orthologues of the rad9 gene have recently been identified in higher eukaryote cells including human. Here we generated Rad9 knockout (Rad9-/-) cells from the chicken B lymphocyte line DT40 to examine the role of Rad9 in higher eukaryotes. First we isolated a part of the chicken Rad9 gene which was 54% identical with human Rad9 at the amino acid sequence level. Next we isolated genomic clones, determined exons and introns, and constructed targeting vectors designed to disrupt exon 1-3 of the chicken Rad9 gene by replacement with a drug-resistant gene. Successful targeted integration was verified by Southern blot analysis and the disruption of the Rad9 gene was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). To analyze the radiosensitivity of these Rad9-/- cells, we monitored the clonogenic survival after various degrees of X-ray irradiation. Rad9-/- cells were more sensitive to X-rays than wild type cells at all dosages. However, these cells were less sensitive than ATM knockout (ATM-/-) cells that are known to be X-ray sensitive and that showed a defective checkpoint control. In contrast, Rad9-/- cells were markedly more sensitive to ultraviolet and hydroxyruea. In addition, we assessed the G2 checkpoint by measurement of the mitotic index that is the fraction of the accumulating number of cells in mitosis at various times after X-ray irradiation. While the number of mitotic wild type cells did not increase until 2 hrs after X-ray irradiation, the number of mitotic Rad9-/- cells showed an increase similar to that of ATM-/- cells. These results suggest that just as in fission yeast, in higher eukaryotes Rad9 also contributes to X-ray, ultraviolet and hydroxyurea sensitivity, and plays an important role in the G2 checkpoint

  10. Mitotic catastrophe is the mechanism of lethality for mutations that confer mutagen sensitivity in Aspergillus nidulans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denison, S H; May, G S

    1994-01-16

    We have examined the consequences of treatment with DNA-damaging agents of uvs mutants and the bimD6 mutant of Aspergillus nidulans. We first established that wild-type Aspergillus undergoes a cell cycle delay following treatment with the DNA-damaging agents methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) or ultraviolet light (UV). We have also determined that strains carrying the bimD6, uvsB110, uvsH77, uvsF201 and the uvsC114 mutations, all of which cause an increased sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, undergo a cell-cycle delay following DNA damage. These mutations therefore do not represent nonfunctional checkpoints in Aspergillus. However, all of the mutant strains accumulated nuclear defects after a period of delay following mutagen treatment. The nuclear defects in the uvsB110 and bimD6 strains following MMS treatment were shown to be dependent on passage through mitosis after DNA damage, as the defects were prevented with benomyl. Checkpoint controls responding to DNA damage thus only temporarily halt cell-cycle progression in response to DNA damage. The conditional bimD6 mutation also results in a defective mitosis at restrictive temperatures. This mitotic defect is similar to that seen with MMS treatment at temperatures permissive for the mitotic defect. Thus the bimD gene product may perform dual roles, one in DNA repair and the other during the mitotic cell cycle in the absence of damage.

  11. Mitosis-specific phosphorylation of PML at T409 regulates spindle checkpoint.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, J; Liu, J

    2016-08-31

    During mitosis, Promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies (PML NBs) change dramatically in morphology and composition, but little is known about function of PML in mitosis. Here, we show that PML is phosphorylated at T409 (PML p409) in a mitosis-specific manner. More importantly, PML p409 contributes to maintain the duration of pro-metaphase and regulates spindle checkpoint. Deficient PML p409 caused a shortening of pro-metaphase and challenged the nocodazole-triggered mitotic arrest. T409A mutation led to a higher frequency of misaligned chromosomes on metaphase plate, and subsequently death in late mitosis. In addition, inhibition of PML p409 repressed growth of tumor cells, suggesting that PML p409 is a potential target for cancer therapy. Collectively, our study demonstrated an important phosphorylated site of PML, which contributed to explore the role of PML in mitosis.

  12. Maintaining Genome Stability in Defiance of Mitotic DNA Damage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrari, Stefano; Gentili, Christian

    2016-01-01

    The implementation of decisions affecting cell viability and proliferation is based on prompt detection of the issue to be addressed, formulation and transmission of a correct set of instructions and fidelity in the execution of orders. While the first and the last are purely mechanical processes relying on the faithful functioning of single proteins or macromolecular complexes (sensors and effectors), information is the real cue, with signal amplitude, duration, and frequency ultimately determining the type of response. The cellular response to DNA damage is no exception to the rule. In this review article we focus on DNA damage responses in G2 and Mitosis. First, we set the stage describing mitosis and the machineries in charge of assembling the apparatus responsible for chromosome alignment and segregation as well as the inputs that control its function (checkpoints). Next, we examine the type of issues that a cell approaching mitosis might face, presenting the impact of post-translational modifications (PTMs) on the correct and timely functioning of pathways correcting errors or damage before chromosome segregation. We conclude this essay with a perspective on the current status of mitotic signaling pathway inhibitors and their potential use in cancer therapy. PMID:27493659

  13. Genetic variation in the major mitotic checkpoint genes associated with chromosomal aberrations in healthy humans

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Försti, A.; Frank, Ch.; Smolková, B.; Kazimírová, A.; Barančoková, M.; Vymetálková, Veronika; Kroupa, M.; Naccarati, Alessio; Vodičková, Ludmila; Buchancová, J.; Dusinská, M.; Musak, L.; Vodička, Pavel; Hemminki, K.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 380, č. 2 (2016), s. 442-446 ISSN 0304-3835 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA15-14789S Institutional support: RVO:68378041 Keywords : chromosomal integrity * cytogenetics * spindle checkpoint Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 6.375, year: 2016

  14. New mitotic regulators released from chromatin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hideki eYokoyama

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Faithful action of the mitotic spindle segregates duplicated chromosomes into daughter cells. Perturbations of this process result in chromosome mis-segregation, leading to chromosomal instability and cancer development. Chromosomes are not simply passengers segregated by spindle microtubules but rather play a major active role in spindle assembly. The GTP bound form of the Ran GTPase (RanGTP, produced around chromosomes, locally activates spindle assembly factors. Recent studies have uncovered that chromosomes organize mitosis beyond spindle formation. They distinctly regulate other mitotic events, such as spindle maintenance in anaphase, which is essential for chromosome segregation. Furthermore, the direct function of chromosomes is not only to produce RanGTP but, in addition, to release key mitotic regulators from chromatin. Chromatin-remodeling factors and nuclear pore complex proteins, which have established functions on chromatin in interphase, dissociate from mitotic chromatin and function in spindle assembly or maintenance. Thus, chromosomes actively organize their own segregation using chromatin-releasing mitotic regulators as well as RanGTP.

  15. A direct role of Mad1 in the spindle assembly checkpoint beyond Mad2 kinetochore recruitment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kruse, Thomas; Larsen, Marie Sofie Yoo; Sedgwick, Garry G

    2014-01-01

    in the SAC beyond recruitment of C-Mad2 to kinetochores has not yet been addressed. Here, we show that Mad1 is required for mitotic arrest even when C-Mad2 is artificially recruited to kinetochores, indicating that it has indeed an additional function in promoting the checkpoint. The C-terminal globular...... domain of Mad1 and conserved residues in this region are required for this unexpected function of Mad1........ The conversion of O-Mad2 into C-Mad2 at unattached kinetochores is thought to be a key step in activating the SAC. The "template model" proposes that this is achieved by the recruitment of soluble O-Mad2 to C-Mad2 bound at kinetochores through its interaction with Mad1. Whether Mad1 has additional roles...

  16. ATM and checkpoint responses to DNA double strand breaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khanna, K.K.

    2003-01-01

    DNA damage checkpoints can be classified into G1/S, intra-S and G2/M checkpoints, so named according to the cell cycle transitions that they regulate. DNA damage incurred during the G1 or G2 phase of the cell cycle leads to growth arrest at the G1/S and G2/M phase boundaries, respectively, whereas genotoxic stress during S phase results in the transient suppression of DNA synthesis. In mammals, ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) is a protein kinase that controls all checkpoint responses to DNA damage. ATM is a versatile kinase which uses various means to regulate a given checkpoint pathway. It has been shown to act upon several proteins within the same pathway, many times controlling several different modifications of the same protein or using several different targets to arrive at the same end point. Some of the ATM targets act as adaptors by recruiting additional substrates for ATM. ATM controls two types of responses in G1. The p53-dependent responses inhibit Cyclin/Cdk activity by transcriptional induction of p21, whereas p53-independent responses inhibit CDKs through degradation of Cdc25A to maintain CdK2 inhibitory phosphorylation. In regulating p53, ATM directly phosphorylates p53 on Ser15, which likely causes p53 transcriptional activation, concurrently activating other kinases that phosphorylate p53 at other sites such as Ser20, which reduces the ability of MDM2 to bind p53, thus promoting its stability. ATM further ensures p53 stability by phosphorylating MDM2. At least six ATM targets, namely CHK2, CHK1, NBS1, BRCA1, SMC1 and FANCD2, have been implicated in the control of S-phase checkpoint. Cdc25A is the downstream effector of CHK1 and CHK2, though the underlying mechanism for control of intra S-phase checkpoint by other targets remain obscure. G2 checkpoint prevents mitotic entry solely through inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdc2/Cdk1. Several ATM targets including CHK1, CHK2, BRCA1, MDC1 and p53BP1 have been implicated in the control of G2/M

  17. Mechanism of APC/CCDC20 activation by mitotic phosphorylation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao, Renping; Weissmann, Florian; Yamaguchi, Masaya; Brown, Nicholas G; VanderLinden, Ryan; Imre, Richard; Jarvis, Marc A; Brunner, Michael R; Davidson, Iain F; Litos, Gabriele; Haselbach, David; Mechtler, Karl; Stark, Holger; Schulman, Brenda A; Peters, Jan-Michael

    2016-05-10

    Chromosome segregation and mitotic exit are initiated by the 1.2-MDa ubiquitin ligase APC/C (anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome) and its coactivator CDC20 (cell division cycle 20). To avoid chromosome missegregation, APC/C(CDC20) activation is tightly controlled. CDC20 only associates with APC/C in mitosis when APC/C has become phosphorylated and is further inhibited by a mitotic checkpoint complex until all chromosomes are bioriented on the spindle. APC/C contains 14 different types of subunits, most of which are phosphorylated in mitosis on multiple sites. However, it is unknown which of these phospho-sites enable APC/C(CDC20) activation and by which mechanism. Here we have identified 68 evolutionarily conserved mitotic phospho-sites on human APC/C bound to CDC20 and have used the biGBac technique to generate 47 APC/C mutants in which either all 68 sites or subsets of them were replaced by nonphosphorylatable or phospho-mimicking residues. The characterization of these complexes in substrate ubiquitination and degradation assays indicates that phosphorylation of an N-terminal loop region in APC1 is sufficient for binding and activation of APC/C by CDC20. Deletion of the N-terminal APC1 loop enables APC/C(CDC20) activation in the absence of mitotic phosphorylation or phospho-mimicking mutations. These results indicate that binding of CDC20 to APC/C is normally prevented by an autoinhibitory loop in APC1 and that its mitotic phosphorylation relieves this inhibition. The predicted location of the N-terminal APC1 loop implies that this loop controls interactions between the N-terminal domain of CDC20 and APC1 and APC8. These results reveal how APC/C phosphorylation enables CDC20 to bind and activate the APC/C in mitosis.

  18. Perturbation of Incenp function impedes anaphase chromatid movements and chromosomal passenger protein flux at centromeres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahonen, Leena J; Kukkonen, Anu M; Pouwels, Jeroen; Bolton, Margaret A; Jingle, Christopher D; Stukenberg, P Todd; Kallio, Marko J

    2009-02-01

    Incenp is an essential mitotic protein that, together with Aurora B, Survivin, and Borealin, forms the core of the chromosomal passenger protein complex (CPC). The CPC regulates various mitotic processes and functions to maintain genomic stability. The proper subcellular localization of the CPC and its full catalytic activity require the presence of each core subunit in the complex. We have investigated the mitotic tasks of the CPC using a function blocking antibody against Incenp microinjected into cells at different mitotic phases. This method allowed temporal analysis of CPC functions without perturbation of complex assembly or activity prior to injection. We have also studied the dynamic properties of Incenp and Aurora B using fusion protein photobleaching. We found that in early mitotic cells, Incenp and Aurora B exhibit dynamic turnover at centromeres, which is prevented by the anti-Incenp antibody. In these cells, the loss of centromeric CPC turnover is accompanied by forced mitotic exit without the execution of cytokinesis. Introduction of anti-Incenp antibody into early anaphase cells causes abnormalities in sister chromatid separation through defects in anaphase spindle functions. In summary, our data uncovers new mitotic roles for the CPC in anaphase and proposes that CPC turnover at centromeres modulates spindle assembly checkpoint signaling.

  19. Nek2A destruction marks APC/C activation at the prophase-to-prometaphase transition by spindle-checkpoint-restricted Cdc20.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boekhout, Michiel; Wolthuis, Rob

    2015-04-15

    Nek2 isoform A (Nek2A) is a presumed substrate of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome containing Cdc20 (APC/C(Cdc20)). Nek2A, like cyclin A, is degraded in mitosis while the spindle checkpoint is active. Cyclin A prevents spindle checkpoint proteins from binding to Cdc20 and is recruited to the APC/C in prometaphase. We found that Nek2A and cyclin A avoid being stabilized by the spindle checkpoint in different ways. First, enhancing mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) formation by nocodazole treatment inhibited the degradation of geminin and cyclin A, whereas Nek2A disappeared at a normal rate. Second, depleting Cdc20 effectively stabilized cyclin A but not Nek2A. Nevertheless, Nek2A destruction crucially depended on Cdc20 binding to the APC/C. Third, in contrast to cyclin A, Nek2A was recruited to the APC/C before the start of mitosis. Interestingly, the spindle checkpoint very effectively stabilized an APC/C-binding mutant of Nek2A, which required the Nek2A KEN box. Apparently, in cells, the spindle checkpoint primarily prevents Cdc20 from binding destruction motifs. Nek2A disappearance marks the prophase-to-prometaphase transition, when Cdc20, regardless of the spindle checkpoint, activates the APC/C. However, Mad2 depletion accelerated Nek2A destruction, showing that spindle checkpoint release further increases APC/C(Cdc20) catalytic activity. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  20. Loss of the Greatwall Kinase Weakens the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Kasim Diril

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The Greatwall kinase/Mastl is an essential gene that indirectly inhibits the phosphatase activity toward mitotic Cdk1 substrates. Here we show that although Mastl knockout (MastlNULL MEFs enter mitosis, they progress through mitosis without completing cytokinesis despite the presence of misaligned chromosomes, which causes chromosome segregation defects. Furthermore, we uncover the requirement of Mastl for robust spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC maintenance since the duration of mitotic arrest caused by microtubule poisons in MastlNULL MEFs is shortened, which correlates with premature disappearance of the essential SAC protein Mad1 at the kinetochores. Notably, MastlNULL MEFs display reduced phosphorylation of a number of proteins in mitosis, which include the essential SAC kinase MPS1. We further demonstrate that Mastl is required for multi-site phosphorylation of MPS1 as well as robust MPS1 kinase activity in mitosis. In contrast, treatment of MastlNULL cells with the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (OKA rescues the defects in MPS1 kinase activity, mislocalization of phospho-MPS1 as well as Mad1 at the kinetochore, and premature SAC silencing. Moreover, using in vitro dephosphorylation assays, we demonstrate that Mastl promotes persistent MPS1 phosphorylation by inhibiting PP2A/B55-mediated MPS1 dephosphorylation rather than affecting Cdk1 kinase activity. Our findings establish a key regulatory function of the Greatwall kinase/Mastl->PP2A/B55 pathway in preventing premature SAC silencing.

  1. Loss of the Greatwall Kinase Weakens the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diril, M Kasim; Bisteau, Xavier; Kitagawa, Mayumi; Caldez, Matias J; Wee, Sheena; Gunaratne, Jayantha; Lee, Sang Hyun; Kaldis, Philipp

    2016-09-01

    The Greatwall kinase/Mastl is an essential gene that indirectly inhibits the phosphatase activity toward mitotic Cdk1 substrates. Here we show that although Mastl knockout (MastlNULL) MEFs enter mitosis, they progress through mitosis without completing cytokinesis despite the presence of misaligned chromosomes, which causes chromosome segregation defects. Furthermore, we uncover the requirement of Mastl for robust spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) maintenance since the duration of mitotic arrest caused by microtubule poisons in MastlNULL MEFs is shortened, which correlates with premature disappearance of the essential SAC protein Mad1 at the kinetochores. Notably, MastlNULL MEFs display reduced phosphorylation of a number of proteins in mitosis, which include the essential SAC kinase MPS1. We further demonstrate that Mastl is required for multi-site phosphorylation of MPS1 as well as robust MPS1 kinase activity in mitosis. In contrast, treatment of MastlNULL cells with the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (OKA) rescues the defects in MPS1 kinase activity, mislocalization of phospho-MPS1 as well as Mad1 at the kinetochore, and premature SAC silencing. Moreover, using in vitro dephosphorylation assays, we demonstrate that Mastl promotes persistent MPS1 phosphorylation by inhibiting PP2A/B55-mediated MPS1 dephosphorylation rather than affecting Cdk1 kinase activity. Our findings establish a key regulatory function of the Greatwall kinase/Mastl->PP2A/B55 pathway in preventing premature SAC silencing.

  2. A novel ATM-dependent checkpoint defect distinct from loss of function mutation promotes genomic instability in melanoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spoerri, Loredana; Brooks, Kelly; Chia, KeeMing; Grossman, Gavriel; Ellis, Jonathan J; Dahmer-Heath, Mareike; Škalamera, Dubravka; Pavey, Sandra; Burmeister, Bryan; Gabrielli, Brian

    2016-05-01

    Melanomas have high levels of genomic instability that can contribute to poor disease prognosis. Here, we report a novel defect of the ATM-dependent cell cycle checkpoint in melanoma cell lines that promotes genomic instability. In defective cells, ATM signalling to CHK2 is intact, but the cells are unable to maintain the cell cycle arrest due to elevated PLK1 driving recovery from the arrest. Reducing PLK1 activity recovered the ATM-dependent checkpoint arrest, and over-expressing PLK1 was sufficient to overcome the checkpoint arrest and increase genomic instability. Loss of the ATM-dependent checkpoint did not affect sensitivity to ionizing radiation demonstrating that this defect is distinct from ATM loss of function mutations. The checkpoint defective melanoma cell lines over-express PLK1, and a significant proportion of melanomas have high levels of PLK1 over-expression suggesting this defect is a common feature of melanomas. The inability of ATM to impose a cell cycle arrest in response to DNA damage increases genomic instability. This work also suggests that the ATM-dependent checkpoint arrest is likely to be defective in a higher proportion of cancers than previously expected. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Effect of salt-inducible kinase 2 on checkpoint in response to γ-ray irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin Jiaojiao; Zhou Lijun; Wang Yu; Liu Xiaodan; Gu Yongqing; Zhou Pingkun

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the effect of salt-induced kinase 2 (SIK2) in the G_2/M checkpoint in response to ionizing radiation and the possible mechanism. Methods: HeLa cells were irradiated with "6"0Co γ-rays. The cell model of knockdown SIK2 expression was constrcuted by transfecting HeLa cells with a pSicoR-based lentivirus vector of expressing SIK2 shRNA by lipofectamin 2000. Western blot and flow cytometry were performed to measure the changes of SIK2 protein level and cell cycle distribution. The phosphorylated histone protein H3 on Ser 10 was used as a molecular marker of mitotic cells for detecting the function of G2/M checkpoint. Results: The expression level of SIK2 protein increased in HeLa cells after "6"0Co γ-ray irradiation. A cell model of knockdown SIK2 expression was successfully generated by transfecting the specific shRNA against SIK2. Depression of SIK2 significantly increased the cellular sensitivity at 1, 2, 4, 6 Gy post-irradiation (t = -3.445, -2.581, -3.251, -2.553, P < 0.05), and led cells to release earlier from the G_2/M boundary arrest compared to control cells at 5, 6 h post-irradiation(t = 4.341, 6.500, P < 0.05). Western blot analysis indicated that the irradiation-induced phosphorylated CHK2/T68 in SIK2 knock-down cells was earlier than that in control cells. Conclusions: salt-induced kinase 2 (SIK2) participates in the regulation of G_2/M checkpoint induced by ionizing radiation and affects cellular radiosensitivity. (authors)

  4. Fully functional global genome repair of (6-4) photoproducts and compromised transcription-coupled repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in condensed mitotic chromatin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Komura, Jun-ichiro, E-mail: junkom@med.tohoku.ac.jp [Department of Cell Biology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575 (Japan); Ikehata, Hironobu [Department of Cell Biology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575 (Japan); Mori, Toshio [Radioisotope Research Center, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara 634-8521 (Japan); Ono, Tetsuya [Department of Cell Biology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575 (Japan)

    2012-03-10

    During mitosis, chromatin is highly condensed, and activities such as transcription and semiconservative replication do not occur. Consequently, the condensed condition of mitotic chromatin is assumed to inhibit DNA metabolism by impeding the access of DNA-transacting proteins. However, about 40 years ago, several researchers observed unscheduled DNA synthesis in UV-irradiated mitotic chromosomes, suggesting the presence of excision repair. We re-examined this subject by directly measuring the removal of UV-induced DNA lesions by an ELISA and by a Southern-based technique in HeLa cells arrested at mitosis. We observed that the removal of (6-4) photoproducts from the overall genome in mitotic cells was as efficient as in interphase cells. This suggests that global genome repair of (6-4) photoproducts is fully functional during mitosis, and that the DNA in mitotic chromatin is accessible to proteins involved in this mode of DNA repair. Nevertheless, not all modes of DNA repair seem fully functional during mitosis. We also observed that the removal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers from the dihydrofolate reductase and c-MYC genes in mitotic cells was very slow. This suggests that transcription-coupled repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers is compromised or non-functional during mitosis, which is probably the consequence of mitotic transcriptional repression. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Global genome repair of (6-4) photoproducts is fully active in mitotic cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer DNA in condensed mitotic chromatin does not seem inaccessible or inert. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mitotic transcriptional repression may impair transcription-coupled repair.

  5. Fully functional global genome repair of (6-4) photoproducts and compromised transcription-coupled repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in condensed mitotic chromatin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Komura, Jun-ichiro; Ikehata, Hironobu; Mori, Toshio; Ono, Tetsuya

    2012-01-01

    During mitosis, chromatin is highly condensed, and activities such as transcription and semiconservative replication do not occur. Consequently, the condensed condition of mitotic chromatin is assumed to inhibit DNA metabolism by impeding the access of DNA-transacting proteins. However, about 40 years ago, several researchers observed unscheduled DNA synthesis in UV-irradiated mitotic chromosomes, suggesting the presence of excision repair. We re-examined this subject by directly measuring the removal of UV-induced DNA lesions by an ELISA and by a Southern-based technique in HeLa cells arrested at mitosis. We observed that the removal of (6-4) photoproducts from the overall genome in mitotic cells was as efficient as in interphase cells. This suggests that global genome repair of (6-4) photoproducts is fully functional during mitosis, and that the DNA in mitotic chromatin is accessible to proteins involved in this mode of DNA repair. Nevertheless, not all modes of DNA repair seem fully functional during mitosis. We also observed that the removal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers from the dihydrofolate reductase and c-MYC genes in mitotic cells was very slow. This suggests that transcription-coupled repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers is compromised or non-functional during mitosis, which is probably the consequence of mitotic transcriptional repression. -- Highlights: ► Global genome repair of (6-4) photoproducts is fully active in mitotic cells. ► DNA in condensed mitotic chromatin does not seem inaccessible or inert. ► Mitotic transcriptional repression may impair transcription-coupled repair.

  6. The Spindle Assembly Checkpoint in Arabidopsis Is Rapidly Shut Off during Severe Stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komaki, Shinichiro; Schnittger, Arp

    2017-10-23

    The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) in animals and yeast assures equal segregation of chromosomes during cell division. The prevalent occurrence of polyploidy in flowering plants together with the observation that many plants can be readily forced to double their genomes by application of microtubule drugs raises the question of whether plants have a proper SAC. Here, we provide a functional framework of the core SAC proteins in Arabidopsis. We reveal that Arabidopsis will delay mitosis in a SAC-dependent manner if the spindle is perturbed. However, we also show that the molecular architecture of the SAC is unique in plants. Moreover, the SAC is short-lived and cannot stay active for more than 2 hr, after which the cell cycle is reset. This resetting opens the possibility for genome duplications and raises the hypothesis that a rapid termination of a SAC-induced mitotic arrest provides an adaptive advantage for plants impacting plant genome evolution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. The SFP1 gene product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae regulates G2/M transitions during the mitotic cell cycle and DNA-damage response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Z.; Norris, D.

    1998-01-01

    In eukaryotic cells, checkpoint pathways arrest cell-cycle progression if a particular event has failed to complete appropriately or if an important intracellular structure is defective or damaged. Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that lack the SFP1 gene fail to arrest at the G2 DNA-damage checkpoint in response to genomic injury, but maintain their ability to arrest at the replication and spindle-assembly checkpoints. sfp1D mutants are characterized by a premature entrance into mitosis during a normal (undamaged) cell cycle, while strains that overexpress Sfp1p exhibit delays in G2. Sfp1p therefore acts as a repressor of the G2/M transition, both in the normal cell cycle and in the G2 checkpoint pathway. Sfp1 is a nuclear protein with two Cys2His2 zinc-finger domains commonly found in transcription factors. We propose that Sfp1p regulates the expression of gene products involved in the G2/M transition during the mitotic cell cycle and the DNA-damage response. In support of this model, overexpression of Sfp1p induces the expression of the PDS1 gene, which is known to encode a protein that regulates the G2 checkpoint. (author)

  8. Multiple Duties for Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Kinases in Meiosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marston, Adele L.; Wassmann, Katja

    2017-01-01

    Cell division in mitosis and meiosis is governed by evolutionary highly conserved protein kinases and phosphatases, controlling the timely execution of key events such as nuclear envelope breakdown, spindle assembly, chromosome attachment to the spindle and chromosome segregation, and cell cycle exit. In mitosis, the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) controls the proper attachment to and alignment of chromosomes on the spindle. The SAC detects errors and induces a cell cycle arrest in metaphase, preventing chromatid separation. Once all chromosomes are properly attached, the SAC-dependent arrest is relieved and chromatids separate evenly into daughter cells. The signaling cascade leading to checkpoint arrest depends on several protein kinases that are conserved from yeast to man. In meiosis, haploid cells containing new genetic combinations are generated from a diploid cell through two specialized cell divisions. Though apparently less robust, SAC control also exists in meiosis. Recently, it has emerged that SAC kinases have additional roles in executing accurate chromosome segregation during the meiotic divisions. Here, we summarize the main differences between mitotic and meiotic cell divisions, and explain why meiotic divisions pose special challenges for correct chromosome segregation. The less-known meiotic roles of the SAC kinases are described, with a focus on two model systems: yeast and mouse oocytes. The meiotic roles of the canonical checkpoint kinases Bub1, Mps1, the pseudokinase BubR1 (Mad3), and Aurora B and C (Ipl1) will be discussed. Insights into the molecular signaling pathways that bring about the special chromosome segregation pattern during meiosis will help us understand why human oocytes are so frequently aneuploid. PMID:29322045

  9. Multiple Duties for Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Kinases in Meiosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adele L. Marston

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Cell division in mitosis and meiosis is governed by evolutionary highly conserved protein kinases and phosphatases, controlling the timely execution of key events such as nuclear envelope breakdown, spindle assembly, chromosome attachment to the spindle and chromosome segregation, and cell cycle exit. In mitosis, the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC controls the proper attachment to and alignment of chromosomes on the spindle. The SAC detects errors and induces a cell cycle arrest in metaphase, preventing chromatid separation. Once all chromosomes are properly attached, the SAC-dependent arrest is relieved and chromatids separate evenly into daughter cells. The signaling cascade leading to checkpoint arrest depends on several protein kinases that are conserved from yeast to man. In meiosis, haploid cells containing new genetic combinations are generated from a diploid cell through two specialized cell divisions. Though apparently less robust, SAC control also exists in meiosis. Recently, it has emerged that SAC kinases have additional roles in executing accurate chromosome segregation during the meiotic divisions. Here, we summarize the main differences between mitotic and meiotic cell divisions, and explain why meiotic divisions pose special challenges for correct chromosome segregation. The less-known meiotic roles of the SAC kinases are described, with a focus on two model systems: yeast and mouse oocytes. The meiotic roles of the canonical checkpoint kinases Bub1, Mps1, the pseudokinase BubR1 (Mad3, and Aurora B and C (Ipl1 will be discussed. Insights into the molecular signaling pathways that bring about the special chromosome segregation pattern during meiosis will help us understand why human oocytes are so frequently aneuploid.

  10. Aurora A's functions during mitotic exit: the Guess Who game

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David eReboutier

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Until recently, the knowledge of Aurora A kinase functions during mitosis was limited to pre-metaphase events, particularly centrosome maturation, G2/M transition, and mitotic spindle assembly. However, an involvement of Aurora A in post-metaphase events was also suspected, but not clearly demonstrated due to the technical difficulty to perform the appropriate experiments. Recent developments of both an analog specific version of Aurora A, and of small molecule inhibitors have led to the first demonstration that Aurora A is required for the early steps of cytokinesis. As in pre-metaphase, Aurora A plays diverse functions during anaphase, essentially participating in astral microtubules dynamics and central spindle assembly and functioning. The present review describes the experimental systems used to decipher new functions of Aurora A during late mitosis and situate these functions into the context of cytokinesis mechanisms.

  11. Diverse mitotic functions of the cytoskeletal cross-linking protein Shortstop suggest a role in Dynein/Dynactin activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewey, Evan B; Johnston, Christopher A

    2017-09-15

    Proper assembly and orientation of the bipolar mitotic spindle is critical to the fidelity of cell division. Mitotic precision fundamentally contributes to cell fate specification, tissue development and homeostasis, and chromosome distribution within daughter cells. Defects in these events are thought to contribute to several human diseases. The underlying mechanisms that function in spindle morphogenesis and positioning remain incompletely defined, however. Here we describe diverse roles for the actin-microtubule cross-linker Shortstop (Shot) in mitotic spindle function in Drosophila Shot localizes to mitotic spindle poles, and its knockdown results in an unfocused spindle pole morphology and a disruption of proper spindle orientation. Loss of Shot also leads to chromosome congression defects, cell cycle progression delay, and defective chromosome segregation during anaphase. These mitotic errors trigger apoptosis in Drosophila epithelial tissue, and blocking this apoptotic response results in a marked induction of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition marker MMP-1. The actin-binding domain of Shot directly interacts with Actin-related protein-1 (Arp-1), a key component of the Dynein/Dynactin complex. Knockdown of Arp-1 phenocopies Shot loss universally, whereas chemical disruption of F-actin does so selectively. Our work highlights novel roles for Shot in mitosis and suggests a mechanism involving Dynein/Dynactin activation. © 2017 Dewey and Johnston. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  12. Kinesin-8 effects on mitotic microtubule dynamics contribute to spindle function in fission yeast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gergely, Zachary R.; Crapo, Ammon; Hough, Loren E.; McIntosh, J. Richard; Betterton, Meredith D.

    2016-01-01

    Kinesin-8 motor proteins destabilize microtubules. Their absence during cell division is associated with disorganized mitotic chromosome movements and chromosome loss. Despite recent work studying effects of kinesin-8s on microtubule dynamics, it remains unclear whether the kinesin-8 mitotic phenotypes are consequences of their effect on microtubule dynamics, their well-established motor activity, or additional, unknown functions. To better understand the role of kinesin-8 proteins in mitosis, we studied the effects of deletion of the fission yeast kinesin-8 proteins Klp5 and Klp6 on chromosome movements and spindle length dynamics. Aberrant microtubule-driven kinetochore pushing movements and tripolar mitotic spindles occurred in cells lacking Klp5 but not Klp6. Kinesin-8–deletion strains showed large fluctuations in metaphase spindle length, suggesting a disruption of spindle length stabilization. Comparison of our results from light microscopy with a mathematical model suggests that kinesin-8–induced effects on microtubule dynamics, kinetochore attachment stability, and sliding force in the spindle can explain the aberrant chromosome movements and spindle length fluctuations seen. PMID:27146110

  13. Asynchronous Checkpoint Migration with MRNet in the Scalable Checkpoint / Restart Library

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohror, K; Moody, A; de Supinski, B R

    2012-03-20

    Applications running on today's supercomputers tolerate failures by periodically saving their state in checkpoint files on stable storage, such as a parallel file system. Although this approach is simple, the overhead of writing the checkpoints can be prohibitive, especially for large-scale jobs. In this paper, we present initial results of an enhancement to our Scalable Checkpoint/Restart Library (SCR). We employ MRNet, a tree-based overlay network library, to transfer checkpoints from the compute nodes to the parallel file system asynchronously. This enhancement increases application efficiency by removing the need for an application to block while checkpoints are transferred to the parallel file system. We show that the integration of SCR with MRNet can reduce the time spent in I/O operations by as much as 15x. However, our experiments exposed new scalability issues with our initial implementation. We discuss the sources of the scalability problems and our plans to address them.

  14. Isolation of a dinoflagellate mitotic cyclin by functional complementation in yeast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertomeu, Thierry; Morse, David

    2004-01-01

    Dinoflagellates are parasite with permanently condensed chromosomes that lack histones and whose nuclear membrane remains intact during mitosis. These unusual nuclear characters have suggested that the typical cell cycle regulators might be slightly different than those in more typical eukaryotes. To test this, a cyclin has been isolated from the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax polyedra by functional complementation in cln123 mutant yeast. This GpCyc1 sequence contains two cyclin domains in its C-terminal region and a degradation box typical of mitotic cyclins. Similar to other dinoflagellate genes, GpCyc1 has a high copy number, with ∼5000 copies found in the Gonyaulax genome. An antibody raised against the N-terminal region of the GpCYC1 reacts with a 68 kDa protein on Western blots that is more abundant in cell cultures enriched for G2-phase cells than in those containing primarily G1-phase cells, indicating its cellular level follows a pattern expected for a mitotic cyclin. This is the first report of a cell cycle regulator cloned and sequenced from a dinoflagellate, and our results suggest control of the dinoflagellate cell cycle will be very similar to that of other organisms

  15. Top3 processes recombination intermediates and modulates checkpoint activity after DNA damage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mankouri, Hocine W; Hickson, Ian D

    2006-01-01

    Mutation of TOP3 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae causes poor growth, hyperrecombination, and a failure to fully activate DNA damage checkpoints in S phase. Here, we report that overexpression of a dominant-negative allele of TOP3, TOP3(Y356F), which lacks the catalytic (decatenation) activity of Top3......, the catalytic activity of Top3 is not required for DNA damage checkpoint activation, but it is required for normal S-phase progression after DNA damage. We also present evidence that the checkpoint-mediated cell cycle delay and persistence of X-shaped DNA molecules resulting from overexpression of TOP3(Y356F......) are downstream of Rad51 function. We propose that Top3 functions in S phase to both process homologous recombination intermediates and modulate checkpoint activity....

  16. Fission Yeast Apc15 Stabilizes MCC-Cdc20-APC/C Complexes, Ensuring Efficient Cdc20 Ubiquitination and Checkpoint Arrest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Karen M; Paldi, Flora; Hardwick, Kevin G

    2017-04-24

    During mitosis, cells must segregate the replicated copies of their genome to their daughter cells with extremely high fidelity. Segregation errors lead to an abnormal chromosome number (aneuploidy), which typically results in disease or cell death [1]. Chromosome segregation and anaphase onset are initiated through the action of the multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase known as the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C [2]). The APC/C is inhibited by the spindle checkpoint in the presence of kinetochore attachment defects [3, 4]. Here we demonstrate that two non-essential APC/C subunits (Apc14 and Apc15) regulate association of spindle checkpoint proteins, in the form of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), with the APC/C. apc14Δ mutants display increased MCC association with the APC/C and are unable to silence the checkpoint efficiently. Conversely, apc15Δ mutants display reduced association between the MCC and APC/C, are defective in poly-ubiquitination of Cdc20, and are checkpoint defective. In vitro reconstitution studies have shown that human MCC-APC/C can contain two molecules of Cdc20 [5-7]. Using a yeast strain expressing two Cdc20 genes with different epitope tags, we show by co-immunoprecipitation that this is true in vivo. MCC binding to the second molecule of Cdc20 is mediated via the C-terminal KEN box in Mad3. Somewhat surprisingly, complexes containing both molecules of Cdc20 accumulate in apc15Δ cells, and the implications of this observation are discussed. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  17. The Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Is Not Essential for Viability of Human Cells with Genetically Lowered APC/C Activity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wild, Thomas; Larsen, Marie Sofie Yoo; Narita, Takeo

    2016-01-01

    The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), which inhibits the APC/C, are essential determinants of mitotic timing and faithful division of genetic material. Activation of the APC/C is known to depend on two APC/C-interacting E2 ubiquitin......-conjugating enzymes-UBE2C and UBE2S. We show that APC/C activity in human cells is tuned by the combinatorial use of three E2s, namely UBE2C, UBE2S, and UBE2D. Genetic deletion of UBE2C and UBE2S, individually or in combination, leads to discriminative reduction in APC/C function and sensitizes cells to UBE2D...... depletion. Reduction of APC/C activity results in loss of switch-like metaphase-to-anaphase transition and, strikingly, renders cells insensitive to chemical inhibition of MPS1 and genetic ablation of MAD2, both of which are essential for the SAC. These results provide insights into the regulation of APC...

  18. Checkpointing for a hybrid computing node

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cher, Chen-Yong

    2016-03-08

    According to an aspect, a method for checkpointing in a hybrid computing node includes executing a task in a processing accelerator of the hybrid computing node. A checkpoint is created in a local memory of the processing accelerator. The checkpoint includes state data to restart execution of the task in the processing accelerator upon a restart operation. Execution of the task is resumed in the processing accelerator after creating the checkpoint. The state data of the checkpoint are transferred from the processing accelerator to a main processor of the hybrid computing node while the processing accelerator is executing the task.

  19. Establishment and mitotic characterization of new Drosophila acentriolar cell lines from DSas-4 mutant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicolas Lecland

    2013-01-01

    In animal cells the centrosome is commonly viewed as the main cellular structure driving microtubule (MT assembly into the mitotic spindle apparatus. However, additional pathways, such as those mediated by chromatin and augmin, are involved in the establishment of functional spindles. The molecular mechanisms involved in these pathways remain poorly understood, mostly due to limitations inherent to current experimental systems available. To overcome these limitations we have developed six new Drosophila cell lines derived from Drosophila homozygous mutants for DSas-4, a protein essential for centriole biogenesis. These cells lack detectable centrosomal structures, astral MT, with dispersed pericentriolar proteins D-PLP, Centrosomin and γ-tubulin. They show poorly focused spindle poles that reach the plasma membrane. Despite being compromised for functional centrosome, these cells could successfully undergo mitosis. Live-cell imaging analysis of acentriolar spindle assembly revealed that nascent MTs are nucleated from multiple points in the vicinity of chromosomes. These nascent MTs then grow away from kinetochores allowing the expansion of fibers that will be part of the future acentriolar spindle. MT repolymerization assays illustrate that acentriolar spindle assembly occurs “inside-out” from the chromosomes. Colchicine-mediated depolymerization of MTs further revealed the presence of a functional Spindle Assembly Checkpoint (SAC in the acentriolar cells. Finally, pilot RNAi experiments open the potential use of these cell lines for the molecular dissection of anastral pathways in spindle and centrosome assembly.

  20. Functional characterisation and drug target validation of a mitotic kinesin-13 in Trypanosoma brucei.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuan Yoow Chan

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Mitotic kinesins are essential for faithful chromosome segregation and cell proliferation. Therefore, in humans, kinesin motor proteins have been identified as anti-cancer drug targets and small molecule inhibitors are now tested in clinical studies. Phylogenetic analyses have assigned five of the approximately fifty kinesin motor proteins coded by Trypanosoma brucei genome to the Kinesin-13 family. Kinesins of this family have unusual biochemical properties because they do not transport cargo along microtubules but are able to depolymerise microtubules at their ends, therefore contributing to the regulation of microtubule length. In other eukaryotic genomes sequenced to date, only between one and three Kinesin-13s are present. We have used immunolocalisation, RNAi-mediated protein depletion, biochemical in vitro assays and a mouse model of infection to study the single mitotic Kinesin-13 in T. brucei. Subcellular localisation of all five T. brucei Kinesin-13s revealed distinct distributions, indicating that the expansion of this kinesin family in kinetoplastids is accompanied by functional diversification. Only a single kinesin (TbKif13-1 has a nuclear localisation. Using active, recombinant TbKif13-1 in in vitro assays we experimentally confirm the depolymerising properties of this kinesin. We analyse the biological function of TbKif13-1 by RNAi-mediated protein depletion and show its central role in regulating spindle assembly during mitosis. Absence of the protein leads to abnormally long and bent mitotic spindles, causing chromosome mis-segregation and cell death. RNAi-depletion in a mouse model of infection completely prevents infection with the parasite. Given its essential role in mitosis, proliferation and survival of the parasite and the availability of a simple in vitro activity assay, TbKif13-1 has been identified as an excellent potential drug target.

  1. Network support for system initiated checkpoints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Dong; Heidelberger, Philip

    2013-01-29

    A system, method and computer program product for supporting system initiated checkpoints in parallel computing systems. The system and method generates selective control signals to perform checkpointing of system related data in presence of messaging activity associated with a user application running at the node. The checkpointing is initiated by the system such that checkpoint data of a plurality of network nodes may be obtained even in the presence of user applications running on highly parallel computers that include ongoing user messaging activity.

  2. ZTF-8 interacts with the 9-1-1 complex and is required for DNA damage response and double-strand break repair in the C. elegans germline.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyun-Min Kim

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Germline mutations in DNA repair genes are linked to tumor progression. Furthermore, failure in either activating a DNA damage checkpoint or repairing programmed meiotic double-strand breaks (DSBs can impair chromosome segregation. Therefore, understanding the molecular basis for DNA damage response (DDR and DSB repair (DSBR within the germline is highly important. Here we define ZTF-8, a previously uncharacterized protein conserved from worms to humans, as a novel factor involved in the repair of both mitotic and meiotic DSBs as well as in meiotic DNA damage checkpoint activation in the C. elegans germline. ztf-8 mutants exhibit specific sensitivity to γ-irradiation and hydroxyurea, mitotic nuclear arrest at S-phase accompanied by activation of the ATL-1 and CHK-1 DNA damage checkpoint kinases, as well as accumulation of both mitotic and meiotic recombination intermediates, indicating that ZTF-8 functions in DSBR. However, impaired meiotic DSBR progression partially fails to trigger the CEP-1/p53-dependent DNA damage checkpoint in late pachytene, also supporting a role for ZTF-8 in meiotic DDR. ZTF-8 partially co-localizes with the 9-1-1 DDR complex and interacts with MRT-2/Rad1, a component of this complex. The human RHINO protein rescues the phenotypes observed in ztf-8 mutants, suggesting functional conservation across species. We propose that ZTF-8 is involved in promoting repair at stalled replication forks and meiotic DSBs by transducing DNA damage checkpoint signaling via the 9-1-1 pathway. Our findings define a conserved function for ZTF-8/RHINO in promoting genomic stability in the germline.

  3. The moyamoya disease susceptibility variant RNF213 R4810K (rs112735431) induces genomic instability by mitotic abnormality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hitomi, Toshiaki [Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Habu, Toshiyuki [Radiation Biology Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Kobayashi, Hatasu; Okuda, Hiroko; Harada, Kouji H. [Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Osafune, Kenji [Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Taura, Daisuke; Sone, Masakatsu [Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Asaka, Isao; Ameku, Tomonaga; Watanabe, Akira; Kasahara, Tomoko; Sudo, Tomomi; Shiota, Fumihiko [Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Hashikata, Hirokuni; Takagi, Yasushi [Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Morito, Daisuke [Faculty of Life Sciences, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto (Japan); Miyamoto, Susumu [Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Nakao, Kazuwa [Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Koizumi, Akio, E-mail: koizumi.akio.5v@kyoto-u.ac.jp [Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan)

    2013-10-04

    Highlights: •Overexpression of RNF213 R4810K inhibited cell proliferation. •Overexpression of RNF213 R4810K had the time of mitosis 4-fold and mitotic failure. •R4810K formed a complex with MAD2 more readily than wild-type. •iPSECs from the MMD patients had elevated mitotic failure compared from the control. •RNF213 R4810K induced mitotic abnormality and increased risk of aneuploidy. -- Abstract: Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a cerebrovascular disease characterized by occlusive lesions in the Circle of Willis. The RNF213 R4810K polymorphism increases susceptibility to MMD. In the present study, we characterized phenotypes caused by overexpression of RNF213 wild type and R4810K variant in the cell cycle to investigate the mechanism of proliferation inhibition. Overexpression of RNF213 R4810K in HeLa cells inhibited cell proliferation and extended the time of mitosis 4-fold. Ablation of spindle checkpoint by depletion of mitotic arrest deficiency 2 (MAD2) did not shorten the time of mitosis. Mitotic morphology in HeLa cells revealed that MAD2 colocalized with RNF213 R4810K. Immunoprecipitation revealed an RNF213/MAD2 complex: R4810K formed a complex with MAD2 more readily than RNF213 wild-type. Desynchronized localization of MAD2 was observed more frequently during mitosis in fibroblasts from patients (n = 3, 61.0 ± 8.2%) compared with wild-type subjects (n = 6, 13.1 ± 7.7%; p < 0.01). Aneuploidy was observed more frequently in fibroblasts (p < 0.01) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) (p < 0.03) from patients than from wild-type subjects. Vascular endothelial cells differentiated from iPSCs (iPSECs) of patients and an unaffected carrier had a longer time from prometaphase to metaphase than those from controls (p < 0.05). iPSECs from the patients and unaffected carrier had significantly increased mitotic failure rates compared with controls (p < 0.05). Thus, RNF213 R4810K induced mitotic abnormalities and increased risk of genomic instability.

  4. The moyamoya disease susceptibility variant RNF213 R4810K (rs112735431) induces genomic instability by mitotic abnormality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hitomi, Toshiaki; Habu, Toshiyuki; Kobayashi, Hatasu; Okuda, Hiroko; Harada, Kouji H.; Osafune, Kenji; Taura, Daisuke; Sone, Masakatsu; Asaka, Isao; Ameku, Tomonaga; Watanabe, Akira; Kasahara, Tomoko; Sudo, Tomomi; Shiota, Fumihiko; Hashikata, Hirokuni; Takagi, Yasushi; Morito, Daisuke; Miyamoto, Susumu; Nakao, Kazuwa; Koizumi, Akio

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Overexpression of RNF213 R4810K inhibited cell proliferation. •Overexpression of RNF213 R4810K had the time of mitosis 4-fold and mitotic failure. •R4810K formed a complex with MAD2 more readily than wild-type. •iPSECs from the MMD patients had elevated mitotic failure compared from the control. •RNF213 R4810K induced mitotic abnormality and increased risk of aneuploidy. -- Abstract: Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a cerebrovascular disease characterized by occlusive lesions in the Circle of Willis. The RNF213 R4810K polymorphism increases susceptibility to MMD. In the present study, we characterized phenotypes caused by overexpression of RNF213 wild type and R4810K variant in the cell cycle to investigate the mechanism of proliferation inhibition. Overexpression of RNF213 R4810K in HeLa cells inhibited cell proliferation and extended the time of mitosis 4-fold. Ablation of spindle checkpoint by depletion of mitotic arrest deficiency 2 (MAD2) did not shorten the time of mitosis. Mitotic morphology in HeLa cells revealed that MAD2 colocalized with RNF213 R4810K. Immunoprecipitation revealed an RNF213/MAD2 complex: R4810K formed a complex with MAD2 more readily than RNF213 wild-type. Desynchronized localization of MAD2 was observed more frequently during mitosis in fibroblasts from patients (n = 3, 61.0 ± 8.2%) compared with wild-type subjects (n = 6, 13.1 ± 7.7%; p < 0.01). Aneuploidy was observed more frequently in fibroblasts (p < 0.01) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) (p < 0.03) from patients than from wild-type subjects. Vascular endothelial cells differentiated from iPSCs (iPSECs) of patients and an unaffected carrier had a longer time from prometaphase to metaphase than those from controls (p < 0.05). iPSECs from the patients and unaffected carrier had significantly increased mitotic failure rates compared with controls (p < 0.05). Thus, RNF213 R4810K induced mitotic abnormalities and increased risk of genomic instability

  5. Epigenetic inactivation of CHFR in human tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toyota, Minoru; Sasaki, Yasushi; Satoh, Ayumi; Ogi, Kazuhiro; Kikuchi, Takefumi; Suzuki, Hiromu; Mita, Hiroaki; Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Itoh, Fumio; Issa, Jean-Pierre J; Jair, Kam-Wing; Schuebel, Kornel E; Imai, Kohzoh; Tokino, Takashi

    2003-06-24

    Cell-cycle checkpoints controlling the orderly progression through mitosis are frequently disrupted in human cancers. One such checkpoint, entry into metaphase, is regulated by the CHFR gene encoding a protein possessing forkhead-associated and RING finger domains as well as ubiquitin-ligase activity. Although defects in this checkpoint have been described, the molecular basis and prevalence of CHFR inactivation in human tumors are still not fully understood. To address this question, we analyzed the pattern of CHFR expression in a number of human cancer cell lines and primary tumors. We found CpG methylation-dependent silencing of CHFR expression in 45% of cancer cell lines, 40% of primary colorectal cancers, 53% of colorectal adenomas, and 30% of primary head and neck cancers. Expression of CHFR was precisely correlated with both CpG methylation and deacetylation of histones H3 and H4 in the CpG-rich regulatory region. Moreover, CpG methylation and thus silencing of CHFR depended on the activities of two DNA methyltransferases, DNMT1 and DNMT3b, as their genetic inactivation restored CHFR expression. Finally, cells with CHFR methylation had an intrinsically high mitotic index when treated with microtubule inhibitor. This means that cells in which CHFR was epigenetically inactivated constitute loss-of-function alleles for mitotic checkpoint control. Taken together, these findings shed light on a pathway by which mitotic checkpoint is bypassed in cancer cells and suggest that inactivation of checkpoint genes is much more widespread than previously suspected.

  6. Conformation-specific anti-Mad2 monoclonal antibodies for the dissection of checkpoint signaling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sedgwick, Garry G; Larsen, Marie Sofie Yoo; Lischetti, Tiziana

    2016-01-01

    The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) ensures accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis by delaying the activation of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) in response to unattached kinetochores. The Mad2 protein is essential for a functional checkpoint because it binds directly t...

  7. A Brief History of Research on Mitotic Mechanisms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Richard McIntosh

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This chapter describes in summary form some of the most important research on chromosome segregation, from the discovery and naming of mitosis in the nineteenth century until around 1990. It gives both historical and scientific background for the nine chapters that follow, each of which provides an up-to-date review of a specific aspect of mitotic mechanism. Here, we trace the fruits of each new technology that allowed a deeper understanding of mitosis and its underlying mechanisms. We describe how light microscopy, including phase, polarization, and fluorescence optics, provided descriptive information about mitotic events and also enabled important experimentation on mitotic functions, such as the dynamics of spindle fibers and the forces generated for chromosome movement. We describe studies by electron microscopy, including quantitative work with serial section reconstructions. We review early results from spindle biochemistry and genetics, coupled to molecular biology, as these methods allowed scholars to identify key molecular components of mitotic mechanisms. We also review hypotheses about mitotic mechanisms whose testing led to a deeper understanding of this fundamental biological event. Our goal is to provide modern scientists with an appreciation of the work that has laid the foundations for their current work and interests.

  8. Spindle assembly checkpoint acquisition at the mid-blastula transition.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maomao Zhang

    Full Text Available The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC maintains the fidelity of chromosome segregation during mitosis. Nonpathogenic cells lacking the SAC are typically only found in cleavage stage metazoan embryos, which do not acquire functional checkpoints until the mid-blastula transition (MBT. It is unclear how proper SAC function is acquired at the MBT, though several models exist. First, SAC acquisition could rely on transcriptional activity, which increases dramatically at the MBT. Embryogenesis prior to the MBT relies primarily on maternally loaded transcripts, and if SAC signaling components are not maternally supplied, the SAC would depend on zygotic transcription at the MBT. Second, checkpoint acquisition could depend on the Chk1 kinase, which is activated at the MBT to elongate cell cycles and is required for the SAC in somatic cells. Third, SAC function could depend on a threshold nuclear to cytoplasmic (N:C ratio, which increases during pre-MBT cleavage cycles and dictates several MBT events like zygotic transcription and cell cycle remodeling. Finally, the SAC could by regulated by a timer mechanism that coincides with other MBT events but is independent of them. Using zebrafish embryos we show that SAC acquisition at the MBT is independent of zygotic transcription, indicating that the checkpoint program is maternally supplied. Additionally, by precociously lengthening cleavage cycles with exogenous Chk1 activity, we show that cell cycle lengthening and Chk1 activity are not sufficient for SAC acquisition. Furthermore, we find that SAC acquisition can be uncoupled from the N:C ratio. Together, our findings indicate that SAC acquisition is regulated by a maternally programmed developmental timer.

  9. Robust mitotic entry is ensured by a latching switch

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chloe Tuck

    2013-07-01

    Cell cycle events are driven by Cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs and by their counter-acting phosphatases. Activation of the Cdk1:Cyclin B complex during mitotic entry is controlled by the Wee1/Myt1 inhibitory kinases and by Cdc25 activatory phosphatase, which are themselves regulated by Cdk1:Cyclin B within two positive circuits. Impairing these two feedbacks with chemical inhibitors induces a transient entry into M phase referred to as mitotic collapse. The pathology of mitotic collapse reveals that the positive circuits play a significant role in maintaining the M phase state. To better understand the function of these feedback loops during G2/M transition, we propose a simple model for mitotic entry in mammalian cells including spatial control over Greatwall kinase phosphorylation. After parameter calibration, the model is able to recapture the complex and non-intuitive molecular dynamics reported by Potapova et al. (Potapova et al., 2011. Moreover, it predicts the temporal patterns of other mitotic regulators which have not yet been experimentally tested and suggests a general design principle of cell cycle control: latching switches buffer the cellular stresses which accompany cell cycle processes to ensure that the transitions are smooth and robust.

  10. Robust mitotic entry is ensured by a latching switch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuck, Chloe; Zhang, Tongli; Potapova, Tamara; Malumbres, Marcos; Novák, Béla

    2013-01-01

    Cell cycle events are driven by Cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) and by their counter-acting phosphatases. Activation of the Cdk1:Cyclin B complex during mitotic entry is controlled by the Wee1/Myt1 inhibitory kinases and by Cdc25 activatory phosphatase, which are themselves regulated by Cdk1:Cyclin B within two positive circuits. Impairing these two feedbacks with chemical inhibitors induces a transient entry into M phase referred to as mitotic collapse. The pathology of mitotic collapse reveals that the positive circuits play a significant role in maintaining the M phase state. To better understand the function of these feedback loops during G2/M transition, we propose a simple model for mitotic entry in mammalian cells including spatial control over Greatwall kinase phosphorylation. After parameter calibration, the model is able to recapture the complex and non-intuitive molecular dynamics reported by Potapova et al. (Potapova et al., 2011). Moreover, it predicts the temporal patterns of other mitotic regulators which have not yet been experimentally tested and suggests a general design principle of cell cycle control: latching switches buffer the cellular stresses which accompany cell cycle processes to ensure that the transitions are smooth and robust.

  11. Evidence of activity-specific, radial organization of mitotic chromosomes in Drosophila.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuri G Strukov

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The organization and the mechanisms of condensation of mitotic chromosomes remain unsolved despite many decades of efforts. The lack of resolution, tight compaction, and the absence of function-specific chromatin labels have been the key technical obstacles. The correlation between DNA sequence composition and its contribution to the chromosome-scale structure has been suggested before; it is unclear though if all DNA sequences equally participate in intra- or inter-chromatin or DNA-protein interactions that lead to formation of mitotic chromosomes and if their mitotic positions are reproduced radially. Using high-resolution fluorescence microscopy of live or minimally perturbed, fixed chromosomes in Drosophila embryonic cultures or tissues expressing MSL3-GFP fusion protein, we studied positioning of specific MSL3-binding sites. Actively transcribed, dosage compensated Drosophila genes are distributed along the euchromatic arm of the male X chromosome. Several novel features of mitotic chromosomes have been observed. MSL3-GFP is always found at the periphery of mitotic chromosomes, suggesting that active, dosage compensated genes are also found at the periphery of mitotic chromosomes. Furthermore, radial distribution of chromatin loci on mitotic chromosomes was found to be correlated with their functional activity as judged by core histone modifications. Histone modifications specific to active chromatin were found peripheral with respect to silent chromatin. MSL3-GFP-labeled chromatin loci become peripheral starting in late prophase. In early prophase, dosage compensated chromatin regions traverse the entire width of chromosomes. These findings suggest large-scale internal rearrangements within chromosomes during the prophase condensation step, arguing against consecutive coiling models. Our results suggest that the organization of mitotic chromosomes is reproducible not only longitudinally, as demonstrated by chromosome-specific banding

  12. Requirement for PLK1 kinase activity in the maintenance of a robust spindle assembly checkpoint

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aisling O'Connor

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available During mitotic arrest induced by microtubule targeting drugs, the weakening of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC allows cells to progress through the cell cycle without chromosome segregation occurring. PLK1 kinase plays a major role in mitosis and emerging evidence indicates that PLK1 is also involved in establishing the checkpoint and maintaining SAC signalling. However, mechanistically, the role of PLK1 in the SAC is not fully understood, with several recent reports indicating that it can cooperate with either one of the major checkpoint kinases, Aurora B or MPS1. In this study, we assess the role of PLK1 in SAC maintenance. We find that in nocodazole-arrested U2OS cells, PLK1 activity is continuously required for maintaining Aurora B protein localisation and activity at kinetochores. Consistent with published data we find that upon PLK1 inhibition, phosphoThr3-H3, a marker of Haspin activity, is reduced. Intriguingly, Aurora B inhibition causes PLK1 to relocalise from kinetochores into fewer and much larger foci, possibly due to incomplete recruitment of outer kinetochore proteins. Importantly, PLK1 inhibition, together with partial inhibition of Aurora B, allows efficient SAC override to occur. This phenotype is more pronounced than the phenotype observed by combining the same PLK1 inhibitors with partial MPS1 inhibition. We also find that PLK1 inhibition does not obviously cooperate with Haspin inhibition to promote SAC override. These results indicate that PLK1 is directly involved in maintaining efficient SAC signalling, possibly by cooperating in a positive feedback loop with Aurora B, and that partially redundant mechanisms exist which reinforce the SAC.

  13. Bir1 Deletion Causes Malfunction of the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint and Apoptosis in Yeast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren, Qun; Liou, Liang-Chun; Gao, Qiuqiang; Bao, Xiaoming; Zhang, Zhaojie

    2012-01-01

    Cell division in yeast is a highly regulated and well studied event. Various checkpoints are placed throughout the cell cycle to ensure faithful segregation of sister chromatids. Unexpected events, such as DNA damage or oxidative stress, cause the activation of checkpoint(s) and cell cycle arrest. Malfunction of the checkpoints may induce cell death. We previously showed that under oxidative stress, the budding yeast cohesin Mcd1, a homolog of human Rad21, was cleaved by the caspase-like protease Esp1. The cleaved Mcd1 C-terminal fragment was then translocated to mitochondria, causing apoptotic cell death. In the present study, we demonstrated that Bir1 plays an important role in spindle assembly checkpoint and cell death. Similar to H 2 O 2 treatment, deletion of BIR1 using a BIR1-degron strain caused degradation of the securin Pds1, which binds and inactivates Esp1 until metaphase-anaphase transition in a normal cell cycle. BIR1 deletion caused an increase level of ROS and mis-location of Bub1, a major protein for spindle assembly checkpoint. In wild type, Bub1 was located at the kinetochores, but was primarily in the cytoplasm in bir1 deletion strain. When BIR1 was deleted, addition of nocodazole was unable to retain the Bub1 localization on kinetochores, further suggesting that Bir1 is required to activate and maintain the spindle assembly checkpoint. Our study suggests that the BIR1 function in cell cycle regulation works in concert with its anti-apoptosis function.

  14. Accumulation of senescent cells in mitotic tissue of aging primates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeyapalan, Jessie C; Ferreira, Mark; Sedivy, John M; Herbig, Utz

    2007-01-01

    Cellular senescence, a stress induced growth arrest of somatic cells, was first documented in cell cultures over 40 years ago, however its physiological significance has only recently been demonstrated. Using novel biomarkers of cellular senescence we examined whether senescent cells accumulate in tissues from baboons of ages encompassing the entire lifespan of this species. We show that dermal fibroblasts, displaying markers of senescence such as telomere damage, active checkpoint kinase ATM, high levels of heterochromatin proteins and elevated levels of p16, accumulate in skin biopsies from baboons with advancing age. The number of dermal fibroblasts containing damaged telomeres reaches a value of over 15% of total fibroblasts, whereas 80% of cells contain high levels of the heterochromatin protein HIRA. In skeletal muscle, a postmitotic tissue, only a small percentage of myonuclei containing damaged telomeres were detected regardless of animal age. The presence of senescent cells in mitotic tissues might therefore be a contributing factor to aging and age related pathology and provides further evidence that cellular senescence is a physiological event.

  15. Mechanisms and Regulation of Mitotic Recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Symington, Lorraine S.; Rothstein, Rodney; Lisby, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Homology-dependent exchange of genetic information between DNA molecules has a profound impact on the maintenance of genome integrity by facilitating error-free DNA repair, replication, and chromosome segregation during cell division as well as programmed cell developmental events. This chapter will focus on homologous mitotic recombination in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, there is an important link between mitotic and meiotic recombination (covered in the forthcoming chapter by Hunter et al. 2015) and many of the functions are evolutionarily conserved. Here we will discuss several models that have been proposed to explain the mechanism of mitotic recombination, the genes and proteins involved in various pathways, the genetic and physical assays used to discover and study these genes, and the roles of many of these proteins inside the cell. PMID:25381364

  16. ATP depletion during mitotic arrest induces mitotic slippage and APC/CCdh1-dependent cyclin B1 degradation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Yun Yeon; Ahn, Ju-Hyun; Cho, Min-Guk; Lee, Jae-Ho

    2018-04-27

    ATP depletion inhibits cell cycle progression, especially during the G1 phase and the G2 to M transition. However, the effect of ATP depletion on mitotic progression remains unclear. We observed that the reduction of ATP after prometaphase by simultaneous treatment with 2-deoxyglucose and NaN 3 did not arrest mitotic progression. Interestingly, ATP depletion during nocodazole-induced prometaphase arrest resulted in mitotic slippage, as indicated by a reduction in mitotic cells, APC/C-dependent degradation of cyclin B1, increased cell attachment, and increased nuclear membrane reassembly. Additionally, cells successfully progressed through the cell cycle after mitotic slippage, as indicated by EdU incorporation and time-lapse imaging. Although degradation of cyclin B during normal mitotic progression is primarily regulated by APC/C Cdc20 , we observed an unexpected decrease in Cdc20 prior to degradation of cyclin B during mitotic slippage. This decrease in Cdc20 was followed by a change in the binding partner preference of APC/C from Cdc20 to Cdh1; consequently, APC/C Cdh1 , but not APC/C Cdc20 , facilitated cyclin B degradation following ATP depletion. Pulse-chase analysis revealed that ATP depletion significantly abrogated global translation, including the translation of Cdc20 and Cdh1. Additionally, the half-life of Cdh1 was much longer than that of Cdc20. These data suggest that ATP depletion during mitotic arrest induces mitotic slippage facilitated by APC/C Cdh1 -dependent cyclin B degradation, which follows a decrease in Cdc20 resulting from reduced global translation and the differences in the half-lives of the Cdc20 and Cdh1 proteins.

  17. Detailed Modeling and Evaluation of a Scalable Multilevel Checkpointing System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohror, Kathryn [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Moody, Adam [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Bronevetsky, Greg [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); de Supinski, Bronis R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2014-09-01

    High-performance computing (HPC) systems are growing more powerful by utilizing more components. As the system mean time before failure correspondingly drops, applications must checkpoint frequently to make progress. But, at scale, the cost of checkpointing becomes prohibitive. A solution to this problem is multilevel checkpointing, which employs multiple types of checkpoints in a single run. Moreover, lightweight checkpoints can handle the most common failure modes, while more expensive checkpoints can handle severe failures. We designed a multilevel checkpointing library, the Scalable Checkpoint/Restart (SCR) library, that writes lightweight checkpoints to node-local storage in addition to the parallel file system. We present probabilistic Markov models of SCR's performance. We show that on future large-scale systems, SCR can lead to a gain in machine efficiency of up to 35 percent, and reduce the load on the parallel file system by a factor of two. In addition, we predict that checkpoint scavenging, or only writing checkpoints to the parallel file system on application termination, can reduce the load on the parallel file system by 20 × on today's systems and still maintain high application efficiency.

  18. The point of no return: The poly(A)-associated elongation checkpoint.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tellier, Michael; Ferrer-Vicens, Ivan; Murphy, Shona

    2016-01-01

    Cyclin-dependent kinases play critical roles in transcription by RNA polymerase II (pol II) and processing of the transcripts. For example, CDK9 regulates transcription of protein-coding genes, splicing, and 3' end formation of the transcripts. Accordingly, CDK9 inhibitors have a drastic effect on the production of mRNA in human cells. Recent analyses indicate that CDK9 regulates transcription at the early-elongation checkpoint of the vast majority of pol II-transcribed genes. Our recent discovery of an additional CDK9-regulated elongation checkpoint close to poly(A) sites adds a new layer to the control of transcription by this critical cellular kinase. This novel poly(A)-associated checkpoint has the potential to powerfully regulate gene expression just before a functional polyadenylated mRNA is produced: the point of no return. However, many questions remain to be answered before the role of this checkpoint becomes clear. Here we speculate on the possible biological significance of this novel mechanism of gene regulation and the players that may be involved.

  19. The point of no return: The poly(A)-associated elongation checkpoint

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tellier, Michael; Ferrer-Vicens, Ivan; Murphy, Shona

    2016-01-01

    abstract Cyclin-dependent kinases play critical roles in transcription by RNA polymerase II (pol II) and processing of the transcripts. For example, CDK9 regulates transcription of protein-coding genes, splicing, and 3′ end formation of the transcripts. Accordingly, CDK9 inhibitors have a drastic effect on the production of mRNA in human cells. Recent analyses indicate that CDK9 regulates transcription at the early-elongation checkpoint of the vast majority of pol II-transcribed genes. Our recent discovery of an additional CDK9-regulated elongation checkpoint close to poly(A) sites adds a new layer to the control of transcription by this critical cellular kinase. This novel poly(A)-associated checkpoint has the potential to powerfully regulate gene expression just before a functional polyadenylated mRNA is produced: the point of no return. However, many questions remain to be answered before the role of this checkpoint becomes clear. Here we speculate on the possible biological significance of this novel mechanism of gene regulation and the players that may be involved. PMID:26853452

  20. Efficient Incremental Checkpointing of Java Programs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lawall, Julia Laetitia; Muller, Gilles

    2000-01-01

    This paper investigates the optimization of language-level checkpointing of Java programs. First, we describe how to systematically associate incremental checkpoints with Java classes. While being safe, the genericness of this solution induces substantial execution overhead. Second, to solve...

  1. Keeping checkpoint/restart viable for exascale systems.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riesen, Rolf E.; Bridges, Patrick G. (IBM Research, Ireland, Mulhuddart, Dublin); Stearley, Jon R.; Laros, James H., III; Oldfield, Ron A.; Arnold, Dorian (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Pedretti, Kevin Thomas Tauke; Ferreira, Kurt Brian; Brightwell, Ronald Brian

    2011-09-01

    Next-generation exascale systems, those capable of performing a quintillion (10{sup 18}) operations per second, are expected to be delivered in the next 8-10 years. These systems, which will be 1,000 times faster than current systems, will be of unprecedented scale. As these systems continue to grow in size, faults will become increasingly common, even over the course of small calculations. Therefore, issues such as fault tolerance and reliability will limit application scalability. Current techniques to ensure progress across faults like checkpoint/restart, the dominant fault tolerance mechanism for the last 25 years, are increasingly problematic at the scales of future systems due to their excessive overheads. In this work, we evaluate a number of techniques to decrease the overhead of checkpoint/restart and keep this method viable for future exascale systems. More specifically, this work evaluates state-machine replication to dramatically increase the checkpoint interval (the time between successive checkpoint) and hash-based, probabilistic incremental checkpointing using graphics processing units to decrease the checkpoint commit time (the time to save one checkpoint). Using a combination of empirical analysis, modeling, and simulation, we study the costs and benefits of these approaches on a wide range of parameters. These results, which cover of number of high-performance computing capability workloads, different failure distributions, hardware mean time to failures, and I/O bandwidths, show the potential benefits of these techniques for meeting the reliability demands of future exascale platforms.

  2. The Drosophila Microtubule-Associated Protein Mars Stabilizes Mitotic Spindles by Crosslinking Microtubules through Its N-Terminal Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Gang; Beati, Hamze; Nilsson, Jakob; Wodarz, Andreas

    2013-01-01

    Correct segregation of genetic material relies on proper assembly and maintenance of the mitotic spindle. How the highly dynamic microtubules (MTs) are maintained in stable mitotic spindles is a key question to be answered. Motor and non-motor microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) have been reported to stabilize the dynamic spindle through crosslinking adjacent MTs. Mars, a novel MAP, is essential for the early development of Drosophila embryos. Previous studies showed that Mars is required for maintaining an intact mitotic spindle but did not provide a molecular mechanism for this function. Here we show that Mars is able to stabilize the mitotic spindle in vivo. Both in vivo and in vitro data reveal that the N-terminal region of Mars functions in the stabilization of the mitotic spindle by crosslinking adjacent MTs. PMID:23593258

  3. The Drosophila microtubule-associated protein mars stabilizes mitotic spindles by crosslinking microtubules through its N-terminal region.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gang Zhang

    Full Text Available Correct segregation of genetic material relies on proper assembly and maintenance of the mitotic spindle. How the highly dynamic microtubules (MTs are maintained in stable mitotic spindles is a key question to be answered. Motor and non-motor microtubule associated proteins (MAPs have been reported to stabilize the dynamic spindle through crosslinking adjacent MTs. Mars, a novel MAP, is essential for the early development of Drosophila embryos. Previous studies showed that Mars is required for maintaining an intact mitotic spindle but did not provide a molecular mechanism for this function. Here we show that Mars is able to stabilize the mitotic spindle in vivo. Both in vivo and in vitro data reveal that the N-terminal region of Mars functions in the stabilization of the mitotic spindle by crosslinking adjacent MTs.

  4. The Drosophila microtubule-associated protein mars stabilizes mitotic spindles by crosslinking microtubules through its N-terminal region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Gang; Beati, Hamze; Nilsson, Jakob; Wodarz, Andreas

    2013-01-01

    Correct segregation of genetic material relies on proper assembly and maintenance of the mitotic spindle. How the highly dynamic microtubules (MTs) are maintained in stable mitotic spindles is a key question to be answered. Motor and non-motor microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) have been reported to stabilize the dynamic spindle through crosslinking adjacent MTs. Mars, a novel MAP, is essential for the early development of Drosophila embryos. Previous studies showed that Mars is required for maintaining an intact mitotic spindle but did not provide a molecular mechanism for this function. Here we show that Mars is able to stabilize the mitotic spindle in vivo. Both in vivo and in vitro data reveal that the N-terminal region of Mars functions in the stabilization of the mitotic spindle by crosslinking adjacent MTs.

  5. Advances of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Tumor Immunotherapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Qiao

    2018-01-01

    Immune checkpoints are cell surface molecules that can fine-tune the immune responses, they are crucial for modulating the duration and amplitude of immune reactions while maintaining self-tolerance in order to minimize autoimmune responses. Numerous studies have demonstrated that tumors cells can directly express immune-checkpoint molecules, or induce many inhibitory molecules expression in the tumor microenvironment to inhibit the anti-tumor immunity. Releasing these brakes has emerged as an exciting strategy to cure cancer. In the past few years, clinical trials with therapeutic antibodies targeting to the checkpoint molecules CTLA-4 and PD-1 have rekindled the hope for cancer immunotherapy. In contrast to the conventional treatment, checkpoint inhibitors induce broad and durable antitumor responses. In the future, treatment may involve combination therapy to target different checkpoint molecules and stages of the adaptive immune responses. In this review, we summarized the recent advances of the study and development of other checkpoint molecules in tumor immunotherapy.

  6. Mitosis, double strand break repair, and telomeres: a view from the end: how telomeres and the DNA damage response cooperate during mitosis to maintain genome stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cesare, Anthony J

    2014-11-01

    Double strand break (DSB) repair is suppressed during mitosis because RNF8 and downstream DNA damage response (DDR) factors, including 53BP1, do not localize to mitotic chromatin. Discovery of the mitotic kinase-dependent mechanism that inhibits DSB repair during cell division was recently reported. It was shown that restoring mitotic DSB repair was detrimental, resulting in repair dependent genome instability and covalent telomere fusions. The telomere DDR that occurs naturally during cellular aging and in cancer is known to be refractory to G2/M checkpoint activation. Such DDR-positive telomeres, and those that occur as part of the telomere-dependent prolonged mitotic arrest checkpoint, normally pass through mitosis without covalent ligation, but result in cell growth arrest in G1 phase. The discovery that suppressing DSB repair during mitosis may function primarily to protect DDR-positive telomeres from fusing during cell division reinforces the unique cooperation between telomeres and the DDR to mediate tumor suppression. © 2014 The Author. Bioessays published by WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

  7. The CD47-SIRPα signaling axis as an innate immune checkpoint in cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matlung, Hanke L; Szilagyi, Katka; Barclay, Neil A; van den Berg, Timo K

    2017-03-01

    Immune checkpoint inhibitors, including those targeting CTLA-4/B7 and the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory pathways, are now available for clinical use in cancer patients, with other interesting checkpoint inhibitors being currently in development. Most of these have the purpose to promote adaptive T cell-mediated immunity against cancer. Here, we review another checkpoint acting to potentiate the activity of innate immune cells towards cancer. This innate immune checkpoint is composed of what has become known as the 'don't-eat me' signal CD47, which is a protein broadly expressed on normal cells and often overexpressed on cancer cells, and its counter-receptor, the myeloid inhibitory immunoreceptor SIRPα. Blocking CD47-SIRPα interactions has been shown to promote the destruction of cancer cells by phagocytes, including macrophages and neutrophils. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that targeting of the CD47-SIRPα axis may also promote antigen-presenting cell function and thereby stimulate adaptive T cell-mediated anti-cancer immunity. The development of CD47-SIRPα checkpoint inhibitors and the potential side effects that these may have are discussed. Collectively, this identifies the CD47-SIRPα axis as a promising innate immune checkpoint in cancer, and with data of the first clinical studies with CD47-SIRPα checkpoint inhibitors expected within the coming years, this is an exciting and rapidly developing field. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Profiling DNA damage response following mitotic perturbations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Ronni Sølvhøi; Karemore, Gopal; Gudjonsson, Thorkell

    2016-01-01

    that a broad spectrum of mitotic errors correlates with increased DNA breakage in daughter cells. Unexpectedly, we find that only a subset of these correlations are functionally linked. We identify the genuine mitosis-born DNA damage events and sub-classify them according to penetrance of the observed...

  9. The Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Is Not Essential for Viability of Human Cells with Genetically Lowered APC/C Activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wild, Thomas; Larsen, Marie Sofie Yoo; Narita, Takeo; Schou, Julie; Nilsson, Jakob; Choudhary, Chunaram

    2016-03-01

    The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), which inhibits the APC/C, are essential determinants of mitotic timing and faithful division of genetic material. Activation of the APC/C is known to depend on two APC/C-interacting E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes-UBE2C and UBE2S. We show that APC/C activity in human cells is tuned by the combinatorial use of three E2s, namely UBE2C, UBE2S, and UBE2D. Genetic deletion of UBE2C and UBE2S, individually or in combination, leads to discriminative reduction in APC/C function and sensitizes cells to UBE2D depletion. Reduction of APC/C activity results in loss of switch-like metaphase-to-anaphase transition and, strikingly, renders cells insensitive to chemical inhibition of MPS1 and genetic ablation of MAD2, both of which are essential for the SAC. These results provide insights into the regulation of APC/C activity and demonstrate that the essentiality of the SAC is imposed by the strength of the APC/C. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Checkpointing and Recovery in Distributed and Database Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jiang

    2011-01-01

    A transaction-consistent global checkpoint of a database records a state of the database which reflects the effect of only completed transactions and not the results of any partially executed transactions. This thesis establishes the necessary and sufficient conditions for a checkpoint of a data item (or the checkpoints of a set of data items) to…

  11. Regulatory functional territory of PLK-1 and their substrates beyond mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Shiv; Sharma, Garima; Chakraborty, Chiranjib; Sharma, Ashish Ranjan; Kim, Jaebong

    2017-06-06

    Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK-1) is a well-known (Ser/Thr) mitotic protein kinase and is considered as a proto-oncogene. As hyper-activation of PLK-1 is broadly associated with poor prognosis and cancer progression, it is one of the most extensively studied mitotic kinases. During mitosis, PLK-1 regulates various cell cycle events, such as spindle pole maturation, chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. However, studies have demonstrated that the role of PLK-1 is not only restricted to mitosis, but PLK-1 can also regulate other vital events beyond mitosis, including transcription, translation, ciliogenesis, checkpoint adaptation and recovery, apoptosis, chromosomes dynamics etc. Recent reviews have tried to define the regulatory role of PLK-1 during mitosis progression and tumorigenesis, but its' functional role beyond mitosis is still largely unexplored. PLK-1 can regulate the activity of many proteins that work outside of its conventional territory. The dysregulation of these proteins can cause diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, tumorigenesis etc. and may also lead to drug resistance. Thus, in this review, we discussed the versatile role of PLK-1 and tried to collect data to validate its' functional role in cell cycle regulation apart from mitosis.

  12. Suppression of Genomic Instabilities Caused by Chromosome Mis-segregation: A Perspective From Studying BubR1 and Sgo1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Wei

    2013-01-01

    Aneuploidy is a major manifestation of chromosomal instability, which is defined as a numerical abnormality of chromosomes in diploid cells. It is highly prevalent in a variety of human malignancies. Increased chromosomal instability is the major driving force for tumor development and progression. To suppress genomic stability during cell division, eukaryotic cells have evolved important molecular mechanisms, commonly referred to as checkpoints. The spindle checkpoint ensures that cells with defective mitotic spindles or a defective interaction between the spindles and kinetochores do not initiate chromosomal segregation during mitosis. Extensive studies have identified and characterized more than a dozen genes that play important roles in the regulation of the spindle checkpoint in mammalian cells. During the past decade, we have carried out extensive investigation of the role of BubR1 (Bub1-related kinase) and Sgo1 (shugoshin 1), two important gene products that safeguard accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis. This mini-review summarizes our studies, as well as those by other researchers in the field, on the functions of these two checkpoint proteins and their molecular regulation during mitosis. Further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of the spindle checkpoint regulation has the potential to identify important mitotic targets for rational anticancer drug design. PMID:20040454

  13. Suppression of Genomic Instabilities Caused by Chromosome Mis-segregation: A Perspective From Studying BubR1 and Sgo1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Dai

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Aneuploidy is a major manifestation of chromosomal instability, which is defined as a numerical abnormality of chromosomes in diploid cells. It is highly prevalent in a variety of human malignancies. Increased chromosomal instability is the major driving force for tumor development and progression. To suppress genomic stability during cell division, eukaryotic cells have evolved important molecular mechanisms, commonly referred to as checkpoints. The spindle checkpoint ensures that cells with defective mitotic spindles or a defective interaction between the spindles and kinetochores do not initiate chromosomal segregation during mitosis. Extensive studies have identified and characterized more than a dozen genes that play important roles in the regulation of the spindle checkpoint in mammalian cells. During the past decade, we have carried out extensive investigation of the role of BubR1 (Bub1-related kinase and Sgo1 (shugoshin 1, two important gene products that safeguard accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis. This mini-review summarizes our studies, as well as those by other researchers in the field, on the functions of these two checkpoint proteins and their molecular regulation during mitosis. Further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of the spindle checkpoint regulation has the potential to identify important mitotic targets for rational anticancer drug design.

  14. Phosphorylation of Minichromosome Maintenance 3 (MCM3) by Checkpoint Kinase 1 (Chk1) Negatively Regulates DNA Replication and Checkpoint Activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Xiangzi; Mayca Pozo, Franklin; Wisotsky, Jacob N; Wang, Benlian; Jacobberger, James W; Zhang, Youwei

    2015-05-08

    Mechanisms controlling DNA replication and replication checkpoint are critical for the maintenance of genome stability and the prevention or treatment of human cancers. Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) is a key effector protein kinase that regulates the DNA damage response and replication checkpoint. The heterohexameric minichromosome maintenance (MCM) complex is the core component of mammalian DNA helicase and has been implicated in replication checkpoint activation. Here we report that Chk1 phosphorylates the MCM3 subunit of the MCM complex at Ser-205 under normal growth conditions. Mutating the Ser-205 of MCM3 to Ala increased the length of DNA replication track and shortened the S phase duration, indicating that Ser-205 phosphorylation negatively controls normal DNA replication. Upon replicative stress treatment, the inhibitory phosphorylation of MCM3 at Ser-205 was reduced, and this reduction was accompanied with the generation of single strand DNA, the key platform for ataxia telangiectasia mutated and Rad3-related (ATR) activation. As a result, the replication checkpoint is activated. Together, these data provide significant insights into the regulation of both normal DNA replication and replication checkpoint activation through the novel phosphorylation of MCM3 by Chk1. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  15. Transparent checkpointing and process migration in a distributed system

    OpenAIRE

    2004-01-01

    A distributed system for creating a checkpoint for a plurality of processes running on the distributed system. The distributed system includes a plurality of compute nodes with an operating system executing on each compute node. A checkpoint library resides at the user level on each of the compute nodes, and the checkpoint library is transparent to the operating system residing on the same compute node and to the other compute nodes. Each checkpoint library uses a windowed messaging logging p...

  16. Role of the Checkpoint Clamp in DNA Damage Response

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihoko Kai

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available DNA damage occurs during DNA replication, spontaneous chemical reactions, and assaults by external or metabolism-derived agents. Therefore, all living cells must constantly contend with DNA damage. Cells protect themselves from these genotoxic stresses by activating the DNA damage checkpoint and DNA repair pathways. Coordination of these pathways requires tight regulation in order to prevent genomic instability. The checkpoint clamp complex consists of Rad9, Rad1 and Hus1 proteins, and is often called the 9-1-1 complex. This PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen-like donut-shaped protein complex is a checkpoint sensor protein that is recruited to DNA damage sites during the early stage of the response, and is required for checkpoint activation. As PCNA is required for multiple pathways of DNA metabolism, the checkpoint clamp has also been implicated in direct roles in DNA repair, as well as in coordination of the pathways. Here we discuss roles of the checkpoint clamp in DNA damage response (DDR.

  17. Mitotic chromosome condensation in vertebrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vagnarelli, Paola

    2012-01-01

    Work from several laboratories over the past 10–15 years has revealed that, within the interphase nucleus, chromosomes are organized into spatially distinct territories [T. Cremer, C. Cremer, Chromosome territories, nuclear architecture and gene regulation in mammalian cells, Nat. Rev. Genet. 2 (2001) 292–301 and T. Cremer, M. Cremer, S. Dietzel, S. Muller, I. Solovei, S. Fakan, Chromosome territories—a functional nuclear landscape, Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 18 (2006) 307–316]. The overall compaction level and intranuclear location varies as a function of gene density for both entire chromosomes [J.A. Croft, J.M. Bridger, S. Boyle, P. Perry, P. Teague,W.A. Bickmore, Differences in the localization and morphology of chromosomes in the human nucleus, J. Cell Biol. 145 (1999) 1119–1131] and specific chromosomal regions [N.L. Mahy, P.E. Perry, S. Gilchrist, R.A. Baldock, W.A. Bickmore, Spatial organization of active and inactive genes and noncoding DNA within chromosome territories, J. Cell Biol. 157 (2002) 579–589] (Fig. 1A, A'). In prophase, when cyclin B activity reaches a high threshold, chromosome condensation occurs followed by Nuclear Envelope Breakdown (NEB) [1]. At this point vertebrate chromosomes appear as compact structures harboring an attachment point for the spindle microtubules physically recognizable as a primary constriction where the two sister chromatids are held together. The transition from an unshaped interphase chromosome to the highly structured mitotic chromosome (compare Figs. 1A and B) has fascinated researchers for several decades now; however a definite picture of how this process is achieved and regulated is not yet in our hands and it will require more investigation to comprehend the complete process. From a biochemical point of view a vertebrate mitotic chromosomes is composed of DNA, histone proteins (60%) and non-histone proteins (40%) [6]. I will discuss below what is known to date on the contribution of these two different

  18. Mitotic chromosome condensation in vertebrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vagnarelli, Paola, E-mail: P.Vagnarelli@ed.ac.uk

    2012-07-15

    Work from several laboratories over the past 10-15 years has revealed that, within the interphase nucleus, chromosomes are organized into spatially distinct territories [T. Cremer, C. Cremer, Chromosome territories, nuclear architecture and gene regulation in mammalian cells, Nat. Rev. Genet. 2 (2001) 292-301 and T. Cremer, M. Cremer, S. Dietzel, S. Muller, I. Solovei, S. Fakan, Chromosome territories-a functional nuclear landscape, Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 18 (2006) 307-316]. The overall compaction level and intranuclear location varies as a function of gene density for both entire chromosomes [J.A. Croft, J.M. Bridger, S. Boyle, P. Perry, P. Teague,W.A. Bickmore, Differences in the localization and morphology of chromosomes in the human nucleus, J. Cell Biol. 145 (1999) 1119-1131] and specific chromosomal regions [N.L. Mahy, P.E. Perry, S. Gilchrist, R.A. Baldock, W.A. Bickmore, Spatial organization of active and inactive genes and noncoding DNA within chromosome territories, J. Cell Biol. 157 (2002) 579-589] (Fig. 1A, A'). In prophase, when cyclin B activity reaches a high threshold, chromosome condensation occurs followed by Nuclear Envelope Breakdown (NEB) [1]. At this point vertebrate chromosomes appear as compact structures harboring an attachment point for the spindle microtubules physically recognizable as a primary constriction where the two sister chromatids are held together. The transition from an unshaped interphase chromosome to the highly structured mitotic chromosome (compare Figs. 1A and B) has fascinated researchers for several decades now; however a definite picture of how this process is achieved and regulated is not yet in our hands and it will require more investigation to comprehend the complete process. From a biochemical point of view a vertebrate mitotic chromosomes is composed of DNA, histone proteins (60%) and non-histone proteins (40%) [6]. I will discuss below what is known to date on the contribution of these two different classes

  19. Dpb11/TopBP1 plays distinct roles in DNA replication, checkpoint response and homologous recombination

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Germann, Susanne Manuela; Østergaard, Vibe Hallundbæk; Haas, Caroline

    2011-01-01

    DPB11/TopBP1 is an essential evolutionarily conserved gene involved in initiation of DNA replication and checkpoint signaling. Here, we show that Saccharomyces cerevisiae Dpb11 forms nuclear foci that localize to sites of DNA damage in G1, S and G2 phase, a recruitment that is conserved for its...... and Tel1, and of the checkpoint mediator Rad9. In a site-directed mutagenesis screen, we identify a separation-of-function mutant, dpb11-PF, that is sensitive to DSB-inducing agents yet remains proficient for DNA replication and the S-phase checkpoint at the permissive temperature. The dpb11-PF mutant...... homologue TopBP1 in Gallus gallus. Damage-induced Dpb11 foci are distinct from Sld3 replication initiation foci. Further, Dpb11 foci are dependent on the checkpoint proteins Mec3 (9-1-1 complex) and Rad24, and require the C-terminal domain of Dpb11. Dpb11 foci are independent of the checkpoint kinases Mec1...

  20. Sonic hedgehog-expressing basal cells are general post-mitotic precursors of functional taste receptor cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miura, Hirohito; Scott, Jennifer K.; Harada, Shuitsu; Barlow, Linda A.

    2014-01-01

    Background Taste buds contain ~60 elongate cells and several basal cells. Elongate cells comprise three functional taste cell types: I - glial cells, II - bitter/sweet/umami receptor cells, and III - sour detectors. Although taste cells are continuously renewed, lineage relationships among cell types are ill-defined. Basal cells have been proposed as taste bud stem cells, a subset of which express Sonic hedgehog (Shh). However, Shh+ basal cells turnover rapidly suggesting that Shh+ cells are precursors of some or all taste cell types. Results To fate map Shh-expressing cells, mice carrying ShhCreERT2 and a high (CAG-CAT-EGFP) or low (R26RLacZ) efficiency reporter allele were given tamoxifen to activate Cre in Shh+ cells. Using R26RLacZ, lineage-labeled cells occur singly within buds, supporting a post-mitotic state for Shh+ cells. Using either reporter, we show that Shh+ cells differentiate into all three taste cell types, in proportions reflecting cell type ratios in taste buds (I > II > III). Conclusions Shh+ cells are not stem cells, but are post-mitotic, immediate precursors of taste cells. Shh+ cells differentiate into each of the three taste cell types, and the choice of a specific taste cell fate is regulated to maintain the proper ratio within buds. PMID:24590958

  1. Extending the Binomial Checkpointing Technique for Resilience

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walther, Andrea; Narayanan, Sri Hari Krishna

    2016-10-10

    In terms of computing time, adjoint methods offer a very attractive alternative to compute gradient information, re- quired, e.g., for optimization purposes. However, together with this very favorable temporal complexity result comes a memory requirement that is in essence proportional with the operation count of the underlying function, e.g., if algo- rithmic differentiation is used to provide the adjoints. For this reason, checkpointing approaches in many variants have become popular. This paper analyzes an extension of the so-called binomial approach to cover also possible failures of the computing systems. Such a measure of precaution is of special interest for massive parallel simulations and adjoint calculations where the mean time between failure of the large scale computing system is smaller than the time needed to complete the calculation of the adjoint information. We de- scribe the extensions of standard checkpointing approaches required for such resilience, provide a corresponding imple- mentation and discuss numerical results.

  2. Mediator can regulate mitotic entry and direct periodic transcription in fission yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banyai, Gabor; Lopez, Marcela Davila; Szilagyi, Zsolt; Gustafsson, Claes M

    2014-11-01

    Cdk8 is required for correct timing of mitotic progression in fission yeast. How the activity of Cdk8 is regulated is unclear, since the kinase is not activated by T-loop phosphorylation and its partner, CycC, does not oscillate. Cdk8 is, however, a component of the multiprotein Mediator complex, a conserved coregulator of eukaryotic transcription that is connected to a number of intracellular signaling pathways. We demonstrate here that other Mediator components regulate the activity of Cdk8 in vivo and thereby direct the timing of mitotic entry. Deletion of Mediator components Med12 and Med13 leads to higher cellular Cdk8 protein levels, premature phosphorylation of the Cdk8 target Fkh2, and earlier entry into mitosis. We also demonstrate that Mediator is recruited to clusters of mitotic genes in a periodic fashion and that the complex is required for the transcription of these genes. We suggest that Mediator functions as a hub for coordinated regulation of mitotic progression and cell cycle-dependent transcription. The many signaling pathways and activator proteins shown to function via Mediator may influence the timing of these cell cycle events. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  3. Checkpoint independence of most DNA replication origins in fission yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mickle, Katie L; Ramanathan, Sunita; Rosebrock, Adam; Oliva, Anna; Chaudari, Amna; Yompakdee, Chulee; Scott, Donna; Leatherwood, Janet; Huberman, Joel A

    2007-12-19

    In budding yeast, the replication checkpoint slows progress through S phase by inhibiting replication origin firing. In mammals, the replication checkpoint inhibits both origin firing and replication fork movement. To find out which strategy is employed in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we used microarrays to investigate the use of origins by wild-type and checkpoint-mutant strains in the presence of hydroxyurea (HU), which limits the pool of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) and activates the replication checkpoint. The checkpoint-mutant cells carried deletions either of rad3 (which encodes the fission yeast homologue of ATR) or cds1 (which encodes the fission yeast homologue of Chk2). Our microarray results proved to be largely consistent with those independently obtained and recently published by three other laboratories. However, we were able to reconcile differences between the previous studies regarding the extent to which fission yeast replication origins are affected by the replication checkpoint. We found (consistent with the three previous studies after appropriate interpretation) that, in surprising contrast to budding yeast, most fission yeast origins, including both early- and late-firing origins, are not significantly affected by checkpoint mutations during replication in the presence of HU. A few origins (approximately 3%) behaved like those in budding yeast: they replicated earlier in the checkpoint mutants than in wild type. These were located primarily in the heterochromatic subtelomeric regions of chromosomes 1 and 2. Indeed, the subtelomeric regions defined by the strongest checkpoint restraint correspond precisely to previously mapped subtelomeric heterochromatin. This observation implies that subtelomeric heterochromatin in fission yeast differs from heterochromatin at centromeres, in the mating type region, and in ribosomal DNA, since these regions replicated at least as efficiently in wild-type cells as in checkpoint

  4. Checkpoint independence of most DNA replication origins in fission yeast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mickle, Katie L; Ramanathan, Sunita; Rosebrock, Adam; Oliva, Anna; Chaudari, Amna; Yompakdee, Chulee; Scott, Donna; Leatherwood, Janet; Huberman, Joel A

    2007-01-01

    Background In budding yeast, the replication checkpoint slows progress through S phase by inhibiting replication origin firing. In mammals, the replication checkpoint inhibits both origin firing and replication fork movement. To find out which strategy is employed in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we used microarrays to investigate the use of origins by wild-type and checkpoint-mutant strains in the presence of hydroxyurea (HU), which limits the pool of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) and activates the replication checkpoint. The checkpoint-mutant cells carried deletions either of rad3 (which encodes the fission yeast homologue of ATR) or cds1 (which encodes the fission yeast homologue of Chk2). Results Our microarray results proved to be largely consistent with those independently obtained and recently published by three other laboratories. However, we were able to reconcile differences between the previous studies regarding the extent to which fission yeast replication origins are affected by the replication checkpoint. We found (consistent with the three previous studies after appropriate interpretation) that, in surprising contrast to budding yeast, most fission yeast origins, including both early- and late-firing origins, are not significantly affected by checkpoint mutations during replication in the presence of HU. A few origins (~3%) behaved like those in budding yeast: they replicated earlier in the checkpoint mutants than in wild type. These were located primarily in the heterochromatic subtelomeric regions of chromosomes 1 and 2. Indeed, the subtelomeric regions defined by the strongest checkpoint restraint correspond precisely to previously mapped subtelomeric heterochromatin. This observation implies that subtelomeric heterochromatin in fission yeast differs from heterochromatin at centromeres, in the mating type region, and in ribosomal DNA, since these regions replicated at least as efficiently in wild-type cells as in

  5. Checkpoint independence of most DNA replication origins in fission yeast

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott Donna

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In budding yeast, the replication checkpoint slows progress through S phase by inhibiting replication origin firing. In mammals, the replication checkpoint inhibits both origin firing and replication fork movement. To find out which strategy is employed in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we used microarrays to investigate the use of origins by wild-type and checkpoint-mutant strains in the presence of hydroxyurea (HU, which limits the pool of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs and activates the replication checkpoint. The checkpoint-mutant cells carried deletions either of rad3 (which encodes the fission yeast homologue of ATR or cds1 (which encodes the fission yeast homologue of Chk2. Results Our microarray results proved to be largely consistent with those independently obtained and recently published by three other laboratories. However, we were able to reconcile differences between the previous studies regarding the extent to which fission yeast replication origins are affected by the replication checkpoint. We found (consistent with the three previous studies after appropriate interpretation that, in surprising contrast to budding yeast, most fission yeast origins, including both early- and late-firing origins, are not significantly affected by checkpoint mutations during replication in the presence of HU. A few origins (~3% behaved like those in budding yeast: they replicated earlier in the checkpoint mutants than in wild type. These were located primarily in the heterochromatic subtelomeric regions of chromosomes 1 and 2. Indeed, the subtelomeric regions defined by the strongest checkpoint restraint correspond precisely to previously mapped subtelomeric heterochromatin. This observation implies that subtelomeric heterochromatin in fission yeast differs from heterochromatin at centromeres, in the mating type region, and in ribosomal DNA, since these regions replicated at least as efficiently in wild

  6. Enhancing Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Kidney Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0141 TITLE: Enhancing Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor therapy in Kidney Cancer PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Hans-Joerg Hammers...SUBTITLE Enhancing Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor therapy in Kidney Cancer 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH- 15-1-0141 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER...immune checkpoint inhibition in kidney cancer . The work is designed to test different strategies to induce or enhance the abscopal in a kidney cancer

  7. Conserved CDC20 cell cycle functions are carried out by two of the five isoforms in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoltán Kevei

    Full Text Available The CDC20 and Cdh1/CCS52 proteins are substrate determinants and activators of the Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C E3 ubiquitin ligase and as such they control the mitotic cell cycle by targeting the degradation of various cell cycle regulators. In yeasts and animals the main CDC20 function is the destruction of securin and mitotic cyclins. Plants have multiple CDC20 gene copies whose functions have not been explored yet. In Arabidopsis thaliana there are five CDC20 isoforms and here we aimed at defining their contribution to cell cycle regulation, substrate selectivity and plant development.Studying the gene structure and phylogeny of plant CDC20s, the expression of the five AtCDC20 gene copies and their interactions with the APC/C subunit APC10, the CCS52 proteins, components of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC and mitotic cyclin substrates, conserved CDC20 functions could be assigned for AtCDC20.1 and AtCDC20.2. The other three intron-less genes were silent and specific for Arabidopsis. We show that AtCDC20.1 and AtCDC20.2 are components of the MCC and interact with mitotic cyclins with unexpected specificity. AtCDC20.1 and AtCDC20.2 are expressed in meristems, organ primordia and AtCDC20.1 also in pollen grains and developing seeds. Knocking down both genes simultaneously by RNAi resulted in severe delay in plant development and male sterility. In these lines, the meristem size was reduced while the cell size and ploidy levels were unaffected indicating that the lower cell number and likely slowdown of the cell cycle are the cause of reduced plant growth.The intron-containing CDC20 gene copies provide conserved and redundant functions for cell cycle progression in plants and are required for meristem maintenance, plant growth and male gametophyte formation. The Arabidopsis-specific intron-less genes are possibly "retrogenes" and have hitherto undefined functions or are pseudogenes.

  8. Mitotic control of human papillomavirus genome-containing cells is regulated by the function of the PDZ-binding motif of the E6 oncoprotein

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsh, Elizabeth K.; Delury, Craig P.; Davies, Nicholas J.; Weston, Christopher J.; Miah, Mohammed A.L.; Banks, Lawrence; Parish, Joanna L.

    2017-01-01

    The function of a conserved PDS95/DLG1/ZO1 (PDZ) binding motif (E6 PBM) at the C-termini of E6 oncoproteins of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types contributes to the development of HPV-associated malignancies. Here, using a primary human keratinocyte-based model of the high-risk HPV18 life cycle, we identify a novel link between the E6 PBM and mitotic stability. In cultures containing a mutant genome in which the E6 PBM was deleted there was an increase in the frequency of abnormal mitoses, including multinucleation, compared to cells harboring the wild type HPV18 genome. The loss of the E6 PBM was associated with a significant increase in the frequency of mitotic spindle defects associated with anaphase and telophase. Furthermore, cells carrying this mutant genome had increased chromosome segregation defects and they also exhibited greater levels of genomic instability, as shown by an elevated level of centromere-positive micronuclei. In wild type HPV18 genome-containing organotypic cultures, the majority of mitotic cells reside in the suprabasal layers, in keeping with the hyperplastic morphology of the structures. However, in mutant genome-containing structures a greater proportion of mitotic cells were retained in the basal layer, which were often of undefined polarity, thus correlating with their reduced thickness. We conclude that the ability of E6 to target cellular PDZ proteins plays a critical role in maintaining mitotic stability of HPV infected cells, ensuring stable episome persistence and vegetative amplification. PMID:28061478

  9. Mitotic control of human papillomavirus genome-containing cells is regulated by the function of the PDZ-binding motif of the E6 oncoprotein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsh, Elizabeth K; Delury, Craig P; Davies, Nicholas J; Weston, Christopher J; Miah, Mohammed A L; Banks, Lawrence; Parish, Joanna L; Higgs, Martin R; Roberts, Sally

    2017-03-21

    The function of a conserved PDS95/DLG1/ZO1 (PDZ) binding motif (E6 PBM) at the C-termini of E6 oncoproteins of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types contributes to the development of HPV-associated malignancies. Here, using a primary human keratinocyte-based model of the high-risk HPV18 life cycle, we identify a novel link between the E6 PBM and mitotic stability. In cultures containing a mutant genome in which the E6 PBM was deleted there was an increase in the frequency of abnormal mitoses, including multinucleation, compared to cells harboring the wild type HPV18 genome. The loss of the E6 PBM was associated with a significant increase in the frequency of mitotic spindle defects associated with anaphase and telophase. Furthermore, cells carrying this mutant genome had increased chromosome segregation defects and they also exhibited greater levels of genomic instability, as shown by an elevated level of centromere-positive micronuclei. In wild type HPV18 genome-containing organotypic cultures, the majority of mitotic cells reside in the suprabasal layers, in keeping with the hyperplastic morphology of the structures. However, in mutant genome-containing structures a greater proportion of mitotic cells were retained in the basal layer, which were often of undefined polarity, thus correlating with their reduced thickness. We conclude that the ability of E6 to target cellular PDZ proteins plays a critical role in maintaining mitotic stability of HPV infected cells, ensuring stable episome persistence and vegetative amplification.

  10. Template based parallel checkpointing in a massively parallel computer system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Archer, Charles Jens [Rochester, MN; Inglett, Todd Alan [Rochester, MN

    2009-01-13

    A method and apparatus for a template based parallel checkpoint save for a massively parallel super computer system using a parallel variation of the rsync protocol, and network broadcast. In preferred embodiments, the checkpoint data for each node is compared to a template checkpoint file that resides in the storage and that was previously produced. Embodiments herein greatly decrease the amount of data that must be transmitted and stored for faster checkpointing and increased efficiency of the computer system. Embodiments are directed to a parallel computer system with nodes arranged in a cluster with a high speed interconnect that can perform broadcast communication. The checkpoint contains a set of actual small data blocks with their corresponding checksums from all nodes in the system. The data blocks may be compressed using conventional non-lossy data compression algorithms to further reduce the overall checkpoint size.

  11. Hypoxia‐induced alterations of G2 checkpoint regulators

    OpenAIRE

    Hasvold, Grete; Lund-Andersen, Christin; Lando, Malin; Patzke, Sebastian; Hauge, Sissel; Suo, ZhenHe; Lyng, Heidi; Syljuåsen, Randi G.

    2016-01-01

    Hypoxia promotes an aggressive tumor phenotype with increased genomic instability, partially due to downregulation of DNA repair pathways. However, genome stability is also surveilled by cell cycle checkpoints. An important issue is therefore whether hypoxia also can influence the DNA damage‐induced cell cycle checkpoints. Here, we show that hypoxia (24 h 0.2% O2) alters the expression of several G2 checkpoint regulators, as examined by microarray gene expression analysis and immunoblotting o...

  12. Berkeley lab checkpoint/restart (BLCR) for Linux clusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hargrove, Paul H; Duell, Jason C

    2006-01-01

    This article describes the motivation, design and implementation of Berkeley Lab Checkpoint/Restart (BLCR), a system-level checkpoint/restart implementation for Linux clusters that targets the space of typical High Performance Computing applications, including MPI. Application-level solutions, including both checkpointing and fault-tolerant algorithms, are recognized as more time and space efficient than system-level checkpoints, which cannot make use of any application-specific knowledge. However, system-level checkpointing allows for preemption, making it suitable for responding to ''fault precursors'' (for instance, elevated error rates from ECC memory or network CRCs, or elevated temperature from sensors). Preemption can also increase the efficiency of batch scheduling; for instance reducing idle cycles (by allowing for shutdown without any queue draining period or reallocation of resources to eliminate idle nodes when better fitting jobs are queued), and reducing the average queued time (by limiting large jobs to running during off-peak hours, without the need to limit the length of such jobs). Each of these potential uses makes BLCR a valuable tool for efficient resource management in Linux clusters

  13. Utilization during mitotic cell division of loci controlling meiotic recombination and disjunction in Drosophila melanogaster

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baker, B.S.; Carpenter, A.T.C.; Ripoll, P.

    1978-01-01

    To inquire whether the loci identified by recombination-defective and disjunction-defective meiotic mutants in Drosophila are also utilized during mitotic cell division, the effects of 18 meiotic mutants (representing 13 loci) on mitotic chromosome stability have been examined genetically. To do this, meiotic-mutant-bearing flies heterozygous for recessive somatic cell markers were examined for the frequencies and types of spontaneous clones expressing the cell markers. In such flies, marked clones can arise via mitotic recombination, mutation, chromosome breakage, nondisjunction or chromosome loss, and clones from these different origins can be distinguished. In addition, meiotic mutants at nine loci have been examined for their effects on sensitivity to killing by uv and x rays. Mutants at six of the seven recombination-defective loci examined (mei-9, mei-41, c(3)G, mei-W68, mei-S282, mei-352, mei-218) cause mitotic chromosome instability in both sexes, whereas mutants at one locus (mei-218) do not affect mitotic chromosome stability. Thus many of the loci utilized during meiotic recombination also function in the chromosomal economy of mitotic cells

  14. Pch2 acts through Xrs2 and Tel1/ATM to modulate interhomolog bias and checkpoint function during meiosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsuan-Chung Ho

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Proper segregation of chromosomes during meiosis requires the formation and repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs to form crossovers. Repair is biased toward using the homolog as a substrate rather than the sister chromatid. Pch2 is a conserved member of the AAA(+-ATPase family of proteins and is implicated in a wide range of meiosis-specific processes including the recombination checkpoint, maturation of the chromosome axis, crossover control, and synapsis. We demonstrate a role for Pch2 in promoting and regulating interhomolog bias and the meiotic recombination checkpoint in response to unprocessed DSBs through the activation of axial proteins Hop1 and Mek1 in budding yeast. We show that Pch2 physically interacts with the putative BRCT repeats in the N-terminal region of Xrs2, a member of the MRX complex that acts at sites of unprocessed DSBs. Pch2, Xrs2, and the ATM ortholog Tel1 function in the same pathway leading to the phosphorylation of Hop1, independent of Rad17 and the ATR ortholog Mec1, which respond to the presence of single-stranded DNA. An N-terminal deletion of Xrs2 recapitulates the pch2Δ phenotypes for signaling unresected breaks. We propose that interaction with Xrs2 may enable Pch2 to remodel chromosome structure adjacent to the site of a DSB and thereby promote accessibility of Hop1 to the Tel1 kinase. In addition, Xrs2, like Pch2, is required for checkpoint-mediated delay conferred by the failure to synapse chromosomes.

  15. Casein kinase II is required for the spindle assembly checkpoint by regulating Mad2p in fission yeast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimada, Midori [Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya City University, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601 (Japan); Yamamoto, Ayumu [Department of Chemistry, Shizuoka University, 836 Ohya, Suruga-ku, Sizuoka 422-8529 (Japan); Murakami-Tonami, Yuko; Nakanishi, Makoto; Yoshida, Takashi [Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya City University, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601 (Japan); Aiba, Hirofumi [Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, School of Agriculture, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601 (Japan); Murakami, Hiroshi, E-mail: hmura@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp [Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya City University, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601 (Japan)

    2009-10-23

    The spindle checkpoint is a surveillance mechanism that ensures the fidelity of chromosome segregation in mitosis. Here we show that fission yeast casein kinase II (CK2) is required for this checkpoint function. In the CK2 mutants mitosis occurs in the presence of a spindle defect, and the spindle checkpoint protein Mad2p fails to localize to unattached kinetochores. The CK2 mutants are sensitive to the microtubule depolymerising drug thiabendazole, which is counteracted by ectopic expression of mad2{sup +}. The level of Mad2p is low in the CK2 mutants. These results suggest that CK2 has a role in the spindle checkpoint by regulating Mad2p.

  16. Casein kinase II is required for the spindle assembly checkpoint by regulating Mad2p in fission yeast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimada, Midori; Yamamoto, Ayumu; Murakami-Tonami, Yuko; Nakanishi, Makoto; Yoshida, Takashi; Aiba, Hirofumi; Murakami, Hiroshi

    2009-01-01

    The spindle checkpoint is a surveillance mechanism that ensures the fidelity of chromosome segregation in mitosis. Here we show that fission yeast casein kinase II (CK2) is required for this checkpoint function. In the CK2 mutants mitosis occurs in the presence of a spindle defect, and the spindle checkpoint protein Mad2p fails to localize to unattached kinetochores. The CK2 mutants are sensitive to the microtubule depolymerising drug thiabendazole, which is counteracted by ectopic expression of mad2 + . The level of Mad2p is low in the CK2 mutants. These results suggest that CK2 has a role in the spindle checkpoint by regulating Mad2p.

  17. Novel Mad2-targeting miR-493-3p controls mitotic fidelity and cancer cells' sensitivity to paclitaxel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tambe, Mahesh; Pruikkonen, Sofia; Mäki-Jouppila, Jenni; Chen, Ping; Elgaaen, Bente Vilming; Straume, Anne Hege; Huhtinen, Kaisa; Cárpen, Olli; Lønning, Per Eystein; Davidson, Ben; Hautaniemi, Sampsa; Kallio, Marko J

    2016-03-15

    The molecular pathways that contribute to the proliferation and drug response of cancer cells are highly complex and currently insufficiently characterized. We have identified a previously unknown microRNA-based mechanism that provides cancer cells means to stimulate tumorigenesis via increased genomic instability and, at the same time, evade the action of clinically utilized microtubule drugs. We demonstrate miR-493-3p to be a novel negative regulator of mitotic arrest deficient-2 (MAD2), an essential component of the spindle assembly checkpoint that monitors the fidelity of chromosome segregation. The microRNA targets the 3' UTR of Mad2 mRNA thereby preventing translation of the Mad2 protein. In cancer cells, overexpression of miR-493-3p induced a premature mitotic exit that led to increased frequency of aneuploidy and cellular senescence in the progeny cells. Importantly, excess of the miR-493-3p conferred resistance of cancer cells to microtubule drugs. In human neoplasms, miR-493-3p and Mad2 expression alterations correlated with advanced ovarian cancer forms and high miR-493-3p levels were associated with reduced survival of ovarian and breast cancer patients with aggressive tumors, especially in the paclitaxel therapy arm. Our results suggest that intratumoral profiling of miR-493-3p and Mad2 levels can have diagnostic value in predicting the efficacy of taxane chemotherapy.

  18. Micromechanics of human mitotic chromosomes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Mingxuan; Kawamura, Ryo; Marko, John F

    2011-01-01

    Eukaryote cells dramatically reorganize their long chromosomal DNAs to facilitate their physical segregation during mitosis. The internal organization of folded mitotic chromosomes remains a basic mystery of cell biology; its understanding would likely shed light on how chromosomes are separated from one another as well as into chromosome structure between cell divisions. We report biophysical experiments on single mitotic chromosomes from human cells, where we combine micromanipulation, nano-Newton-scale force measurement and biochemical treatments to study chromosome connectivity and topology. Results are in accord with previous experiments on amphibian chromosomes and support the 'chromatin network' model of mitotic chromosome structure. Prospects for studies of chromosome-organizing proteins using siRNA expression knockdowns, as well as for differential studies of chromosomes with and without mutations associated with genetic diseases, are also discussed

  19. Attenuation of G2 cell cycle checkpoint control in human tumor cells is associated with increased frequencies of unrejoined chromosome breaks but not increased cytotoxicity following radiation exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwartz, J.L.; Cowan, J.; Grdina, D.J.

    1997-01-01

    The contribution of G 2 cell cycle checkpoint control to ionizing radiation responses was examined in ten human tumor cell lines. Most of the delay in cell cycle progression seen in the first cell cycle following radiation exposure was due to blocks in G 2 and there were large cell line-to-cell line variations in the length of the G 2 block. Longer delays were seen in cell lines that had mutations in p53. There was a highly significant inverse correlation between the length of G 2 delay and the frequency of unrejoined chromosome breaks seen as chromosome terminal deletions in mitosis, and observation that supports the hypothesis that the signal for G 2 delay in mammalian cells is an unrejoined chromosome break. There were also an inverse correlation between the length of G 2 delay and the level of chromosome aneuploidy in each cell line, suggesting that the G 2 and mitotic spindel checkpoints may be linked to each other. Attenuation in G 2 checkpoint control was not associated with alterations in either the frequency of induced chromosome rearrangements or cell survival following radiation exposure suggesting that chromosome rearrangements, the major radiation-induced lethal lesion in tumor cells, form before cells enters G 2 . Thus, agents that act solely to override G 2 arrest should produce little radiosensitization in human tumor cells

  20. The reduction of radiation-induced mitotic delay by caffeine: a test of the cyclic AMP hypothesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oleinick, N.L.; Brewer, E.N.; Rustad, R.C.

    1978-01-01

    A study has been made of the reduction in γ-radiation-induced mitotic delay by caffeine in the naturally-synchronous plasmodial slime mould. Physarum polycephalum during late G 2 and early prophase, and the results compared with those obtained with other compounds of similar structure and/or physiological function. The reduction of radiation-induced mitotic delay was related to increasing concentrations of caffeine over at least two orders of magnitude. Pre-irradiation treatment with caffeine had no detectable effect. Caffeine had to be present for most, if not all, of the post-irradiation pre-mitotic period. Other chemicals which are reported to inhibit cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase either reduce or increase radiation-induced mitotic delay. The results therefore indicate that the reduction of mitotic delay by caffeine is not a result of altered cyclic AMP levels. (UK)

  1. Disruption of spindle checkpoint function in rats following 28 days of repeated administration of renal carcinogens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, Masayuki; Mizukami, Sayaka; Watanabe, Yousuke; Hasegawa-Baba, Yasuko; Onda, Nobuhiko; Yoshida, Toshinori; Shibutani, Makoto

    2016-02-01

    We previously reported that 28-day exposure to hepatocarcinogens that facilitate cell proliferation specifically alters the expression of G1/S checkpoint-related genes and proteins, induces aberrant early expression of ubiquitin D (UBD) at the G2 phase, and increases apoptosis in the rat liver, indicating G1/S and spindle checkpoint dysfunction. The present study aimed to determine the time of onset of carcinogen-specific cell-cycle disruption after repeated administration of renal carcinogens for up to 28 days. Rats were orally administered the renal carcinogens nitrofurantoin (NFT), 1-amino-2,4-dibromoantraquinone (ADAQ), and 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP) or the non-carcinogenic renal toxicants 1-chloro-2-propanol, triamterene, and carboxin for 3, 7 or 28 days. Both immunohistochemical single-molecule analysis and real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that carcinogen-specific expression changes were not observed after 28 days of administration. However, the renal carcinogens ADAQ and TCP specifically reduced the number of cells expressing phosphorylated-histone H3 at Ser10 in both UBD(+) cells and proliferating cells, suggestive of insufficient UBD expression at the M phase and early transition of proliferating cells from the M phase, without increasing apoptosis, after 28 days of administration. In contrast, NFT, which has marginal carcinogenic potential, did not induce such cellular responses. These results suggest that it may take 28 days to induce spindle checkpoint dysfunction by renal carcinogens; however, induction of apoptosis may not be essential. Thus, induction of spindle checkpoint dysfunction may be dependent on carcinogenic potential of carcinogen examined, and marginal carcinogens may not exert sufficient responses even after 28 days of administration.

  2. "Isogaba Maware": quality control of genome DNA by checkpoints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitazono, A; Matsumoto, T

    1998-05-01

    Checkpoints maintain the interdependency of cell cycle events by permitting the onset of an event only after the completion of the preceding event. The DNA replication checkpoint induces a cell cycle arrest until the completion of the DNA replication. Similarly, the DNA damage checkpoint arrests cell cycle progression if DNA repair is incomplete. A number of genes that play a role in the two checkpoints have been identified through genetic studies in yeasts, and their homologues have been found in fly, mouse, and human. They form signaling cascades activated by a DNA replication block or DNA damage and subsequently generate the negative constraints on cell cycle regulators. The failure of these signaling cascades results in producing offspring that carry mutations or that lack a portion of the genome. In humans, defects in the checkpoints are often associated with cancer-prone diseases. Focusing mainly on the studies in budding and fission yeasts, we summarize the recent progress.

  3. Newly Emerging Immune Checkpoints: Promises for Future Cancer Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert J. Torphy

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Cancer immunotherapy has been a great breakthrough, with immune checkpoint inhibitors leading the way. Despite the clinical effectiveness of certain immune checkpoint inhibitors, the overall response rate remains low, and the effectiveness of immunotherapies for many tumors has been disappointing. There is substantial interest in looking for additional immune checkpoint molecules that may act as therapeutic targets for cancer. Recent advances during the last decade have identified several novel immune checkpoint targets, including lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3, B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA, programmed death-1 homolog (PD-1H, T-cell immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif domain (TIM-3/carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1, and the poliovirus receptor (PVR-like receptors. The investigations into these molecules have generated promising results in preclinical studies. Herein, we will summarize our current progress and understanding of these newly-characterized immune checkpoints and their potential application in cancer immunotherapy.

  4. Semaphorin-Plexin Signaling Controls Mitotic Spindle Orientation during Epithelial Morphogenesis and Repair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xia, Jingjing; Swiercz, Jakub M.; Bañón-Rodríguez, Inmaculada

    2015-01-01

    Morphogenesis, homeostasis, and regeneration of epithelial tissues rely on the accurate orientation of cell divisions, which is specified by the mitotic spindle axis. To remain in the epithelial plane, symmetrically dividing epithelial cells align their mitotic spindle axis with the plane. Here, we...... show that this alignment depends on epithelial cell-cell communication via semaphorin-plexin signaling. During kidney morphogenesis and repair, renal tubular epithelial cells lacking the transmembrane receptor Plexin-B2 or its semaphorin ligands fail to correctly orient the mitotic spindle, leading...... to severe defects in epithelial architecture and function. Analyses of a series of transgenic and knockout mice indicate that Plexin-B2 controls the cell division axis by signaling through its GTPase-activating protein (GAP) domain and Cdc42. Our data uncover semaphorin-plexin signaling as a central...

  5. Radiotherapy and immune checkpoint blockades: a snapshot in 2016

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koo, Tae Yool [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, In Ah [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-12-15

    Immune checkpoint blockades including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), programmed death-1 (PD-1), and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) have been emerged as a promising anticancer therapy. Several immune checkpoint blockades have been approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and have shown notable success in clinical trials for patients with advanced melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Radiotherapy is a promising combination partner of immune checkpoint blockades due to its potent pro-immune effect. This review will cover the current issue and the future perspectives for combined with radiotherapy and immune checkpoint blockades based upon the available preclinical and clinical data.

  6. The DNA replication checkpoint directly regulates MBF-dependent G1/S transcription.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutta, Chaitali; Patel, Prasanta K; Rosebrock, Adam; Oliva, Anna; Leatherwood, Janet; Rhind, Nicholas

    2008-10-01

    The DNA replication checkpoint transcriptionally upregulates genes that allow cells to adapt to and survive replication stress. Our results show that, in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the replication checkpoint regulates the entire G(1)/S transcriptional program by directly regulating MBF, the G(1)/S transcription factor. Instead of initiating a checkpoint-specific transcriptional program, the replication checkpoint targets MBF to maintain the normal G(1)/S transcriptional program during replication stress. We propose a mechanism for this regulation, based on in vitro phosphorylation of the Cdc10 subunit of MBF by the Cds1 replication-checkpoint kinase. Replacement of two potential phosphorylation sites with phosphomimetic amino acids suffices to promote the checkpoint transcriptional program, suggesting that Cds1 phosphorylation directly regulates MBF-dependent transcription. The conservation of MBF between fission and budding yeast, and recent results implicating MBF as a target of the budding yeast replication checkpoint, suggests that checkpoint regulation of the MBF transcription factor is a conserved strategy for coping with replication stress. Furthermore, the structural and regulatory similarity between MBF and E2F, the metazoan G(1)/S transcription factor, suggests that this checkpoint mechanism may be broadly conserved among eukaryotes.

  7. The DNA Replication Checkpoint Directly Regulates MBF-Dependent G1/S Transcription▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutta, Chaitali; Patel, Prasanta K.; Rosebrock, Adam; Oliva, Anna; Leatherwood, Janet; Rhind, Nicholas

    2008-01-01

    The DNA replication checkpoint transcriptionally upregulates genes that allow cells to adapt to and survive replication stress. Our results show that, in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the replication checkpoint regulates the entire G1/S transcriptional program by directly regulating MBF, the G1/S transcription factor. Instead of initiating a checkpoint-specific transcriptional program, the replication checkpoint targets MBF to maintain the normal G1/S transcriptional program during replication stress. We propose a mechanism for this regulation, based on in vitro phosphorylation of the Cdc10 subunit of MBF by the Cds1 replication-checkpoint kinase. Replacement of two potential phosphorylation sites with phosphomimetic amino acids suffices to promote the checkpoint transcriptional program, suggesting that Cds1 phosphorylation directly regulates MBF-dependent transcription. The conservation of MBF between fission and budding yeast, and recent results implicating MBF as a target of the budding yeast replication checkpoint, suggests that checkpoint regulation of the MBF transcription factor is a conserved strategy for coping with replication stress. Furthermore, the structural and regulatory similarity between MBF and E2F, the metazoan G1/S transcription factor, suggests that this checkpoint mechanism may be broadly conserved among eukaryotes. PMID:18662996

  8. Covering Resilience: A Recent Development for Binomial Checkpointing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walther, Andrea; Narayanan, Sri Hari Krishna

    2016-09-12

    In terms of computing time, adjoint methods offer a very attractive alternative to compute gradient information, required, e.g., for optimization purposes. However, together with this very favorable temporal complexity result comes a memory requirement that is in essence proportional with the operation count of the underlying function, e.g., if algorithmic differentiation is used to provide the adjoints. For this reason, checkpointing approaches in many variants have become popular. This paper analyzes an extension of the so-called binomial approach to cover also possible failures of the computing systems. Such a measure of precaution is of special interest for massive parallel simulations and adjoint calculations where the mean time between failure of the large scale computing system is smaller than the time needed to complete the calculation of the adjoint information. We describe the extensions of standard checkpointing approaches required for such resilience, provide a corresponding implementation and discuss first numerical results.

  9. RNA interference regulates the cell cycle checkpoint through the RNA export factor, Ptr1, in fission yeast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iida, Tetsushi, E-mail: tiida@nig.ac.jp [Division of Cytogenetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, 1111 Yata, Mishima 411-8540 (Japan); The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Sokendai, Mishima, 1111 Yata, Mishima 411-8540 (Japan); Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 4-1-8, Honcho, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan); Iida, Naoko [Division of Mutagenesis, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, 1111 Yata, Mishima 411-8540 (Japan); Tsutsui, Yasuhiro [Department of Life Science, Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuda-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501 (Japan); Yamao, Fumiaki [Division of Mutagenesis, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, 1111 Yata, Mishima 411-8540 (Japan); The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Sokendai, Mishima, 1111 Yata, Mishima 411-8540 (Japan); Kobayashi, Takehiko [Division of Cytogenetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, 1111 Yata, Mishima 411-8540 (Japan); The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Sokendai, Mishima, 1111 Yata, Mishima 411-8540 (Japan)

    2012-10-12

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer RNAi is linked to the cell cycle checkpoint in fission yeast. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ptr1 co-purifies with Ago1. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The ptr1-1 mutation impairs the checkpoint but does not affect gene silencing. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ago1{sup +} and ptr1{sup +} regulate the cell cycle checkpoint via the same pathway. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mutations in ago1{sup +} and ptr1{sup +} lead to the nuclear accumulation of poly(A){sup +} RNAs. -- Abstract: Ago1, an effector protein of RNA interference (RNAi), regulates heterochromatin silencing and cell cycle arrest in fission yeast. However, the mechanism by which Ago1 controls cell cycle checkpoint following hydroxyurea (HU) treatment has not been elucidated. In this study, we show that Ago1 and other RNAi factors control cell cycle checkpoint following HU treatment via a mechanism independent of silencing. While silencing requires dcr1{sup +}, the overexpression of ago1{sup +} alleviated the cell cycle defect in dcr1{Delta}. Ago1 interacted with the mRNA export factor, Ptr1. The ptr1-1 mutation impaired cell cycle checkpoint but gene silencing was unaffected. Genetic analysis revealed that the regulation of cell cycle checkpoint by ago1{sup +} is dependent on ptr1{sup +}. Nuclear accumulation of poly(A){sup +} RNAs was detected in mutants of ago1{sup +} and ptr1{sup +}, suggesting there is a functional link between the cell cycle checkpoint and RNAi-mediated RNA quality control.

  10. RNAi mediated acute depletion of Retinoblastoma protein (pRb promotes aneuploidy in human primary cells via micronuclei formation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iovino Flora

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Changes in chromosome number or structure as well as supernumerary centrosomes and multipolar mitoses are commonly observed in human tumors. Thus, centrosome amplification and mitotic checkpoint dysfunctions are believed possible causes of chromosomal instability. The Retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (RB participates in the regulation of synchrony between DNA synthesis and centrosome duplication and it is involved in transcription regulation of some mitotic genes. Primary human fibroblasts were transfected transiently with short interfering RNA (siRNA specific for human pRb to investigate the effects of pRb acute loss on chromosomal stability. Results Acutely pRb-depleted fibroblasts showed altered expression of genes necessary for cell cycle progression, centrosome homeostasis, kinetochore and mitotic checkpoint proteins. Despite altered expression of genes involved in the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint (SAC the checkpoint seemed to function properly in pRb-depleted fibroblasts. In particular AURORA-A and PLK1 overexpression suggested that these two genes might have a role in the observed genomic instability. However, when they were post-transcriptionally silenced in pRb-depleted fibroblasts we did not observe reduction in the number of aneuploid cells. This finding suggests that overexpression of these two genes did not contribute to genomic instability triggered by RB acute loss although it affected cell proliferation. Acutely pRb-depleted human fibroblasts showed the presence of micronuclei containing whole chromosomes besides the presence of supernumerary centrosomes and aneuploidy. Conclusion Here we show for the first time that RB acute loss triggers centrosome amplification and aneuploidy in human primary fibroblasts. Altogether, our results suggest that pRb-depleted primary human fibroblasts possess an intact spindle checkpoint and that micronuclei, likely caused by mis-attached kinetochores that in turn trigger

  11. Bacterial mitotic machineries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gerdes, Kenn; Møller-Jensen, Jakob; Ebersbach, Gitte

    2004-01-01

    Here, we review recent progress that yields fundamental new insight into the molecular mechanisms behind plasmid and chromosome segregation in prokaryotic cells. In particular, we describe how prokaryotic actin homologs form mitotic machineries that segregate DNA before cell division. Thus, the P......M protein of plasmid R1 forms F actin-like filaments that separate and move plasmid DNA from mid-cell to the cell poles. Evidence from three different laboratories indicate that the morphogenetic MreB protein may be involved in segregation of the bacterial chromosome.......Here, we review recent progress that yields fundamental new insight into the molecular mechanisms behind plasmid and chromosome segregation in prokaryotic cells. In particular, we describe how prokaryotic actin homologs form mitotic machineries that segregate DNA before cell division. Thus, the Par...

  12. Genetic analysis of the spindle checkpoint genes san-1, mdf-2, bub-3 and the CENP-F homologues hcp-1 and hcp-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moore Landon L

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The spindle checkpoint delays the onset of anaphase until all sister chromatids are aligned properly at the metaphase plate. To investigate the role san-1, the MAD3 homologue, has in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos we used RNA interference (RNAi to identify genes synthetic lethal with the viable san-1(ok1580 deletion mutant. Results The san-1(ok1580 animal has low penetrating phenotypes including an increased incidence of males, larvae arrest, slow growth, protruding vulva, and defects in vulva morphogenesis. We found that the viability of san-1(ok1580 embryos is significantly reduced when HCP-1 (CENP-F homologue, MDF-1 (MAD-1 homologue, MDF-2 (MAD-2 homologue or BUB-3 (predicted BUB-3 homologue are reduced by RNAi. Interestingly, the viability of san-1(ok1580 embryos is not significantly reduced when the paralog of HCP-1, HCP-2, is reduced. The phenotype of san-1(ok1580;hcp-1(RNAi embryos includes embryonic and larval lethality, abnormal organ development, and an increase in abnormal chromosome segregation (aberrant mitotic nuclei, anaphase bridging. Several of the san-1(ok1580;hcp-1(RNAi animals displayed abnormal kinetochore (detected by MPM-2 and microtubule structure. The survival of mdf-2(RNAi;hcp-1(RNAi embryos but not bub-3(RNAi;hcp-1(RNAi embryos was also compromised. Finally, we found that san-1(ok1580 and bub-3(RNAi, but not hcp-1(RNAi embryos, were sensitive to anoxia, suggesting that like SAN-1, BUB-3 has a functional role as a spindle checkpoint protein. Conclusion Together, these data suggest that in the C. elegans embryo, HCP-1 interacts with a subset of the spindle checkpoint pathway. Furthermore, the fact that san-1(ok1580;hcp-1(RNAi animals had a severe viability defect whereas in the san-1(ok1580;hcp-2(RNAi and san-1(ok1580;hcp-2(ok1757 animals the viability defect was not as severe suggesting that hcp-1 and hcp-2 are not completely redundant.

  13. Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Replication Checkpoint Activation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bénédicte Recolin

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The major challenge of the cell cycle is to deliver an intact, and fully duplicated, genetic material to the daughter cells. To this end, progression of DNA synthesis is monitored by a feedback mechanism known as replication checkpoint that is untimely linked to DNA replication. This signaling pathway ensures coordination of DNA synthesis with cell cycle progression. Failure to activate this checkpoint in response to perturbation of DNA synthesis (replication stress results in forced cell division leading to chromosome fragmentation, aneuploidy, and genomic instability. In this review, we will describe current knowledge of the molecular determinants of the DNA replication checkpoint in eukaryotic cells and discuss a model of activation of this signaling pathway crucial for maintenance of genomic stability.

  14. Immune mediated neuropathy following checkpoint immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Yufan; Menzies, Alexander M; Long, Georgina V; Fernando, S L; Herkes, G

    2017-11-01

    Checkpoint immunotherapy has revolutionised cancer therapy and is now standard treatment for many malignancies including metastatic melanoma. Acute inflammatory neuropathies, often labelled as Guillain-Barre syndrome, are an uncommon but potentially severe complication of checkpoint immunotherapy with individual cases described but never characterised as a group. We describe a case of acute sensorimotor and autonomic neuropathy following a single dose of combination ipilimumab and nivolumab for metastatic melanoma. A literature search was performed, identifying 14 other cases of acute neuropathy following checkpoint immunotherapy, with the clinical, electrophysiological and laboratory features summarised. Most cases described an acute sensorimotor neuropathy (92%) with hyporeflexia (92%) that could occur from induction up till many weeks after the final dose of therapy. In contrast to Guillain-Barre syndrome, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis often shows a lymphocytic picture (50%) and the electrophysiology showed an axonal pattern (55%). Treatment was variable and often in combination. 11 cases received steroid therapy with only 1 death within this group, whereas of the 4 patients who did not receive steroid therapy there were 3 deaths. In conclusion checkpoint immunotherapy - induced acute neuropathies are distinct from and progress differently to Guillain-Barre syndrome. As with other immunotherapy related adverse events corticosteroid therapy should be initiated in addition to usual therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Characterization of a cancer cell line that expresses a splicing variant form of 53BP1: Separation of checkpoint and repair functions in 53BP1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwabuchi, Kuniyoshi; Matsui, Tadashi; Hashimoto, Mitsumasa; Matsumoto, Yoshihisa; Kurihara, Takayuki; Date, Takayasu

    2008-01-01

    53BP1 plays important roles in checkpoint signaling and repair for DNA double-strand breaks. We found that a colon cancer cell line, SW48, expressed a splicing variant form of 53BP1, which lacks the residues corresponding to exons 10 and 11. Activation of ATM and phosphorylation of ATM and ATR targets occurred in SW48 cells in response to X-irradiation, and these X-ray-induced responses were not enhanced by expression of full-length 53BP1 in SW48 cells, indicating that this splicing variant fully activates the major checkpoint signaling in SW48 cells. In contrast, the expression of full-length 53BP1 in SW48 cells promoted the repair of X-ray-induced DNA damage, evidenced by faster disappearance of X-ray-induced γ-H2AX foci, a marker for DNA damage, and less residual chromosomal aberrations after X-irradiation. We conclude that the two major roles of 53BP1, the checkpoint signaling and repair for DNA damage, can be functionally separated

  16. Mitotic Stress Is an Integral Part of the Oncogene-Induced Senescence Program that Promotes Multinucleation and Cell Cycle Arrest

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dina Dikovskaya

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS is a tumor suppression mechanism that blocks cell proliferation in response to oncogenic signaling. OIS is frequently accompanied by multinucleation; however, the origin of this is unknown. Here, we show that multinucleate OIS cells originate mostly from failed mitosis. Prior to senescence, mutant H-RasV12 activation in primary human fibroblasts compromised mitosis, concordant with abnormal expression of mitotic genes functionally linked to the observed mitotic spindle and chromatin defects. Simultaneously, H-RasV12 activation enhanced survival of cells with damaged mitoses, culminating in extended mitotic arrest and aberrant exit from mitosis via mitotic slippage. ERK-dependent transcriptional upregulation of Mcl1 was, at least in part, responsible for enhanced survival and slippage of cells with mitotic defects. Importantly, mitotic slippage and oncogene signaling cooperatively induced senescence and key senescence effectors p21 and p16. In summary, activated Ras coordinately triggers mitotic disruption and enhanced cell survival to promote formation of multinucleate senescent cells.

  17. Mitotic spindle proteomics in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary Kate Bonner

    Full Text Available Mitosis is a fundamental process in the development of all organisms. The mitotic spindle guides the cell through mitosis as it mediates the segregation of chromosomes, the orientation of the cleavage furrow, and the progression of cell division. Birth defects and tissue-specific cancers often result from abnormalities in mitotic events. Here, we report a proteomic study of the mitotic spindle from Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO cells. Four different isolations of metaphase spindles were subjected to Multi-dimensional Protein Identification Technology (MudPIT analysis and tandem mass spectrometry. We identified 1155 proteins and used Gene Ontology (GO analysis to categorize proteins into cellular component groups. We then compared our data to the previously published CHO midbody proteome and identified proteins that are unique to the CHO spindle. Our data represent the first mitotic spindle proteome in CHO cells, which augments the list of mitotic spindle components from mammalian cells.

  18. Detection of mitotic figures in thin melanomas--immunohistochemistry does not replace the careful search for mitotic figures in hematoxylin-eosin stain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ottmann, Karl; Tronnier, Michael; Mitteldorf, Christina

    2015-10-01

    The mitotic rate is an important prognostic criterion in patients with thin melanoma ≤ 1 mm. The aim of this study was to investigate the reproducibility of the mitotic rate in thin melanoma in hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) stain and compare it with the detection of mitotic figures by immunohistochemistry. The number of mitoses stated in the routine diagnostic report in 190 pT1 melanomas was compared with the number gained from re-evaluation of H&E sections and the number detected after staining with the mitotic marker, phosphohistone H3 (PHH3). Two different approaches were used for choosing the "hot spot" for evaluation (dermal vs epidermal/dermal). Comparing routine H&E-stained slides with re-evaluation slides, the number of mitotic figures was slightly variable. However, findings did not result in a change of the tumor stage. In 34% of the tumors with dermal mitotic figures on H&E, mitoses could not be found in the corresponding PHH3 slide anymore. In 4% of the cases, stage relevant mitoses could only be found by PHH3 immunohistochemistry. This is a single center study. Immunohistochemical staining for mitotic figures does not replace a careful evaluation of H&E-stained slides. Immunohistochemical detection of mitosis is only an additional tool; the time-saving effect is therefore negligible. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. High frequency induction of mitotic recombination by ionizing radiation in Mlh1 null mouse cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Qi; Ponomareva, Olga N.; Lasarev, Michael; Turker, Mitchell S.

    2006-01-01

    Mitotic recombination in somatic cells involves crossover events between homologous autosomal chromosomes. This process can convert a cell with a heterozygous deficiency to one with a homozygous deficiency if a mutant allele is present on one of the two homologous autosomes. Thus mitotic recombination often represents the second mutational step in tumor suppressor gene inactivation. In this study we examined the frequency and spectrum of ionizing radiation (IR)-induced autosomal mutations affecting Aprt expression in a mouse kidney cell line null for the Mlh1 mismatch repair (MMR) gene. The mutant frequency results demonstrated high frequency induction of mutations by IR exposure and the spectral analysis revealed that most of this response was due to the induction of mitotic recombinational events. High frequency induction of mitotic recombination was not observed in a DNA repair-proficient cell line or in a cell line with an MMR-independent mutator phenotype. These results demonstrate that IR exposure can initiate a process leading to mitotic recombinational events and that MMR function suppresses these events from occurring

  20. The DNA Replication Checkpoint Directly Regulates MBF-Dependent G1/S Transcription▿

    OpenAIRE

    Dutta, Chaitali; Patel, Prasanta K.; Rosebrock, Adam; Oliva, Anna; Leatherwood, Janet; Rhind, Nicholas

    2008-01-01

    The DNA replication checkpoint transcriptionally upregulates genes that allow cells to adapt to and survive replication stress. Our results show that, in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the replication checkpoint regulates the entire G1/S transcriptional program by directly regulating MBF, the G1/S transcription factor. Instead of initiating a checkpoint-specific transcriptional program, the replication checkpoint targets MBF to maintain the normal G1/S transcriptional program du...

  1. Orchestration of DNA Damage Checkpoint Dynamics across the Human Cell Cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Hui Xiao; Poovey, Cere E; Privette, Ashley A; Grant, Gavin D; Chao, Hui Yan; Cook, Jeanette G; Purvis, Jeremy E

    2017-11-22

    Although molecular mechanisms that prompt cell-cycle arrest in response to DNA damage have been elucidated, the systems-level properties of DNA damage checkpoints are not understood. Here, using time-lapse microscopy and simulations that model the cell cycle as a series of Poisson processes, we characterize DNA damage checkpoints in individual, asynchronously proliferating cells. We demonstrate that, within early G1 and G2, checkpoints are stringent: DNA damage triggers an abrupt, all-or-none cell-cycle arrest. The duration of this arrest correlates with the severity of DNA damage. After the cell passes commitment points within G1 and G2, checkpoint stringency is relaxed. By contrast, all of S phase is comparatively insensitive to DNA damage. This checkpoint is graded: instead of halting the cell cycle, increasing DNA damage leads to slower S phase progression. In sum, we show that a cell's response to DNA damage depends on its exact cell-cycle position and that checkpoints are phase-dependent, stringent or relaxed, and graded or all-or-none. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Dataset from the global phosphoproteomic mapping of early mitotic exit in human cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samuel Rogers

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The presence or absence of a phosphorylation on a substrate at any particular point in time is a functional readout of the balance in activity between the regulatory kinase and the counteracting phosphatase. Understanding how stable or short-lived a phosphorylation site is required for fully appreciating the biological consequences of the phosphorylation. Our current understanding of kinases and their substrates is well established; however, the role phosphatases play is less understood. Therefore, we utilized a phosphatase dependent model of mitotic exit to identify potential substrates that are preferentially dephosphorylated. Using this method, we identified >16,000 phosphosites on >3300 unique proteins, and quantified the temporal phosphorylation changes that occur during early mitotic exit (McCloy et al., 2015 [1]. Furthermore, we annotated the majority of these phosphorylation sites with a high confidence upstream kinase using published, motif and prediction based methods. The results from this study have been deposited into the ProteomeXchange repository with identifier PXD001559. Here we provide additional analysis of this dataset; for each of the major mitotic kinases we identified motifs that correlated strongly with phosphorylation status. These motifs could be used to predict the stability of phosphorylated residues in proteins of interest, and help infer potential functional roles for uncharacterized phosphorylations. In addition, we provide validation at the single cell level that serine residues phosphorylated by Cdk are stable during phosphatase dependent mitotic exit. In summary, this unique dataset contains information on the temporal mitotic stability of thousands of phosphorylation sites regulated by dozens of kinases, and information on the potential preference that phosphatases have at both the protein and individual phosphosite level. The compellation of this data provides an invaluable resource for the wider research

  3. Checkpoint independence of most DNA replication origins in fission yeast

    OpenAIRE

    Mickle, Katie L; Ramanathan, Sunita; Rosebrock, Adam; Oliva, Anna; Chaudari, Amna; Yompakdee, Chulee; Scott, Donna; Leatherwood, Janet; Huberman, Joel A

    2007-01-01

    Abstract Background In budding yeast, the replication checkpoint slows progress through S phase by inhibiting replication origin firing. In mammals, the replication checkpoint inhibits both origin firing and replication fork movement. To find out which strategy is employed in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we used microarrays to investigate the use of origins by wild-type and checkpoint-mutant strains in the presence of hydroxyurea (HU), which limits the pool of deoxyribonucleo...

  4. Checkpointing for graceful degradation in distributed embedded systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sababha, Belal Hussein

    Graceful degradation is an approach to developing dependable safety-critical embedded applications, where redundant active or standby resources are used to cope with faults through a system reconfiguration at run-time. Compared to traditional hardware and software redundancy, it is a promising technique that may achieve dependability with a significant reduction in cost, size, weight, and power requirements. Reconfiguration at run-time necessitates using proper checkpointing protocols to support state reservation to ensure correct task restarts after a system reconfiguration. One of the most common checkpointing protocols are communication induced checkpointing (CIC) protocols, which are well developed and understood for large parallel and information systems, but not much has been done for resource limited embedded systems. This work implements and evaluates some of the most common CIC protocols in a periodic resource constrained distributed embedded system for graceful degradation purposes. A test-bed has been developed and used for the evaluation of the various protocols. The implemented protocols are thoroughly studied and performances are contrasted. Specifically the periodicity property and how it benefits checkpointing in embedded systems is investigated. This work introduces a unique effort of CIC protocol implementation and evaluation in the field of distributed embedded systems. Other than providing a test-bed for graceful degradation support, this work shows that some checkpointing protocols that are not efficient in large information systems and supercomputers perform well in embedded systems. We show that a simple index-based CIC protocol, such as the BCS protocol, is more appropriate in embedded system applications compared to other protocols that piggyback a significant amount of information to reduce the number of forced checkpoints. Finally, this work proposes a whole graceful degradation approach to achieve fault tolerance in resource constrained

  5. Loading of PAX3 to Mitotic Chromosomes Is Mediated by Arginine Methylation and Associated with Waardenburg Syndrome*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Tsu-Fang; Yao, Ya-Li; Lai, I-Lu; Lai, Chien-Chen; Lin, Pei-Lun; Yang, Wen-Ming

    2015-01-01

    PAX3 is a transcription factor critical to gene regulation in mammalian development. Mutations in PAX3 are associated with Waardenburg syndrome (WS), but the mechanism of how mutant PAX3 proteins cause WS remains unclear. Here, we found that PAX3 loads on mitotic chromosomes using its homeodomain. PAX3 WS mutants with mutations in homeodomain lose the ability to bind mitotic chromosomes. Moreover, loading of PAX3 on mitotic chromosomes requires arginine methylation, which is regulated by methyltransferase PRMT5 and demethylase JMJD6. Mutant PAX3 proteins that lose mitotic chromosome localization block cell proliferation and normal development of zebrafish. These results reveal the molecular mechanism of PAX3s loading on mitotic chromosomes and the importance of this localization pattern in normal development. Our findings suggest that PAX3 WS mutants interfere with the normal functions of PAX3 in a dominant negative manner, which is important to the understanding of the pathogenesis of Waardenburg syndrome. PMID:26149688

  6. In vitro analysis of the role of replication protein A (RPA) and RPA phosphorylation in ATR-mediated checkpoint signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsey-Boltz, Laura A; Reardon, Joyce T; Wold, Marc S; Sancar, Aziz

    2012-10-19

    Replication protein A (RPA) plays essential roles in DNA metabolism, including replication, checkpoint, and repair. Recently, we described an in vitro system in which the phosphorylation of human Chk1 kinase by ATR (ataxia telangiectasia mutated and Rad3-related) is dependent on RPA bound to single-stranded DNA. Here, we report that phosphorylation of other ATR targets, p53 and Rad17, has the same requirements and that RPA is also phosphorylated in this system. At high p53 or Rad17 concentrations, RPA phosphorylation is inhibited and, in this system, RPA with phosphomimetic mutations cannot support ATR kinase function, whereas a non-phosphorylatable RPA mutant exhibits full activity. Phosphorylation of these ATR substrates depends on the recruitment of ATR and the substrates by RPA to the RPA-ssDNA complex. Finally, mutant RPAs lacking checkpoint function exhibit essentially normal activity in nucleotide excision repair, revealing RPA separation of function for checkpoint and excision repair.

  7. In Vitro Analysis of the Role of Replication Protein A (RPA) and RPA Phosphorylation in ATR-mediated Checkpoint Signaling*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsey-Boltz, Laura A.; Reardon, Joyce T.; Wold, Marc S.; Sancar, Aziz

    2012-01-01

    Replication protein A (RPA) plays essential roles in DNA metabolism, including replication, checkpoint, and repair. Recently, we described an in vitro system in which the phosphorylation of human Chk1 kinase by ATR (ataxia telangiectasia mutated and Rad3-related) is dependent on RPA bound to single-stranded DNA. Here, we report that phosphorylation of other ATR targets, p53 and Rad17, has the same requirements and that RPA is also phosphorylated in this system. At high p53 or Rad17 concentrations, RPA phosphorylation is inhibited and, in this system, RPA with phosphomimetic mutations cannot support ATR kinase function, whereas a non-phosphorylatable RPA mutant exhibits full activity. Phosphorylation of these ATR substrates depends on the recruitment of ATR and the substrates by RPA to the RPA-ssDNA complex. Finally, mutant RPAs lacking checkpoint function exhibit essentially normal activity in nucleotide excision repair, revealing RPA separation of function for checkpoint and excision repair. PMID:22948311

  8. Attenuation of G{sub 2} cell cycle checkpoint control in human tumor cells is associated with increased frequencies of unrejoined chromosome breaks but not increased cytotoxicity following radiation exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schwartz, J.L.; Cowan, J.; Grdina, D.J. [and others

    1997-08-01

    The contribution of G{sub 2} cell cycle checkpoint control to ionizing radiation responses was examined in ten human tumor cell lines. Most of the delay in cell cycle progression seen in the first cell cycle following radiation exposure was due to blocks in G{sub 2} and there were large cell line-to-cell line variations in the length of the G{sub 2} block. Longer delays were seen in cell lines that had mutations in p53. There was a highly significant inverse correlation between the length of G{sub 2} delay and the frequency of unrejoined chromosome breaks seen as chromosome terminal deletions in mitosis, and observation that supports the hypothesis that the signal for G{sub 2} delay in mammalian cells is an unrejoined chromosome break. There were also an inverse correlation between the length of G{sub 2} delay and the level of chromosome aneuploidy in each cell line, suggesting that the G{sub 2} and mitotic spindel checkpoints may be linked to each other. Attenuation in G{sub 2} checkpoint control was not associated with alterations in either the frequency of induced chromosome rearrangements or cell survival following radiation exposure suggesting that chromosome rearrangements, the major radiation-induced lethal lesion in tumor cells, form before cells enters G{sub 2}. Thus, agents that act solely to override G{sub 2} arrest should produce little radiosensitization in human tumor cells.

  9. Combination approaches with immune checkpoint blockade in cancer therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maarten Swart

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In healthy individuals, immune checkpoint molecules prevent autoimmune responses and limit immune cell-mediated tissue damage. Tumors frequently exploit these molecules to evade eradication by the immune system. Over the past years, immune checkpoint blockade of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4 and programmed death-1 (PD-1 emerged as promising strategies to activate anti-tumor cytotoxic T cell responses. Although complete regression and long-term survival is achieved in some patients, not all patients respond. This review describes promising, novel combination approaches involving immune checkpoint blockade, aimed at increasing response-rates to the single treatments.

  10. A nontranscriptional role for Oct4 in the regulation of mitotic entry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Rui; Deibler, Richard W.; Lerou, Paul H.; Ballabeni, Andrea; Heffner, Garrett C.; Cahan, Patrick; Unternaehrer, Juli J.; Kirschner, Marc W.; Daley, George Q.

    2014-01-01

    Rapid progression through the cell cycle and a very short G1 phase are defining characteristics of embryonic stem cells. This distinct cell cycle is driven by a positive feedback loop involving Rb inactivation and reduced oscillations of cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) activity. In this setting, we inquired how ES cells avoid the potentially deleterious consequences of premature mitotic entry. We found that the pluripotency transcription factor Oct4 (octamer-binding transcription factor 4) plays an unappreciated role in the ES cell cycle by forming a complex with cyclin–Cdk1 and inhibiting Cdk1 activation. Ectopic expression of Oct4 or a mutant lacking transcriptional activity recapitulated delayed mitotic entry in HeLa cells. Reduction of Oct4 levels in ES cells accelerated G2 progression, which led to increased chromosomal missegregation and apoptosis. Our data demonstrate an unexpected nontranscriptional function of Oct4 in the regulation of mitotic entry. PMID:25324523

  11. Space Reclamation for Uncoordinated Checkpointing in Message-Passing Systems. Ph.D. Thesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yi-Min

    1993-01-01

    Checkpointing and rollback recovery are techniques that can provide efficient recovery from transient process failures. In a message-passing system, the rollback of a message sender may cause the rollback of the corresponding receiver, and the system needs to roll back to a consistent set of checkpoints called recovery line. If the processes are allowed to take uncoordinated checkpoints, the above rollback propagation may result in the domino effect which prevents recovery line progression. Traditionally, only obsolete checkpoints before the global recovery line can be discarded, and the necessary and sufficient condition for identifying all garbage checkpoints has remained an open problem. A necessary and sufficient condition for achieving optimal garbage collection is derived and it is proved that the number of useful checkpoints is bounded by N(N+1)/2, where N is the number of processes. The approach is based on the maximum-sized antichain model of consistent global checkpoints and the technique of recovery line transformation and decomposition. It is also shown that, for systems requiring message logging to record in-transit messages, the same approach can be used to achieve optimal message log reclamation. As a final topic, a unifying framework is described by considering checkpoint coordination and exploiting piecewise determinism as mechanisms for bounding rollback propagation, and the applicability of the optimal garbage collection algorithm to domino-free recovery protocols is demonstrated.

  12. ATYPICAL MITOTIC FIGURES AND THE MITOTIC INDEX IN CERVICAL INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    VANLEEUWEN, AM; PIETERS, WJLM; HOLLEMA, H; BURGER, MPM

    1995-01-01

    We surveyed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) to quantify the proliferation rate and the presence of normal and atypical mitotic figures. In the cervical tissue specimens of 127 women with CIN, the area with the highest cell proliferation was identified and, at that site, the proliferation

  13. Sobriety checkpoints in Thailand: a review of effectiveness and developments over time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ditsuwan, Vallop; Veerman, J Lennert; Bertram, Melanie; Vos, Theo

    2015-03-01

    This review describes the legal basis for and implementation of sobriety checkpoints in Thailand and identifies factors that influenced their historical development and effectiveness. The first alcohol and traffic injury control law in Thailand was implemented in 1934. The 0.05 g/100 mL blood alcohol concentration limit was set in 1994. Currently, 3 types of sobriety checkpoints are used: general police checkpoints, selective breath testing, and special event sobriety checkpoints. The authors found few reports on the strategies, frequencies, and outcomes for any of these types of checkpoints, despite Thailand having devoted many resources to their implementation. In Thailand and other low-middle income countries, it is necessary to address the country-specific barriers to successful enforcement (including political and logistical issues, lack of equipment, and absence of other supportive alcohol harm reduction measures) before sobriety checkpoints can be expected to be as effective as reported in high-income countries. © 2011 APJPH.

  14. A phospho-proteomic screen identifies substrates of the checkpoint kinase Chk1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blasius, Melanie; Forment, Josep V; Thakkar, Neha

    2011-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The cell-cycle checkpoint kinase Chk1 is essential in mammalian cells due to its roles in controlling processes such as DNA replication, mitosis and DNA-damage responses. Despite its paramount importance, how Chk1 controls these functions remains unclear, mainly because very few Chk1...

  15. JMJD5 (Jumonji Domain-containing 5) Associates with Spindle Microtubules and Is Required for Proper Mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Zhimin; Wu, Junyu; Su, Xiaonan; Zhang, Ye; Pan, Lixia; Wei, Huimin; Fang, Qiang; Li, Haitao; Wang, Da-Liang; Sun, Fang-Lin

    2016-02-26

    Precise mitotic spindle assembly is a guarantee of proper chromosome segregation during mitosis. Chromosome instability caused by disturbed mitosis is one of the major features of various types of cancer. JMJD5 has been reported to be involved in epigenetic regulation of gene expression in the nucleus, but little is known about its function in mitotic process. Here we report the unexpected localization and function of JMJD5 in mitotic progression. JMJD5 partially accumulates on mitotic spindles during mitosis, and depletion of JMJD5 results in significant mitotic arrest, spindle assembly defects, and sustained activation of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). Inactivating SAC can efficiently reverse the mitotic arrest caused by JMJD5 depletion. Moreover, JMJD5 is found to interact with tubulin proteins and associate with microtubules during mitosis. JMJD5-depleted cells show a significant reduction of α-tubulin acetylation level on mitotic spindles and fail to generate enough interkinetochore tension to satisfy the SAC. Further, JMJD5 depletion also increases the susceptibility of HeLa cells to the antimicrotubule agent. Taken together, these results suggest that JMJD5 plays an important role in regulating mitotic progression, probably by modulating the stability of spindle microtubules. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  16. The Pch2 AAA+ ATPase promotes phosphorylation of the Hop1 meiotic checkpoint adaptor in response to synaptonemal complex defects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herruzo, Esther; Ontoso, David; González-Arranz, Sara; Cavero, Santiago; Lechuga, Ana; San-Segundo, Pedro A

    2016-09-19

    Meiotic cells possess surveillance mechanisms that monitor critical events such as recombination and chromosome synapsis. Meiotic defects resulting from the absence of the synaptonemal complex component Zip1 activate a meiosis-specific checkpoint network resulting in delayed or arrested meiotic progression. Pch2 is an evolutionarily conserved AAA+ ATPase required for the checkpoint-induced meiotic block in the zip1 mutant, where Pch2 is only detectable at the ribosomal DNA array (nucleolus). We describe here that high levels of the Hop1 protein, a checkpoint adaptor that localizes to chromosome axes, suppress the checkpoint defect of a zip1 pch2 mutant restoring Mek1 activity and meiotic cell cycle delay. We demonstrate that the critical role of Pch2 in this synapsis checkpoint is to sustain Mec1-dependent phosphorylation of Hop1 at threonine 318. We also show that the ATPase activity of Pch2 is essential for its checkpoint function and that ATP binding to Pch2 is required for its localization. Previous work has shown that Pch2 negatively regulates Hop1 chromosome abundance during unchallenged meiosis. Based on our results, we propose that, under checkpoint-inducing conditions, Pch2 also possesses a positive action on Hop1 promoting its phosphorylation and its proper distribution on unsynapsed chromosome axes. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  17. Action-oriented use of ergonomic checkpoints for healthy work design in different settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kogi, Kazutaka

    2007-12-01

    Recent experiences in the action-oriented use of ergonomic checkpoints in different work settings are reviewed. The purpose is to know what features are useful for healthy work design adjusted to each local situation. Based on the review results, common features of ergonomic checkpoints used in participatory training programs for improving workplace conditions in small enterprises, construction sites, home work and agriculture in industrially developing countries in Asia are discussed. These checkpoints generally compile practical improvement options in a broad range of technical areas, such as materials handling, workstation design, physical environment and work organization. Usually, "action checklists" comprising the tiles of the checkpoints are used together. A clear focus is placed on readily applicable low-cost options. Three common features of these various checkpoints appear to be important. First, the checkpoints represent typical good practices in multiple areas. Second, each how-to section of these checkpoints presents simple improvements reflecting basic ergonomic principles. Examples of these principles include easy reach, fewer and faster transport, elbow-level work, coded displays, isolated or screened hazards and shared teamwork. Third, the illustrated checkpoints accompanied by corresponding checklists are used as group work tools in short-term training courses. Many practical improvements achieved are displayed in websites for inter-country work improvement networks. It is suggested to promote the use of locally adjusted checkpoints in various forms of participatory action-oriented training in small-scale workplaces and in agriculture particularly in industrially developing countries.

  18. Loading of PAX3 to Mitotic Chromosomes Is Mediated by Arginine Methylation and Associated with Waardenburg Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Tsu-Fang; Yao, Ya-Li; Lai, I-Lu; Lai, Chien-Chen; Lin, Pei-Lun; Yang, Wen-Ming

    2015-08-14

    PAX3 is a transcription factor critical to gene regulation in mammalian development. Mutations in PAX3 are associated with Waardenburg syndrome (WS), but the mechanism of how mutant PAX3 proteins cause WS remains unclear. Here, we found that PAX3 loads on mitotic chromosomes using its homeodomain. PAX3 WS mutants with mutations in homeodomain lose the ability to bind mitotic chromosomes. Moreover, loading of PAX3 on mitotic chromosomes requires arginine methylation, which is regulated by methyltransferase PRMT5 and demethylase JMJD6. Mutant PAX3 proteins that lose mitotic chromosome localization block cell proliferation and normal development of zebrafish. These results reveal the molecular mechanism of PAX3s loading on mitotic chromosomes and the importance of this localization pattern in normal development. Our findings suggest that PAX3 WS mutants interfere with the normal functions of PAX3 in a dominant negative manner, which is important to the understanding of the pathogenesis of Waardenburg syndrome. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  19. Evidence for a transketolase-mediated metabolic checkpoint governing biotrophic growth in rice cells by the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessie Fernandez

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae threatens global food security through the widespread destruction of cultivated rice. Foliar infection requires a specialized cell called an appressorium that generates turgor to force a thin penetration hypha through the rice cuticle and into the underlying epidermal cells, where the fungus grows for the first days of infection as a symptomless biotroph. Understanding what controls biotrophic growth could open new avenues for developing sustainable blast intervention programs. Here, using molecular genetics and live-cell imaging, we dismantled M. oryzae glucose-metabolizing pathways to reveal that the transketolase enzyme, encoded by TKL1, plays an essential role in facilitating host colonization during rice blast disease. In the absence of transketolase, Δtkl1 mutant strains formed functional appressoria that penetrated rice cuticles successfully and developed invasive hyphae (IH in rice cells from primary hyphae. However, Δtkl1 could not undertake sustained biotrophic growth or cell-to-cell movement. Transcript data and observations using fluorescently labeled histone H1:RFP fusion proteins indicated Δtkl1 mutant strains were alive in host cells but were delayed in mitosis. Mitotic delay could be reversed and IH growth restored by the addition of exogenous ATP, a metabolite depleted in Δtkl1 mutant strains. We show that ATP might act via the TOR signaling pathway, and TOR is likely a downstream target of activation for TKL1. TKL1 is also involved in controlling the migration of appressorial nuclei into primary hyphae in host cells. When taken together, our results indicate transketolase has a novel role in mediating--via ATP and TOR signaling--an in planta-specific metabolic checkpoint that controls nuclear migration from appressoria into primary hyphae, prevents mitotic delay in early IH and promotes biotrophic growth. This work thus provides new information about the metabolic strategies employed by M

  20. Development of cell-cycle checkpoint therapy for solid tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamura, Kenji

    2015-12-01

    Cellular proliferation is tightly controlled by several cell-cycle checkpoint proteins. In cancer, the genes encoding these proteins are often disrupted and cause unrestrained cancer growth. The proteins are over-expressed in many malignancies; thus, they are potential targets for anti-cancer therapies. These proteins include cyclin-dependent kinase, checkpoint kinase, WEE1 kinase, aurora kinase and polo-like kinase. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors are the most advanced cell-cycle checkpoint therapeutics available. For instance, palbociclib (PD0332991) is a first-in-class, oral, highly selective inhibitor of CDK4/6 and, in combination with letrozole (Phase II; PALOMA-1) or with fulvestrant (Phase III; PALOMA-3), it has significantly prolonged progression-free survival, in patients with metastatic estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, in comparison with that observed in patients using letrozole, or fulvestrant alone, respectively. In this review, we provide an overview of the current compounds available for cell-cycle checkpoint protein-directed therapy for solid tumors. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. A checkpoint compression study for high-performance computing systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ibtesham, Dewan [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). Dept. of Computer Science; Ferreira, Kurt B. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Scalable System Software Dept.; Arnold, Dorian [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). Dept. of Computer Science

    2015-02-17

    As high-performance computing systems continue to increase in size and complexity, higher failure rates and increased overheads for checkpoint/restart (CR) protocols have raised concerns about the practical viability of CR protocols for future systems. Previously, compression has proven to be a viable approach for reducing checkpoint data volumes and, thereby, reducing CR protocol overhead leading to improved application performance. In this article, we further explore compression-based CR optimization by exploring its baseline performance and scaling properties, evaluating whether improved compression algorithms might lead to even better application performance and comparing checkpoint compression against and alongside other software- and hardware-based optimizations. Our results highlights are: (1) compression is a very viable CR optimization; (2) generic, text-based compression algorithms appear to perform near optimally for checkpoint data compression and faster compression algorithms will not lead to better application performance; (3) compression-based optimizations fare well against and alongside other software-based optimizations; and (4) while hardware-based optimizations outperform software-based ones, they are not as cost effective.

  2. Spindle assembly checkpoint protein expression correlates with cellular proliferation and shorter time to recurrence in ovarian cancer.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    McGrogan, Barbara

    2014-07-01

    Ovarian carcinoma (OC) is the most lethal of the gynecological malignancies, often presenting at an advanced stage. Treatment is hampered by high levels of drug resistance. The taxanes are microtubule stabilizing agents, used as first-line agents in the treatment of OC that exert their apoptotic effects through the spindle assembly checkpoint. BUB1-related protein kinase (BUBR1) and mitotic arrest deficient 2 (MAD2), essential spindle assembly checkpoint components, play a key role in response to taxanes. BUBR1, MAD2, and Ki-67 were assessed on an OC tissue microarray platform representing 72 OC tumors of varying histologic subtypes. Sixty-one of these patients received paclitaxel and platinum agents combined; 11 received platinum alone. Overall survival was available for all 72 patients, whereas recurrence-free survival (RFS) was available for 66 patients. Increased BUBR1 expression was seen in serous carcinomas, compared with other histologies (P = .03). Increased BUBR1 was significantly associated with tumors of advanced stage (P = .05). Increased MAD2 and BUBR1 expression also correlated with increased cellular proliferation (P < .0002 and P = .02, respectively). Reduced MAD2 nuclear intensity was associated with a shorter RFS (P = .03), in ovarian tumors of differing histologic subtype (n = 66). In this subgroup, for those women who received paclitaxel and platinum agents combined (n = 57), reduced MAD2 intensity also identified women with a shorter RFS (P < .007). For the entire cohort of patients, irrespective of histologic subtype or treatment, MAD2 nuclear intensity retained independent significance in a multivariate model, with tumors showing reduced nuclear MAD2 intensity identifying patients with a poorer RFS (P = .05).

  3. An ATM-independent S-phase checkpoint response involves CHK1 pathway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Xiang-Yang; Wang, Xiang; Hu, Baocheng; Guan, Jun; Iliakis, George; Wang, Ya

    2002-01-01

    After exposure to genotoxic stress, proliferating cells actively slow down the DNA replication through a S-phase checkpoint to provide time for repair. We report that in addition to the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-dependent pathway that controls the fast response, there is an ATM-independent pathway that controls the slow response to regulate the S-phase checkpoint after ionizing radiation in mammalian cells. The slow response of S-phase checkpoint, which is resistant to wortmannin, sensitive to caffeine and UCN-01, and related to cyclin-dependent kinase phosphorylation, is much stronger in CHK1 overexpressed cells, and it could be abolished by Chk1 antisense oligonucleotides. These results provide evidence that the ATM-independent slow response of S-phase checkpoint involves CHK1 pathway.

  4. An origin-deficient yeast artificial chromosome triggers a cell cycle checkpoint.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Brabant, A J; Buchanan, C D; Charboneau, E; Fangman, W L; Brewer, B J

    2001-04-01

    Checkpoint controls coordinate entry into mitosis with the completion of DNA replication. Depletion of nucleotide precursors by treatment with the drug hydroxyurea triggers such a checkpoint response. However, it is not clear whether the signal for this hydroxyurea-induced checkpoint pathway is the presence of unreplicated DNA, or rather the persistence of single-stranded or damaged DNA. In a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) we have engineered an approximately 170 kb region lacking efficient replication origins that allows us to explore the specific effects of unreplicated DNA on cell cycle progression. Replication of this YAC extends the length of S phase and causes cells to engage an S/M checkpoint. In the absence of Rad9 the YAC becomes unstable, undergoing deletions within the origin-free region.

  5. Caenorhabditis elegans histone methyltransferase MET-2 shields the male X chromosome from checkpoint machinery and mediates meiotic sex chromosome inactivation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paula M Checchi

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Meiosis is a specialized form of cellular division that results in the precise halving of the genome to produce gametes for sexual reproduction. Checkpoints function during meiosis to detect errors and subsequently to activate a signaling cascade that prevents the formation of aneuploid gametes. Indeed, asynapsis of a homologous chromosome pair elicits a checkpoint response that can in turn trigger germline apoptosis. In a heterogametic germ line, however, sex chromosomes proceed through meiosis with unsynapsed regions and are not recognized by checkpoint machinery. We conducted a directed RNAi screen in Caenorhabditis elegans to identify regulatory factors that prevent recognition of heteromorphic sex chromosomes as unpaired and uncovered a role for the SET domain histone H3 lysine 9 histone methyltransferase (HMTase MET-2 and two additional HMTases in shielding the male X from checkpoint machinery. We found that MET-2 also mediates the transcriptional silencing program of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI but not meiotic silencing of unsynapsed chromatin (MSUC, suggesting that these processes are distinct. Further, MSCI and checkpoint shielding can be uncoupled, as double-strand breaks targeted to an unpaired, transcriptionally silenced extra-chromosomal array induce checkpoint activation in germ lines depleted for met-2. In summary, our data uncover a mechanism by which repressive chromatin architecture enables checkpoint proteins to distinguish between the partnerless male X chromosome and asynapsed chromosomes thereby shielding the lone X from inappropriate activation of an apoptotic program.

  6. Axin localizes to mitotic spindles and centrosomes in mitotic cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Shi-Mun; Choi, Eun-Jin; Song, Ki-Joon; Kim, Sewoon; Seo, Eunjeong; Jho, Eek-Hoon; Kee, Sun-Ho

    2009-01-01

    Wnt signaling plays critical roles in cell proliferation and carcinogenesis. In addition, numerous recent studies have shown that various Wnt signaling components are involved in mitosis and chromosomal instability. However, the role of Axin, a negative regulator of Wnt signaling, in mitosis has remained unclear. Using monoclonal antibodies against Axin, we found that Axin localizes to the centrosome and along mitotic spindles. This localization was suppressed by siRNA specific for Aurora A kinase and by Aurora kinase inhibitor. Interestingly, Axin over-expression altered the subcellular distribution of Plk1 and of phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase (GSK3β) without producing any notable changes in cellular phenotype. In the presence of Aurora kinase inhibitor, Axin over-expression induced the formation of cleavage furrow-like structures and of prominent astral microtubules lacking midbody formation in a subset of cells. Our results suggest that Axin modulates distribution of Axin-associated proteins such as Plk1 and GSK3β in an expression level-dependent manner and these interactions affect the mitotic process, including cytokinesis under certain conditions, such as in the presence of Aurora kinase inhibitor

  7. The SUMO protease SENP1 is required for cohesion maintenance and mitotic arrest following spindle poison treatment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Era, Saho [Fondazione IFOM, Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, IFOM-IEO campus, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milan (Italy); Radiation Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan); Abe, Takuya; Arakawa, Hiroshi [Fondazione IFOM, Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, IFOM-IEO campus, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milan (Italy); Kobayashi, Shunsuke [Radiation Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan); Szakal, Barnabas [Fondazione IFOM, Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, IFOM-IEO campus, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milan (Italy); Yoshikawa, Yusuke; Motegi, Akira; Takeda, Shunichi [Radiation Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan); Branzei, Dana, E-mail: dana.branzei@ifom.eu [Fondazione IFOM, Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, IFOM-IEO campus, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milan (Italy)

    2012-09-28

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SENP1 knockout chicken DT40 cells are hypersensitive to spindle poisons. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Spindle poison treatment of SENP1{sup -/-} cells leads to increased mitotic slippage. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mitotic slippage in SENP1{sup -/-} cells associates with apoptosis and endoreplication. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SENP1 counteracts sister chromatid separation during mitotic arrest. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Plk1-mediated cohesion down-regulation is involved in colcemid cytotoxicity. -- Abstract: SUMO conjugation is a reversible posttranslational modification that regulates protein function. SENP1 is one of the six SUMO-specific proteases present in vertebrate cells and its altered expression is observed in several carcinomas. To characterize SENP1 role in genome integrity, we generated Senp1 knockout chicken DT40 cells. SENP1{sup -/-} cells show normal proliferation, but are sensitive to spindle poisons. This hypersensitivity correlates with increased sister chromatid separation, mitotic slippage, and apoptosis. To test whether the cohesion defect had a causal relationship with the observed mitotic events, we restored the cohesive status of sister chromatids by introducing the TOP2{alpha}{sup +/-} mutation, which leads to increased catenation, or by inhibiting Plk1 and Aurora B kinases that promote cohesin release from chromosomes during prolonged mitotic arrest. Although TOP2{alpha} is SUMOylated during mitosis, the TOP2{alpha}{sup +/-} mutation had no obvious effect. By contrast, inhibition of Plk1 or Aurora B rescued the hypersensitivity of SENP1{sup -/-} cells to colcemid. In conclusion, we identify SENP1 as a novel factor required for mitotic arrest and cohesion maintenance during prolonged mitotic arrest induced by spindle poisons.

  8. THE INFLUENCE OF CAFFEINE ON MITOTIC DIVISION AT CAPSICUM ANNUUM L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Rosu

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents, the caffeine effects in mitotic division at Capsicum annuum L.. The treatment has determined the lessening of the mitotic index (comparative with the control variant, until mitotic division total inhibition, as well as an growth frequency of division aberation in anaphase and telophase.

  9. Mitotic and apoptotic activity in colorectal neoplasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohoutova, Darina; Pejchal, Jaroslav; Bures, Jan

    2018-05-18

    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is third most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. The aim of the prospective study was to evaluate mitosis and apoptosis of epithelial cells at each stage of colorectal neoplasia. A total of 61 persons were enrolled into the study: 18 patients with non-advanced colorectal adenoma (non-a-A), 13 patients with advanced colorectal adenoma (a-A), 13 patients with CRC and 17 controls: individuals with normal findings on colonoscopy. Biopsy samples were taken from pathology (patients) and healthy mucosa (patients and healthy controls). Samples were formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded and stained with haematoxylin-eosin. Mitotic and apoptotic activity were evaluated in lower and upper part of the crypts and in the superficial compartment. Apoptotic activity was also assessed using detection of activated caspase-3. In controls, mitotic activity was present in lower part of crypts, accompanied with low apoptotic activity. Mitotic and apoptotic activity decreased (to almost zero) in upper part of crypts. In superficial compartment, increase in apoptotic activity was observed. Transformation of healthy mucosa into non-a-A was associated with significant increase of mitotic activity in lower and upper part of the crypts and with significant increase of apoptotic activity in all three compartments; p colorectal neoplasia were observed. Detection of activated caspase-3 confirmed the above findings in apoptotic activity. Significant dysregulation of mitosis and apoptosis during the progression of colorectal neoplasia, corresponding with histology, was confirmed. In patients with sporadic colorectal neoplasia, healthy mucosa does not display different mitotic and apoptotic activity compared to mucosa in healthy controls and therefore adequate endoscopic/surgical removal of colorectal neoplasia is sufficient.

  10. Anaphase onset before complete DNA replication with intact checkpoint responses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Torres-Rosell, Jordi; De Piccoli, Giacomo; Cordon-Preciado, Violeta

    2007-01-01

    Cellular checkpoints prevent mitosis in the presence of stalled replication forks. Whether checkpoints also ensure the completion of DNA replication before mitosis is unknown. Here, we show that in yeast smc5-smc6 mutants, which are related to cohesin and condensin, replication is delayed, most...

  11. A New Adaptive Checkpointing Strategy for Mobile Computing

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    MENChaoguang; ZUODecheng; YANGXiaozong

    2005-01-01

    Adaptive checkpointing strategy is an efficient recovery scheme, which is suitable for mobile computing system. However, all existing adaptive checkpointing schemes are not correct to recover system when failure occurs in some special period. In this paper, the issues that will lead to system inconsistency are first discussed and then a new adaptive strategy that can recover system to correct consistent state is proposed. Our algorithm improves system recovery performance because only failure process needs rollback through logging.

  12. Cdk2 is required for p53-independent G2/M checkpoint control.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jon H Chung

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available The activation of phase-specific cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks is associated with ordered cell cycle transitions. Among the mammalian Cdks, only Cdk1 is essential for somatic cell proliferation. Cdk1 can apparently substitute for Cdk2, Cdk4, and Cdk6, which are individually dispensable in mice. It is unclear if all functions of non-essential Cdks are fully redundant with Cdk1. Using a genetic approach, we show that Cdk2, the S-phase Cdk, uniquely controls the G(2/M checkpoint that prevents cells with damaged DNA from initiating mitosis. CDK2-nullizygous human cells exposed to ionizing radiation failed to exclude Cdk1 from the nucleus and exhibited a marked defect in G(2/M arrest that was unmasked by the disruption of P53. The DNA replication licensing protein Cdc6, which is normally stabilized by Cdk2, was physically associated with the checkpoint regulator ATR and was required for efficient ATR-Chk1-Cdc25A signaling. These findings demonstrate that Cdk2 maintains a balance of S-phase regulatory proteins and thereby coordinates subsequent p53-independent G(2/M checkpoint activation.

  13. Mutant p53 perturbs DNA replication checkpoint control through TopBP1 and Treslin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Kang; Lin, Fang-Tsyr; Graves, Joshua D; Lee, Yu-Ju; Lin, Weei-Chin

    2017-05-09

    Accumulating evidence supports the gain-of-function of mutant forms of p53 (mutp53s). However, whether mutp53 directly perturbs the DNA replication checkpoint remains unclear. Previously, we have demonstrated that TopBP1 forms a complex with mutp53s and mediates their gain-of-function through NF-Y and p63/p73. Akt phosphorylates TopBP1 and induces its oligomerization, which inhibits its ATR-activating function. Here we show that various contact and conformational mutp53s bypass Akt to induce TopBP1 oligomerization and attenuate ATR checkpoint response during replication stress. The effect on ATR response caused by mutp53 can be exploited in a synthetic lethality strategy, as depletion of another ATR activator, DNA2, in mutp53-R273H-expressing cancer cells renders cells hypersensitive to cisplatin. Expression of mutp53-R273H also makes cancer cells more sensitive to DNA2 depletion or DNA2 inhibitors. In addition to ATR-activating function during replication stress, TopBP1 interacts with Treslin in a Cdk-dependent manner to initiate DNA replication during normal growth. We find that mutp53 also interferes with TopBP1 replication function. Several contact, but not conformational, mutp53s enhance the interaction between TopBP1 and Treslin and promote DNA replication despite the presence of a Cdk2 inhibitor. Together, these data uncover two distinct mechanisms by which mutp53 enhances DNA replication: ( i ) Both contact and conformational mutp53s can bind TopBP1 and attenuate the checkpoint response to replication stress, and ( ii ) during normal growth, contact (but not conformational) mutp53s can override the Cdk2 requirement to promote replication by facilitating the TopBP1/Treslin interaction.

  14. Identification of Mitosis-Specific Phosphorylation in Mitotic Chromosome-Associated Proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohta, Shinya; Kimura, Michiko; Takagi, Shunsuke; Toramoto, Iyo; Ishihama, Yasushi

    2016-09-02

    During mitosis, phosphorylation of chromosome-associated proteins is a key regulatory mechanism. Mass spectrometry has been successfully applied to determine the complete protein composition of mitotic chromosomes, but not to identify post-translational modifications. Here, we quantitatively compared the phosphoproteome of isolated mitotic chromosomes with that of chromosomes in nonsynchronized cells. We identified 4274 total phosphorylation sites and 350 mitosis-specific phosphorylation sites in mitotic chromosome-associated proteins. Significant mitosis-specific phosphorylation in centromere/kinetochore proteins was detected, although the chromosomal association of these proteins did not change throughout the cell cycle. This mitosis-specific phosphorylation might play a key role in regulation of mitosis. Further analysis revealed strong dependency of phosphorylation dynamics on kinase consensus patterns, thus linking the identified phosphorylation sites to known key mitotic kinases. Remarkably, chromosomal axial proteins such as non-SMC subunits of condensin, TopoIIα, and Kif4A, together with the chromosomal periphery protein Ki67 involved in the establishment of the mitotic chromosomal structure, demonstrated high phosphorylation during mitosis. These findings suggest a novel mechanism for regulation of chromosome restructuring in mitosis via protein phosphorylation. Our study generated a large quantitative database on protein phosphorylation in mitotic and nonmitotic chromosomes, thus providing insights into the dynamics of chromatin protein phosphorylation at mitosis onset.

  15. Physical Limits on the Precision of Mitotic Spindle Positioning by Microtubule Pushing forces: Mechanics of mitotic spindle positioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Jonathon; Garzon-Coral, Carlos

    2017-11-01

    Tissues are shaped and patterned by mechanical and chemical processes. A key mechanical process is the positioning of the mitotic spindle, which determines the size and location of the daughter cells within the tissue. Recent force and position-fluctuation measurements indicate that pushing forces, mediated by the polymerization of astral microtubules against- the cell cortex, maintain the mitotic spindle at the cell center in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. The magnitude of the centering forces suggests that the physical limit on the accuracy and precision of this centering mechanism is determined by the number of pushing microtubules rather than by thermally driven fluctuations. In cells that divide asymmetrically, anti-centering, pulling forces generated by cortically located dyneins, in conjunction with microtubule depolymerization, oppose the pushing forces to drive spindle displacements away from the center. Thus, a balance of centering pushing forces and anti-centering pulling forces localize the mitotic spindles within dividing C. elegans cells. © 2017 The Authors. BioEssays published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Implication of the G2 checkpoint in the maintenance of genome integrity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piette, J.; Munoz, P.

    2000-01-01

    Checkpoints are surveillance mechanisms that block transitions, for instance in response to DNA damage. We summarize here here recent progress in the molecular characterization of the G 2 checkpoint which controls the entry into mitosis, and review new evidence which implicates de-regulated expression of checkpoint proteins and proteins involved in DNA damage repair in cancer development. These now exists good evidence that individuals who inherited mutations in genes involved in G 2 checkpoint and DNA damage repair are predisposed to the development of various types of cancer, their cells having a strong tendency to accumulate additional mutations. However, the occurrence of mutations of most of these genes in sporadic tumors has yet to be analysed more accurately. (authors)

  17. Checkpoint inhibitors in advanced melanoma: effect on the field of immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'reilly, Aine; Larkin, James

    2017-07-01

    The success of the immune checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma has reinvigorated the field of immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are now the standard of care in multiple cancer types including lung cancer, head and neck cancer, urothelial cancer and renal cell cancer. The field of immunotherapy is currently expanding rapidly and will be a focus of research and development for decades to come. Areas covered: This review covers the early development of immune checkpoint inhibitors and the changes that occurred in the drug development paradigm to facilitate the development of immunotherapy. The review will summarise the areas into which immune checkpoint inhibitors have been adopted and will review the data that supported this. Furthermore, we will discuss future developments in immunotherapy and the current landscape regarding maximising the potential of immunotherapy in clinical practice. Expert commentary: In the author's opinion, the potential of immunotherapy is vast. To date immune checkpoint inhibition has already delivered durable responses in a proportion of patients with cancer types which were previously universally lethal. The future of immunotherapy will rely upon the intelligent application of translational research to clinical practice, such that immunotherapy can be effective for a wider population and maintain its current growth.

  18. Deficiency of the Arabidopsis helicase RTEL1 triggers a SOG1-dependent replication checkpoint in response to DNA cross-links.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Zhubing; Cools, Toon; Kalhorzadeh, Pooneh; Heyman, Jefri; De Veylder, Lieven

    2015-01-01

    To maintain genome integrity, DNA replication is executed and regulated by a complex molecular network of numerous proteins, including helicases and cell cycle checkpoint regulators. Through a systematic screening for putative replication mutants, we identified an Arabidopsis thaliana homolog of human Regulator of Telomere Length 1 (RTEL1), which functions in DNA replication, DNA repair, and recombination. RTEL1 deficiency retards plant growth, a phenotype including a prolonged S-phase duration and decreased cell proliferation. Genetic analysis revealed that rtel1 mutant plants show activated cell cycle checkpoints, specific sensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents, and increased homologous recombination, but a lack of progressive shortening of telomeres, indicating that RTEL1 functions have only been partially conserved between mammals and plants. Surprisingly, RTEL1 deficiency induces tolerance to the deoxynucleotide-depleting drug hydroxyurea, which could be mimicked by DNA cross-linking agents. This resistance does not rely on the essential replication checkpoint regulator WEE1 but could be blocked by a mutation in the SOG1 transcription factor. Taken together, our data indicate that RTEL1 is required for DNA replication and that its deficiency activates a SOG1-dependent replication checkpoint. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

  19. Cell cycle-dependent SUMO-1 conjugation to nuclear mitotic apparatus protein (NuMA)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seo, Jae Sung; Kim, Ha Na; Kim, Sun-Jick; Bang, Jiyoung; Kim, Eun-A; Sung, Ki Sa [Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Hyun-Joo [TissueGene Inc. 9605 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850 (United States); Yoo, Hae Yong [Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 135-710 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Cheol Yong, E-mail: choicy@skku.ac.kr [Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-01-03

    Highlights: •NuMA is modified by SUMO-1 in a cell cycle-dependent manner. •NuMA lysine 1766 is the primary target site for SUMOylation. •SUMOylation-deficient NuMA induces multiple spindle poles during mitosis. •SUMOylated NuMA induces microtubule bundling. -- Abstract: Covalent conjugation of proteins with small ubiquitin-like modifier 1 (SUMO-1) plays a critical role in a variety of cellular functions including cell cycle control, replication, and transcriptional regulation. Nuclear mitotic apparatus protein (NuMA) localizes to spindle poles during mitosis, and is an essential component in the formation and maintenance of mitotic spindle poles. Here we show that NuMA is a target for covalent conjugation to SUMO-1. We find that the lysine 1766 residue is the primary NuMA acceptor site for SUMO-1 conjugation. Interestingly, SUMO modification of endogenous NuMA occurs at the entry into mitosis and this modification is reversed after exiting from mitosis. Knockdown of Ubc9 or forced expression of SENP1 results in impairment of the localization of NuMA to mitotic spindle poles during mitosis. The SUMOylation-deficient NuMA mutant is defective in microtubule bundling, and multiple spindles are induced during mitosis. The mitosis-dependent dynamic SUMO-1 modification of NuMA might contribute to NuMA-mediated formation and maintenance of mitotic spindle poles during mitosis.

  20. DNA repair: keeping it together

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lisby, Michael; Rothstein, Rodney

    2004-01-01

    A protein scaffold has been identified that holds a chromosome together in the event of a DNA double-strand break. This scaffold is dependent on Rad52 and the Rad50-Mre11-Xrs2 complex and withstands the pulling forces of the mitotic spindle during DNA damage checkpoint arrest.......A protein scaffold has been identified that holds a chromosome together in the event of a DNA double-strand break. This scaffold is dependent on Rad52 and the Rad50-Mre11-Xrs2 complex and withstands the pulling forces of the mitotic spindle during DNA damage checkpoint arrest....

  1. Timely Endocytosis of Cytokinetic Enzymes Prevents Premature Spindle Breakage during Mitotic Exit.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheen Fei Chin

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Cytokinesis requires the spatio-temporal coordination of membrane deposition and primary septum (PS formation at the division site to drive acto-myosin ring (AMR constriction. It has been demonstrated that AMR constriction invariably occurs only after the mitotic spindle disassembly. It has also been established that Chitin Synthase II (Chs2p neck localization precedes mitotic spindle disassembly during mitotic exit. As AMR constriction depends upon PS formation, the question arises as to how chitin deposition is regulated so as to prevent premature AMR constriction and mitotic spindle breakage. In this study, we propose that cells regulate the coordination between spindle disassembly and AMR constriction via timely endocytosis of cytokinetic enzymes, Chs2p, Chs3p, and Fks1p. Inhibition of endocytosis leads to over accumulation of cytokinetic enzymes during mitotic exit, which accelerates the constriction of the AMR, and causes spindle breakage that eventually could contribute to monopolar spindle formation in the subsequent round of cell division. Intriguingly, the mitotic spindle breakage observed in endocytosis mutants can be rescued either by deleting or inhibiting the activities of, CHS2, CHS3 and FKS1, which are involved in septum formation. The findings from our study highlight the importance of timely endocytosis of cytokinetic enzymes at the division site in safeguarding mitotic spindle integrity during mitotic exit.

  2. Asynchronous Two-Level Checkpointing Scheme for Large-Scale Adjoints in the Spectral-Element Solver Nek5000

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schanen, Michel; Marin, Oana; Zhang, Hong; Anitescu, Mihai

    2016-01-01

    Adjoints are an important computational tool for large-scale sensitivity evaluation, uncertainty quantification, and derivative-based optimization. An essential component of their performance is the storage/recomputation balance in which efficient checkpointing methods play a key role. We introduce a novel asynchronous two-level adjoint checkpointing scheme for multistep numerical time discretizations targeted at large-scale numerical simulations. The checkpointing scheme combines bandwidth-limited disk checkpointing and binomial memory checkpointing. Based on assumptions about the target petascale systems, which we later demonstrate to be realistic on the IBM Blue Gene/Q system Mira, we create a model of the expected performance of our checkpointing approach and validate it using the highly scalable Navier-Stokes spectralelement solver Nek5000 on small to moderate subsystems of the Mira supercomputer. In turn, this allows us to predict optimal algorithmic choices when using all of Mira. We also demonstrate that two-level checkpointing is significantly superior to single-level checkpointing when adjoining a large number of time integration steps. To our knowledge, this is the first time two-level checkpointing had been designed, implemented, tuned, and demonstrated on fluid dynamics codes at large scale of 50k+ cores.

  3. Mcl-1 dynamics influence mitotic slippage and death in mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sloss, Olivia; Topham, Caroline; Diez, Maria; Taylor, Stephen

    2016-02-02

    Microtubule-binding drugs such as taxol are frontline treatments for a variety of cancers but exactly how they yield patient benefit is unclear. In cell culture, inhibiting microtubule dynamics prevents spindle assembly, leading to mitotic arrest followed by either apoptosis in mitosis or slippage, whereby a cell returns to interphase without dividing. Myeloid cell leukaemia-1 (Mcl-1), a pro-survival member of the Bcl-2 family central to the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, is degraded during a prolonged mitotic arrest and may therefore act as a mitotic death timer. Consistently, we show that blocking proteasome-mediated degradation inhibits taxol-induced mitotic apoptosis in a Mcl-1-dependent manner. However, this degradation does not require the activity of either APC/C-Cdc20, FBW7 or MULE, three separate E3 ubiquitin ligases implicated in targeting Mcl-1 for degradation. This therefore challenges the notion that Mcl-1 undergoes regulated degradation during mitosis. We also show that Mcl-1 is continuously synthesized during mitosis and that blocking protein synthesis accelerates taxol induced death-in-mitosis. Modulating Mcl-1 levels also influences slippage; overexpressing Mcl-1 extends the time from mitotic entry to mitotic exit in the presence of taxol, while inhibiting Mcl-1 accelerates it. We suggest that Mcl-1 competes with Cyclin B1 for binding to components of the proteolysis machinery, thereby slowing down the slow degradation of Cyclin B1 responsible for slippage. Thus, modulating Mcl-1 dynamics influences both death-in-mitosis and slippage. However, because mitotic degradation of Mcl-1 appears not to be under the control of an E3 ligase, we suggest that the notion of network crosstalk is used with caution.

  4. Spatial Rule-Based Modeling: A Method and Its Application to the Human Mitotic Kinetochore

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Huwald

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available A common problem in the analysis of biological systems is the combinatorial explosion that emerges from the complexity of multi-protein assemblies. Conventional formalisms, like differential equations, Boolean networks and Bayesian networks, are unsuitable for dealing with the combinatorial explosion, because they are designed for a restricted state space with fixed dimensionality. To overcome this problem, the rule-based modeling language, BioNetGen, and the spatial extension, SRSim, have been developed. Here, we describe how to apply rule-based modeling to integrate experimental data from different sources into a single spatial simulation model and how to analyze the output of that model. The starting point for this approach can be a combination of molecular interaction data, reaction network data, proximities, binding and diffusion kinetics and molecular geometries at different levels of detail. We describe the technique and then use it to construct a model of the human mitotic inner and outer kinetochore, including the spindle assembly checkpoint signaling pathway. This allows us to demonstrate the utility of the procedure, show how a novel perspective for understanding such complex systems becomes accessible and elaborate on challenges that arise in the formulation, simulation and analysis of spatial rule-based models.

  5. TAM receptor tyrosine kinases as emerging targets of innate immune checkpoint blockade for cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akalu, Yemsratch T; Rothlin, Carla V; Ghosh, Sourav

    2017-03-01

    Cancer immunotherapy utilizing T-cell checkpoint inhibitors has shown tremendous clinical success. Yet, this mode of treatment is effective in only a subset of patients. Unresponsive patients tend to have non-T-cell-inflamed tumors that lack markers associated with the activation of adaptive anti-tumor immune responses. Notably, elimination of cancer cells by T cells is critically dependent on the optimal activity of innate immune cells. Therefore, identifying new targets that regulate innate immune cell function and promote the engagement of adaptive tumoricidal responses is likely to lead to the development of improved therapies against cancer. Here, we review the TAM receptor tyrosine kinases-TYRO3, AXL, and MERTK-as an emerging class of innate immune checkpoints that participate in key steps of anti-tumoral immunity. Namely, TAM-mediated efferocytosis, negative regulation of dendritic cell activity, and dysregulated production of chemokines collectively favor the escape of malignant cells. Hence, disabling TAM signaling may promote engagement of adaptive immunity and complement T-cell checkpoint blockade. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Immune-Checkpoint Blockade and Active Immunotherapy for Glioma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Brian J.; Pollack, Ian F.; Okada, Hideho

    2013-01-01

    Cancer immunotherapy has made tremendous progress, including promising results in patients with malignant gliomas. Nonetheless, the immunological microenvironment of the brain and tumors arising therein is still believed to be suboptimal for sufficient antitumor immune responses for a variety of reasons, including the operation of “immune-checkpoint” mechanisms. While these mechanisms prevent autoimmunity in physiological conditions, malignant tumors, including brain tumors, actively employ these mechanisms to evade from immunological attacks. Development of agents designed to unblock these checkpoint steps is currently one of the most active areas of cancer research. In this review, we summarize recent progresses in the field of brain tumor immunology with particular foci in the area of immune-checkpoint mechanisms and development of active immunotherapy strategies. In the last decade, a number of specific monoclonal antibodies designed to block immune-checkpoint mechanisms have been developed and show efficacy in other cancers, such as melanoma. On the other hand, active immunotherapy approaches, such as vaccines, have shown encouraging outcomes. We believe that development of effective immunotherapy approaches should ultimately integrate those checkpoint-blockade agents to enhance the efficacy of therapeutic approaches. With these agents available, it is going to be quite an exciting time in the field. The eventual success of immunotherapies for brain tumors will be dependent upon not only an in-depth understanding of immunology behind the brain and brain tumors, but also collaboration and teamwork for the development of novel trials that address multiple layers of immunological challenges in gliomas

  7. Immune-Checkpoint Blockade and Active Immunotherapy for Glioma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahn, Brian J. [Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Brain Tumor Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Pollack, Ian F. [Brain Tumor Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Okada, Hideho, E-mail: okadah@upmc.edu [Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Brain Tumor Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States)

    2013-11-01

    Cancer immunotherapy has made tremendous progress, including promising results in patients with malignant gliomas. Nonetheless, the immunological microenvironment of the brain and tumors arising therein is still believed to be suboptimal for sufficient antitumor immune responses for a variety of reasons, including the operation of “immune-checkpoint” mechanisms. While these mechanisms prevent autoimmunity in physiological conditions, malignant tumors, including brain tumors, actively employ these mechanisms to evade from immunological attacks. Development of agents designed to unblock these checkpoint steps is currently one of the most active areas of cancer research. In this review, we summarize recent progresses in the field of brain tumor immunology with particular foci in the area of immune-checkpoint mechanisms and development of active immunotherapy strategies. In the last decade, a number of specific monoclonal antibodies designed to block immune-checkpoint mechanisms have been developed and show efficacy in other cancers, such as melanoma. On the other hand, active immunotherapy approaches, such as vaccines, have shown encouraging outcomes. We believe that development of effective immunotherapy approaches should ultimately integrate those checkpoint-blockade agents to enhance the efficacy of therapeutic approaches. With these agents available, it is going to be quite an exciting time in the field. The eventual success of immunotherapies for brain tumors will be dependent upon not only an in-depth understanding of immunology behind the brain and brain tumors, but also collaboration and teamwork for the development of novel trials that address multiple layers of immunological challenges in gliomas.

  8. Immune checkpoint inhibitors for nonsmall cell lung cancer treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuh-Min Chen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Immune checkpoint inhibition with blocking antibodies that target cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4 and the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1 pathway [PD-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1] have demonstrated promise in a variety of malignancies. While ipilimumab has been approved as a CTLA-4 blocking antibody by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of advanced melanoma, it is still not approved for lung cancer treatment. In contrast, nivolumab and pembrolizumab, both PD-1 blocking antibodies, have been approved for second-line treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer in 2015 because of their high potency and long-lasting effects in some patient subgroups. Other PD-1 and PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies are also in active development phase. Treatment with such immune checkpoint inhibitors is associated with a unique pattern of immune-related adverse events or side effects. Combination approaches involving CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 blockade or checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy or radiotherapy are being investigated to determine whether they may enhance the efficacy of treatment. Despite many challenges ahead, immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors has already become a new and important treatment modality for lung cancer in the last decade following the discovery of targeted therapy.

  9. The pachytene checkpoint and its relationship to evolutionary patterns of polyploidization and hybrid sterility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, X C; Barringer, B C; Barbash, D A

    2009-01-01

    Sterility is a commonly observed phenotype in interspecific hybrids. Sterility may result from chromosomal or genic incompatibilities, and much progress has been made toward understanding the genetic basis of hybrid sterility in various taxa. The underlying mechanisms causing hybrid sterility, however, are less well known. The pachytene checkpoint is a meiotic surveillance system that many organisms use to detect aberrant meiotic products, in order to prevent the production of defective gametes. We suggest that activation of the pachytene checkpoint may be an important mechanism contributing to two types of hybrid sterility. First, the pachytene checkpoint may form the mechanistic basis of some gene-based hybrid sterility phenotypes. Second, the pachytene checkpoint may be an important mechanism that mediates chromosomal-based hybrid sterility phenotypes involving gametes with non-haploid (either non-reduced or aneuploid) chromosome sets. Studies in several species suggest that the strength of the pachytene checkpoint is sexually dimorphic, observations that warrant future investigation into whether such variation may contribute to differences in patterns of sterility between male and female interspecific hybrids. In addition, plants seem to lack the pachytene checkpoint, which correlates with increased production of unreduced gametes and a higher incidence of polyploid species in plants versus animals. Although the pachytene checkpoint occurs in many animals and in fungi, at least some of the genes that execute the pachytene checkpoint are different among organisms. This finding suggests that the penetrance of the pachytene checkpoint, and even its presence or absence can evolve rapidly. The surprising degree of evolutionary flexibility in this meiotic surveillance system may contribute to the observed variation in patterns of hybrid sterility and in rates of polyploidization.

  10. Prediction of X-ray induced mitotic delay and recovery of G2 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Easton, D.M.; Schneiderman, M.H.

    1987-01-01

    A mathematical model is presented that predicts the delay of mitosis caused by X-irradiation of an asynchronous, exponentially growing cell culture. In the model, based on Gompertz kinetics, the driving function to generate the curves is a simple exponential decay expression. For the delayed mitotic progress curves, this function characterizes the distribution of the time required for cells to enter mitosis. (author)

  11. Immune-checkpoint inhibitors in the era of precision medicine: What radiologists should know

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Braschi-Amirfarzan, Marta; Tirumani, Sree Harsha; Hodi, Frank Stephan Jr; Nishno, Mizuki [Dept. of Radiology, Brigham and Women' s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston (United States)

    2017-01-15

    Over the past five years immune-checkpoint inhibitors have dramatically changed the therapeutic landscape of advanced solid and hematologic malignancies. The currently approved immune-checkpoint inhibitors include antibodies to cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4, programmed cell death (PD-1), and programmed cell death ligand (PD-L1 and PD-L2). Response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors is evaluated on imaging using the immune-related response criteria. Activation of immune system results in a unique toxicity profile termed immune-related adverse events. This article will review the molecular mechanism, clinical applications, imaging of immune-related response patterns and adverse events associated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors.

  12. Immune-checkpoint inhibitors in the era of precision medicine: What radiologists should know

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braschi-Amirfarzan, Marta; Tirumani, Sree Harsha; Hodi, Frank Stephan Jr; Nishno, Mizuki

    2017-01-01

    Over the past five years immune-checkpoint inhibitors have dramatically changed the therapeutic landscape of advanced solid and hematologic malignancies. The currently approved immune-checkpoint inhibitors include antibodies to cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4, programmed cell death (PD-1), and programmed cell death ligand (PD-L1 and PD-L2). Response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors is evaluated on imaging using the immune-related response criteria. Activation of immune system results in a unique toxicity profile termed immune-related adverse events. This article will review the molecular mechanism, clinical applications, imaging of immune-related response patterns and adverse events associated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors

  13. G2 checkpoint abrogator abates the antagonistic interaction between antimicrotubule drugs and radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sui Meihua; Zhang Hongfang; Di Xiaoyun; Chang Jinjia; Shen Youqing; Fan Weimin

    2012-01-01

    Background and purpose: We previously demonstrated that radiation may arrest tumor cells at G2 phase, which in turn prevents the cytotoxicity of antimicrotubule drugs and results in antagonistic interaction between these two modalities. Herein we tested whether G2 abrogators would attenuate the above antagonistic interaction and improve the therapeutic efficacy of combination therapy between radiation and antimicrotubule drugs. Materials and methods: Breast cancer BCap37 and epidermoid carcinoma KB cell lines were administered with radiation, UCN-01 (a model drug of G2 abrogator), paclitaxel or vincristine, alone or in combinations. The antitumor activities of single and combined treatments were analyzed by a series of cytotoxic, apoptotic, cell cycle, morphological and biochemical assays. Results: UCN-01 significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of radiation, antimitotic drugs, and their combined treatments in vitro. Further investigations demonstrated that UCN-01 attenuated radiation-induced G2 arrest, and subsequently repressed the inhibitory effect of radiation on drug-induced mitotic arrest and apoptosis. Conclusions: This is the first report demonstrating that G2 checkpoint abrogation represses the inhibitory effect of radiation on antimicrotubule drugs, which may be implicated in cancer combination therapy. Considering that G2 abrogators are under extensive evaluation for cancer treatment, our findings provide valuable information for this class of promising compounds.

  14. Genetic Control of the Trigger for the G2/M Checkpoint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hall, Eric J. [Columbia University; Smilenov, Lubomir B. [Columbia University; Young, Erik F. [Columbia University

    2013-10-01

    system, the engagement of the G2/M checkpoint only occurs at doses where most of the cells are bound for mitotic catastrophe. Further, compound haploinsufficiency of various radiosensitizing genes does not impact the threshold of activation. The experiments confirm a threshold of activation for the G2/M checkpoint, hinting at two separate radiation response programs acting below and above this threshold. Small RNA transfer in bystander effect biology: Small regulatory RNA molecules have now risen in prominence and utility. Specific examples are small interfering RNAs (siRNA) which are employed in cell level expression ablation projects and micro-RNAs (miRNA) which are a pool of short transcription products which serve to modulate the expression of other transcripts emerging from the genome in a meta-regulatory fine tuning of gene expression. The existing tenets of bystander effect radiation biology involve the communication of inflammatory mediators or direct intercellular communication of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species in cell-to-cell communicative organelles called gap junctions. By ablating gap junctions, reducing the ROS/inflammatory cytokine expression one can attenuate bystander effect signaling in cell culture systems. We hypothesized that miRNAs are a competent intercellular communication molecule and therefore a possible component of the bystander response. This view is supported by the observation that miRNA are secreted from cells in exosomes found in the circulation. This circulating pool reports disease type and severity in humans. We proposed use of microbeam irradiation technology at our facilities and enhancement of this capability with a new sorting technology which would allow us to sort irradiated and non-irradiated cells with absolute fidelity. Pursuing direct quantitative transfer assessment, we succeeded in designing and constructing a new add-on sorting appliance which harmonized with our existing instruments. The sorter allowed us to gently sort

  15. The spindle assembly checkpoint: More than just keeping track of the spindle.

    OpenAIRE

    Lawrence, KS; Engebrecht, J

    2015-01-01

    Genome stability is essential for cell proliferation and survival. Consequently, genome integrity is monitored by two major checkpoints, the DNA damage response (DDR) and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). The DDR monitors DNA lesions in G1, S, and G2 stages of the cell cycle and the SAC ensures proper chromosome segregation in M phase. There have been extensive studies characterizing the roles of these checkpoints in response to the processes for which they are named; however, emerging e...

  16. Myasthenia triggered by immune checkpoint inhibitors: New case and literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, Natalia L; Puwanant, Araya; Lu, Angela; Marks, Stanley M; Živković, Saša A

    2017-03-01

    Immune checkpoint molecules are potent regulators of immunologic homeostasis that prevent the development of autoimmunity while maintaining self-tolerance. Inhibitors of immune checkpoint molecules are used as immunotherapy in the treatment of melanoma and different types of refractory cancer, and can trigger various autoimmune complications including myositis and myasthenia gravis. We describe a case of generalized myasthenia gravis induced by pembrolizumab and review 11 other cases. Five patients also had elevated serum CK levels ranging from 1200 to 8729 IU/L, and biopsy showed myositis in one. Severity was highly variable as symptoms normalized spontaneously in one patient, but three others developed myasthenic crisis (including two with fatal outcomes). Steroids have been recommended as a preferred treatment of autoimmune complications of immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Myasthenia gravis should be considered when weakness, diplopia or bulbar symptoms are seen after treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, and additional studies are needed to characterize association with hyperCKemia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Increased spontaneous mitotic segregation in MMS-sensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prakash, S.; Prakash, L.

    1977-01-01

    Methyl methanesulfonate (MMS)-sensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae belonging to four different complementation groups, when homozygous, increase the rate of spontaneous mitotic segregation to canavanine resistance from heterozygous sensitive (can/sup r//+) diploids by 13- to 170-fold. The mms8-1 mutant is MMS and x-ray sensitive and increases the rate of spontaneous mitotic segregation 170-fold. The mms9-1 and mms13-1 mutants are sensitive to x rays and uv, respectively, in addition to MMS, and increase the rate of spontaneous mitotic segregation by 13-fold and 85-fold, respectively. The mutant mms21-1 is sensitive to MMS, x rays and uv and increases the rate of spontaneous mitotic segregation 23-fold

  18. Revertant mosaicism in epidermolysis bullosa caused by mitotic gene conversion

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jonkman, MF; Scheffer, H; Stulp, R; Pas, HH; Nijenhuis, Albertine; Heeres, K; Owaribe, K; Pulkkinen, L; Uitto, J

    1997-01-01

    Mitotic gene conversion acting as reverse mutation has not been previously demonstrated in human. We report here that the revertant mosaicism of a compound heterozygous proband with an autosomal recessive genodermatosis, generalized atrophic benign epidermolysis bullosa, is caused by mitotic gene

  19. Comparative Analysis of Immune Checkpoint Molecules and Their Potential Role in the Transmissible Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew S. Flies

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Immune checkpoint molecules function as a system of checks and balances that enhance or inhibit immune responses to infectious agents, foreign tissues, and cancerous cells. Immunotherapies that target immune checkpoint molecules, particularly the inhibitory molecules programmed cell death 1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4, have revolutionized human oncology in recent years, yet little is known about these key immune signaling molecules in species other than primates and rodents. The Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease is caused by transmissible cancers that have resulted in a massive decline in the wild Tasmanian devil population. We have recently demonstrated that the inhibitory checkpoint molecule PD-L1 is upregulated on Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii facial tumor cells in response to the interferon-gamma cytokine. As this could play a role in immune evasion by tumor cells, we performed a thorough comparative analysis of checkpoint molecule protein sequences among Tasmanian devils and eight other species. We report that many of the key signaling motifs and ligand-binding sites in the checkpoint molecules are highly conserved across the estimated 162 million years of evolution since the last common ancestor of placental and non-placental mammals. Specifically, we discovered that the CTLA-4 (MYPPPY ligand-binding motif and the CTLA-4 (GVYVKM inhibitory domain are completely conserved across all nine species used in our comparative analysis, suggesting that the function of CTLA-4 is likely conserved in these species. We also found that cysteine residues for intra- and intermolecular disulfide bonds were also highly conserved. For instance, all 20 cysteine residues involved in disulfide bonds in the human 4-1BB molecule were also present in devil 4-1BB. Although many key sequences were conserved, we have also identified immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIMs and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based switch

  20. File list: Pol.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12 [Chip-atlas[Archive

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  1. File list: Oth.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

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  2. File list: ALL.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  3. File list: Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12 [Chip-atlas[Archive

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  4. File list: ALL.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available ALL.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_14 dm3 All antigens Embryo Mitotic cycle 14 SRX64512...50075 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/ALL.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_14.bed ...

  5. Immune checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic bladder cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massari, Francesco; Di Nunno, Vincenzo; Cubelli, Marta; Santoni, Matteo; Fiorentino, Michelangelo; Montironi, Rodolfo; Cheng, Liang; Lopez-Beltran, Anto; Battelli, Nicola; Ardizzoni, Andrea

    2018-03-01

    Chemotherapy has represented the standard therapy for unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma for more than 20 years. The growing knowledge of the interaction between tumour and immune system has led to the advent of new classes of drugs, the immune-checkpoints inhibitors, which are intended to change the current scenario. To date, immunotherapy is able to improve the overall responses and survival. Moreover, thanks to its safety profile immune-checkpoint inhibitors could be proposed also to patients unfit for standard chemotherapy. No doubts that these agents have started a revolution expected for years, but despite this encouraging results it appears clear that not all subjects respond to these agents and requiring the development of reliable predictive response factors able to isolate patients who can more benefit from these treatments as well as new strategies aimed to improve immunotherapy clinical outcome. In this review we describe the active or ongoing clinical trials involving Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1), Programmed Death receptor 1 (PD-1) and Cytotoxic-T Lymphocyte Antigen 4 (CTLA 4) inhibitors in urothelial carcinoma focusing our attention on the developing new immune-agents and combination strategies with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Checkpoint inhibitors in endometrial cancer: preclinical rationale and clinical activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mittica, Gloria; Ghisoni, Eleonora; Giannone, Gaia; Aglietta, Massimo; Genta, Sofia; Valabrega, Giorgio

    2017-10-27

    Treatment of advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer (EC) is still an unmet need for oncologists and gynecologic oncologists. The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network (TCGA) recently provided a new genomic classification, dividing EC in four subgroups. Two types of EC, the polymerase epsilon (POLE)-ultra-mutated and the microsatellite instability-hyper-mutated (MSI-H), are characterized by a high mutation rate providing the rationale for a potential activity of checkpoint inhibitors. We analyzed all available evidence supporting the role of tumor microenvironment (TME) in EC development and the therapeutic implications offered by immune checkpoint inhibitors in this setting. We performed a review on Pubmed with Mesh keywords 'endometrial cancer' and the name of each checkpoint inhibitor discussed in the article. The same search was operated on clinicaltrial.gov to identify ongoing clinical trials exploring PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 axis in EC, particularly focusing on POLE-ultra-muted and MSI-H cancer types. POLE-ultra-mutated and MSI-H ECs showed an active TME expressing high number of neo-antigens and an elevated amount of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Preliminary results from a phase-1 clinical trial (KEYNOTE-028) demonstrated antitumor activity of Pembrolizumab in EC. Moreover, both Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab reported durable clinical responses in POLE-ultra-mutated patients. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are an attractive option in POLE-ultra-mutated and MSI-H ECs. Future investigations in these subgroups include combinations of checkpoints inhibitors with chemotherapy and small tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to enhance a more robust intra-tumoral immune response.

  7. Parallel reorganization of protein function in the spindle checkpoint pathway through evolutionary paths in the fitness landscape that appear neutral in laboratory experiments.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alex N Nguyen Ba

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Regulatory networks often increase in complexity during evolution through gene duplication and divergence of component proteins. Two models that explain this increase in complexity are: 1 adaptive changes after gene duplication, such as resolution of adaptive conflicts, and 2 non-adaptive processes such as duplication, degeneration and complementation. Both of these models predict complementary changes in the retained duplicates, but they can be distinguished by direct fitness measurements in organisms with short generation times. Previously, it has been observed that repeated duplication of an essential protein in the spindle checkpoint pathway has occurred multiple times over the eukaryotic tree of life, leading to convergent protein domain organization in its duplicates. Here, we replace the paralog pair in S. cerevisiae with a single-copy protein from a species that did not undergo gene duplication. Surprisingly, using quantitative fitness measurements in laboratory conditions stressful for the spindle-checkpoint pathway, we find no evidence that reorganization of protein function after gene duplication is beneficial. We then reconstruct several evolutionary intermediates from the inferred ancestral network to the extant one, and find that, at the resolution of our assay, there exist stepwise mutational paths from the single protein to the divergent pair of extant proteins with no apparent fitness defects. Parallel evolution has been taken as strong evidence for natural selection, but our results suggest that even in these cases, reorganization of protein function after gene duplication may be explained by neutral processes.

  8. Xanthium strumarium extract inhibits mammalian cell proliferation through mitotic spindle disruption mediated by xanthatin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-Lamar, Angel; Piloto-Ferrer, Janet; Fiore, Mario; Stano, Pasquale; Cozzi, Renata; Tofani, Daniela; Cundari, Enrico; Francisco, Marbelis; Romero, Aylema; González, Maria L; Degrassi, Francesca

    2016-12-24

    Xanthium strumarium L. is a member of the Asteraceae family popularly used with multiple therapeutic purposes. Whole extracts of this plant have shown anti-mitotic activity in vitro suggesting that some components could induce mitotic arrest in proliferating cells. Aim of the present work was to characterize the anti-mitotic properties of the X. strumarium whole extract and to isolate and purify active molecule(s). The capacity of the whole extract to inhibit mitotic progression in mammalian cultured cells was investigated to identify its anti-mitotic activity. Isolation of active component(s) was performed using a bioassay-guided multistep separation procedure in which whole extract was submitted to a progressive process of fractionation and fractions were challenged for their anti-mitotic activity. Our results show for the first time that X. strumarium whole extract inhibits assembly of the mitotic spindle and spindle-pole separation, thereby heavily affecting mitosis, impairing the metaphase to anaphase transition and inducing apoptosis. The purification procedure led to a fraction with an anti-mitotic activity comparable to that of the whole extract. Chemical analysis of this fraction showed that its major component was xanthatin. The present work shows a new activity of X. strumarium extract, i.e. the alteration of the mitotic apparatus in cultured cells that may be responsible for the anti-proliferative activity of the extract. Anti-mitotic activity is shown to be mainly exerted by xanthatin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. File list: Oth.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

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  10. File list: Oth.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  11. File list: ALL.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  12. Quantitative phosphoproteomics reveals new roles for the protein phosphatase PP6 in mitotic cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rusin, Scott F; Schlosser, Kate A; Adamo, Mark E; Kettenbach, Arminja N

    2015-10-13

    Protein phosphorylation is an important regulatory mechanism controlling mitotic progression. Protein phosphatase 6 (PP6) is an essential enzyme with conserved roles in chromosome segregation and spindle assembly from yeast to humans. We applied a baculovirus-mediated gene silencing approach to deplete HeLa cells of the catalytic subunit of PP6 (PP6c) and analyzed changes in the phosphoproteome and proteome in mitotic cells by quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics. We identified 408 phosphopeptides on 272 proteins that increased and 298 phosphopeptides on 220 proteins that decreased in phosphorylation upon PP6c depletion in mitotic cells. Motif analysis of the phosphorylated sites combined with bioinformatics pathway analysis revealed previously unknown PP6c-dependent regulatory pathways. Biochemical assays demonstrated that PP6c opposed casein kinase 2-dependent phosphorylation of the condensin I subunit NCAP-G, and cellular analysis showed that depletion of PP6c resulted in defects in chromosome condensation and segregation in anaphase, consistent with dysregulation of condensin I function in the absence of PP6 activity. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  13. File list: Pol.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

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  14. File list: Pol.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  15. Requirement for the Phospho-H2AX Binding Module of Crb2 in Double-Strand Break Targeting and Checkpoint Activation▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, Steven L.; Arida, Ahmad R.; Phan, Funita P.

    2010-01-01

    Activation of DNA damage checkpoints requires the rapid accumulation of numerous factors to sites of genomic lesions, and deciphering the mechanisms of this targeting is central to our understanding of DNA damage response. Histone modification has recently emerged as a critical element for the correct localization of damage response proteins, and one key player in this context is the fission yeast checkpoint mediator Crb2. Accumulation of Crb2 at ionizing irradiation-induced double-strand breaks (DSBs) requires two distinct histone marks, dimethylated H4 lysine 20 (H4K20me2) and phosphorylated H2AX (pH2AX). A tandem tudor motif in Crb2 directly binds H4K20me2, and this interaction is required for DSB targeting and checkpoint activation. Similarly, pH2AX is required for Crb2 localization to DSBs and checkpoint control. Crb2 can directly bind pH2AX through a pair of C-terminal BRCT repeats, but the functional significance of this binding has been unclear. Here we demonstrate that loss of its pH2AX-binding activity severely impairs the ability of Crb2 to accumulate at ionizing irradiation-induced DSBs, compromises checkpoint signaling, and disrupts checkpoint-mediated cell cycle arrest. These impairments are similar to that reported for abolition of pH2AX or mutation of the H4K20me2-binding tudor motif of Crb2. Intriguingly, a combined ablation of its two histone modification binding modules yields a strikingly additive reduction in Crb2 activity. These observations argue that binding of the Crb2 BRCT repeats to pH2AX is critical for checkpoint activity and provide new insight into the mechanisms of chromatin-mediated genome stability. PMID:20679488

  16. Requirement for the phospho-H2AX binding module of Crb2 in double-strand break targeting and checkpoint activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, Steven L; Arida, Ahmad R; Phan, Funita P

    2010-10-01

    Activation of DNA damage checkpoints requires the rapid accumulation of numerous factors to sites of genomic lesions, and deciphering the mechanisms of this targeting is central to our understanding of DNA damage response. Histone modification has recently emerged as a critical element for the correct localization of damage response proteins, and one key player in this context is the fission yeast checkpoint mediator Crb2. Accumulation of Crb2 at ionizing irradiation-induced double-strand breaks (DSBs) requires two distinct histone marks, dimethylated H4 lysine 20 (H4K20me2) and phosphorylated H2AX (pH2AX). A tandem tudor motif in Crb2 directly binds H4K20me2, and this interaction is required for DSB targeting and checkpoint activation. Similarly, pH2AX is required for Crb2 localization to DSBs and checkpoint control. Crb2 can directly bind pH2AX through a pair of C-terminal BRCT repeats, but the functional significance of this binding has been unclear. Here we demonstrate that loss of its pH2AX-binding activity severely impairs the ability of Crb2 to accumulate at ionizing irradiation-induced DSBs, compromises checkpoint signaling, and disrupts checkpoint-mediated cell cycle arrest. These impairments are similar to that reported for abolition of pH2AX or mutation of the H4K20me2-binding tudor motif of Crb2. Intriguingly, a combined ablation of its two histone modification binding modules yields a strikingly additive reduction in Crb2 activity. These observations argue that binding of the Crb2 BRCT repeats to pH2AX is critical for checkpoint activity and provide new insight into the mechanisms of chromatin-mediated genome stability.

  17. [Sea urchin embryo, DNA-damaged cell cycle checkpoint and the mechanisms initiating cancer development].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellé, Robert; Le Bouffant, Ronan; Morales, Julia; Cosson, Bertrand; Cormier, Patrick; Mulner-Lorillon, Odile

    2007-01-01

    Cell division is an essential process for heredity, maintenance and evolution of the whole living kingdom. Sea urchin early development represents an excellent experimental model for the analysis of cell cycle checkpoint mechanisms since embryonic cells contain a functional DNA-damage checkpoint and since the whole sea urchin genome is sequenced. The DNA-damaged checkpoint is responsible for an arrest in the cell cycle when DNA is damaged or incorrectly replicated, for activation of the DNA repair mechanism, and for commitment to cell death by apoptosis in the case of failure to repair. New insights in cancer biology lead to two fundamental concepts about the very first origin of cancerogenesis. Cancers result from dysfunction of DNA-damaged checkpoints and cancers appear as a result of normal stem cell (NCS) transformation into a cancer stem cell (CSC). The second aspect suggests a new definition of "cancer", since CSC can be detected well before any clinical evidence. Since early development starts from the zygote, which is a primary stem cell, sea urchin early development allows analysis of the early steps of the cancerization process. Although sea urchins do not develop cancers, the model is alternative and complementary to stem cells which are not easy to isolate, do not divide in a short time and do not divide synchronously. In the field of toxicology and incidence on human health, the sea urchin experimental model allows assessment of cancer risk from single or combined molecules long before any epidemiologic evidence is available. Sea urchin embryos were used to test the worldwide used pesticide Roundup that contains glyphosate as the active herbicide agent; it was shown to activate the DNA-damage checkpoint of the first cell cycle of development. The model therefore allows considerable increase in risk evaluation of new products in the field of cancer and offers a tool for the discovery of molecular markers for early diagnostic in cancer biology

  18. File list: His.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  19. A genetic screen identifies BRCA2 and PALB2 as key regulators of G2 checkpoint maintenance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Menzel, Tobias; Nähse-Kumpf, Viola; Kousholt, Arne Nedergaard

    2011-01-01

    To identify key connections between DNA-damage repair and checkpoint pathways, we performed RNA interference screens for regulators of the ionizing radiation-induced G2 checkpoint, and we identified the breast cancer gene BRCA2. The checkpoint was also abrogated following depletion of PALB2......, an interaction partner of BRCA2. BRCA2 and PALB2 depletion led to premature checkpoint abrogation and earlier activation of the AURORA A-PLK1 checkpoint-recovery pathway. These results indicate that the breast cancer tumour suppressors and homologous recombination repair proteins BRCA2 and PALB2 are main...

  20. Immune checkpoint inhibitors: the new frontier in non–small cell lung cancer treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    El-Osta HE

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Hazem El-Osta, Kamran Shahid, Glenn M Mills, Prakash Peddi Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA, USA Abstract: Lung cancer is the major cause for cancer-related death in the US. Although advances in chemotherapy and targeted therapy have improved the outcome of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer, its prognosis remains dismal. A deeper understanding of the complex interaction between the immune system and tumor microenvironment has identified immune checkpoint inhibitors as new avenue of immunotherapy. Rather than acting directly on the tumor, these therapies work by removing the inhibition exerted by tumor cell or other immune cells on the immune system, promoting antitumoral immune response. To date, two programmed death-1 inhibitors, namely nivolumab and pembrolizumab, have received the US Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer that failed platinum-based chemotherapy. This manuscript provides a brief overview of the pathophysiology of cancer immune evasion, summarizes pertinent data on completed and ongoing clinical trials involving checkpoint inhibitors, discusses the different strategies to optimize their function, and outlines various challenges that are faced in this promising yet evolving field. Keywords: checkpoint inhibitors, immunotherapy, nivolumab, non-small-cell lung cancer, pembrolizumab, programmed death-1, programmed death ligand-1

  1. PLK1 has tumor-suppressive potential in APC-truncated colon cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raab, Monika; Sanhaji, Mourad; Matthess, Yves; Hörlin, Albrecht; Lorenz, Ioana; Dötsch, Christina; Habbe, Nils; Waidmann, Oliver; Kurunci-Csacsko, Elisabeth; Firestein, Ron; Becker, Sven; Strebhardt, Klaus

    2018-03-16

    The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) acts as a molecular safeguard in ensuring faithful chromosome transmission during mitosis, which is regulated by a complex interplay between phosphatases and kinases including PLK1. Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) germline mutations cause aneuploidy and are responsible for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Here we study the role of PLK1 in colon cancer cells with chromosomal instability promoted by APC truncation (APC-ΔC). The expression of APC-ΔC in colon cells reduces the accumulation of mitotic cells upon PLK1 inhibition, accelerates mitotic exit and increases the survival of cells with enhanced chromosomal abnormalities. The inhibition of PLK1 in mitotic, APC-∆C-expressing cells reduces the kinetochore levels of Aurora B and hampers the recruitment of SAC component suggesting a compromised mitotic checkpoint. Furthermore, Plk1 inhibition (RNAi, pharmacological compounds) promotes the development of adenomatous polyps in two independent Apc Min/+ mouse models. High PLK1 expression increases the survival of colon cancer patients expressing a truncated APC significantly.

  2. Nitrogen deficiency inhibits leaf blade growth in Lolium perenne by increasing cell cycle duration and decreasing mitotic and post-mitotic growth rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavanová, Monika; Lattanzi, Fernando Alfredo; Schnyder, Hans

    2008-06-01

    Nitrogen deficiency severely inhibits leaf growth. This response was analysed at the cellular level by growing Lolium perenne L. under 7.5 mM (high) or 1 mM (low) nitrate supply, and performing a kinematic analysis to assess the effect of nitrogen status on cell proliferation and cell growth in the leaf blade epidermis. Low nitrogen supply reduced leaf elongation rate (LER) by 43% through a similar decrease in the cell production rate and final cell length. The former was entirely because of a decreased average cell division rate (0.023 versus 0.032 h(-1)) and thus longer cell cycle duration (30 versus 22 h). Nitrogen status did not affect the number of division cycles of the initial cell's progeny (5.7), and accordingly the meristematic cell number (53). Meristematic cell length was unaffected by nitrogen deficiency, implying that the division and mitotic growth rates were equally impaired. The shorter mature cell length arose from a considerably reduced post-mitotic growth rate (0.033 versus 0.049 h(-1)). But, nitrogen stress did not affect the position where elongation stopped, and increased cell elongation duration. In conclusion, nitrogen deficiency limited leaf growth by increasing the cell cycle duration and decreasing mitotic and post-mitotic elongation rates, delaying cell maturation.

  3. File list: ALL.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available ALL.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13 dm3 All antigens Embryo Mitotic cycle 13 SRX75007...1,SRX750082,SRX750080,SRX750072,SRX750083,SRX750081,SRX750070 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/ALL.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13.bed ...

  4. File list: ALL.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available ALL.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13 dm3 All antigens Embryo Mitotic cycle 13 SRX75008...0,SRX750082,SRX750072,SRX750083,SRX750071,SRX750081,SRX750070 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/ALL.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13.bed ...

  5. LOX is a novel mitotic spindle-associated protein essential for mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boufraqech, Myriem; Wei, Darmood; Weyemi, Urbain; Zhang, Lisa; Quezado, Martha; Kalab, Petr; Kebebew, Electron

    2016-05-17

    LOX regulates cancer progression in a variety of human malignancies. It is overexpressed in aggressive cancers and higher expression of LOX is associated with higher cancer mortality. Here, we report a new function of LOX in mitosis. We show that LOX co-localizes to mitotic spindles from metaphase to telophase, and p-H3(Ser10)-positive cells harbor strong LOX staining. Further, purification of mitotic spindles from synchronized cells show that LOX fails to bind to microtubules in the presence of nocodazole, whereas paclitaxel treated samples showed enrichment in LOX expression, suggesting that LOX binds to stabilized microtubules. LOX knockdown leads to G2/M phase arrest; reduced p-H3(Ser10), cyclin B1, CDK1, and Aurora B. Moreover, LOX knockdown significantly increased sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents that target microtubules. Our findings suggest that LOX has a role in cancer cell mitosis and may be targeted to enhance the activity of microtubule inhibitors for cancer therapy.

  6. The Dynamical Mechanisms of the Cell Cycle Size Checkpoint

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng Shi-Fu; Yang Ling; Yan Jie; Liu Zeng-Rong

    2012-01-01

    Cell division must be tightly coupled to cell growth in order to maintain cell size, whereas the mechanisms of how initialization of mitosis is regulated by cell size remain to be elucidated. We develop a mathematical model of the cell cycle, which incorporates cell growth to investigate the dynamical properties of the size checkpoint in embryos of Xenopus laevis. We show that the size checkpoint is naturally raised from a saddle-node bifurcation, and in a mutant case, the cell loses its size control ability due to the loss of this saddle-node point

  7. The subunits of the S-phase checkpoint complex Mrc1/Tof1/Csm3: dynamics and interdependence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uzunova, Sonya Dimitrova; Zarkov, Alexander Stefanov; Ivanova, Anna Marianova; Stoynov, Stoyno Stefanov; Nedelcheva-Veleva, Marina Nedelcheva

    2014-01-01

    The S-phase checkpoint aims to prevent cells from generation of extensive single-stranded DNA that predisposes to genome instability. The S. cerevisiae complex Tof1/Csm3/Mrc1 acts to restrain the replicative MCM helicase when DNA synthesis is prohibited. Keeping the replication machinery intact allows restart of the replication fork when the block is relieved. Although the subunits of the Tof1/Csm3/Mrc1 complex are well studied, the impact of every single subunit on the triple complex formation and function needs to be established. This work studies the cellular localization and the chromatin binding of GFP-tagged subunits when the complex is intact and when a subunit is missing. We demonstrate that the complex is formed in cell nucleus, not the cytoplasm, as Tof1, Csm3 and Mrc1 enter the nucleus independently from one another. Via in situ chromatin binding assay we show that a Tof1-Csm3 dimer formation and chromatin binding is required to ensure the attachment of Mrc1 to chromatin. Our study indicates that the translocation into the nucleus is not the process to regulate the timing of chromatin association of Mrc1. We also studied the nuclear behavior of Mrc1 subunit in the process of adaptation to the presence hydroxyurea. Our results indicate that after prolonged HU incubation, cells bypass the S-phase checkpoint and proceed throughout the cell cycle. This process is accompanied by Mrc1 chromatin detachment and Rad53 dephosphorylation. In S. cerevisiae the subunits of the S-phase checkpoint complex Mrc1/Tof1/Csm3 independently enter the cell nucleus, where a Tof1-Csm3 dimer is formed to ensure the chromatin binding of Mrc1 and favor DNA replication and S-phase checkpoint fork arrest. In the process of adaptation to the presence of hydroxyurea Mrc1 is detached from chromatin and Rad53 checkpoint activity is diminished in order to allow S-phase checkpoint escape and completion of the cell cycle.

  8. Evidence of Selection against Complex Mitotic-Origin Aneuploidy during Preimplantation Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCoy, Rajiv C.; Demko, Zachary P.; Ryan, Allison; Banjevic, Milena; Hill, Matthew; Sigurjonsson, Styrmir; Rabinowitz, Matthew; Petrov, Dmitri A.

    2015-01-01

    Whole-chromosome imbalances affect over half of early human embryos and are the leading cause of pregnancy loss. While these errors frequently arise in oocyte meiosis, many such whole-chromosome abnormalities affecting cleavage-stage embryos are the result of chromosome missegregation occurring during the initial mitotic cell divisions. The first wave of zygotic genome activation at the 4–8 cell stage results in the arrest of a large proportion of embryos, the vast majority of which contain whole-chromosome abnormalities. Thus, the full spectrum of meiotic and mitotic errors can only be detected by sampling after the initial cell divisions, but prior to this selective filter. Here, we apply 24-chromosome preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) to 28,052 single-cell day-3 blastomere biopsies and 18,387 multi-cell day-5 trophectoderm biopsies from 6,366 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. We precisely characterize the rates and patterns of whole-chromosome abnormalities at each developmental stage and distinguish errors of meiotic and mitotic origin without embryo disaggregation, based on informative chromosomal signatures. We show that mitotic errors frequently involve multiple chromosome losses that are not biased toward maternal or paternal homologs. This outcome is characteristic of spindle abnormalities and chaotic cell division detected in previous studies. In contrast to meiotic errors, our data also show that mitotic errors are not significantly associated with maternal age. PGS patients referred due to previous IVF failure had elevated rates of mitotic error, while patients referred due to recurrent pregnancy loss had elevated rates of meiotic error, controlling for maternal age. These results support the conclusion that mitotic error is the predominant mechanism contributing to pregnancy losses occurring prior to blastocyst formation. This high-resolution view of the full spectrum of whole-chromosome abnormalities affecting early embryos provides insight

  9. Evidence of Selection against Complex Mitotic-Origin Aneuploidy during Preimplantation Development.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajiv C McCoy

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Whole-chromosome imbalances affect over half of early human embryos and are the leading cause of pregnancy loss. While these errors frequently arise in oocyte meiosis, many such whole-chromosome abnormalities affecting cleavage-stage embryos are the result of chromosome missegregation occurring during the initial mitotic cell divisions. The first wave of zygotic genome activation at the 4-8 cell stage results in the arrest of a large proportion of embryos, the vast majority of which contain whole-chromosome abnormalities. Thus, the full spectrum of meiotic and mitotic errors can only be detected by sampling after the initial cell divisions, but prior to this selective filter. Here, we apply 24-chromosome preimplantation genetic screening (PGS to 28,052 single-cell day-3 blastomere biopsies and 18,387 multi-cell day-5 trophectoderm biopsies from 6,366 in vitro fertilization (IVF cycles. We precisely characterize the rates and patterns of whole-chromosome abnormalities at each developmental stage and distinguish errors of meiotic and mitotic origin without embryo disaggregation, based on informative chromosomal signatures. We show that mitotic errors frequently involve multiple chromosome losses that are not biased toward maternal or paternal homologs. This outcome is characteristic of spindle abnormalities and chaotic cell division detected in previous studies. In contrast to meiotic errors, our data also show that mitotic errors are not significantly associated with maternal age. PGS patients referred due to previous IVF failure had elevated rates of mitotic error, while patients referred due to recurrent pregnancy loss had elevated rates of meiotic error, controlling for maternal age. These results support the conclusion that mitotic error is the predominant mechanism contributing to pregnancy losses occurring prior to blastocyst formation. This high-resolution view of the full spectrum of whole-chromosome abnormalities affecting early embryos

  10. Centrosome Amplification Increases Single-Cell Branching in Post-mitotic Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricolo, Delia; Deligiannaki, Myrto; Casanova, Jordi; Araújo, Sofia J

    2016-10-24

    Centrosome amplification is a hallmark of cancer, although we are still far from understanding how this process affects tumorigenesis [1, 2]. Besides the contribution of supernumerary centrosomes to mitotic defects, their biological effects in the post-mitotic cell are not well known. Here, we exploit the effects of centrosome amplification in post-mitotic cells during single-cell branching. We show that Drosophila tracheal cells with extra centrosomes branch more than wild-type cells. We found that mutations in Rca1 and CycA affect subcellular branching, causing tracheal tip cells to form more than one subcellular lumen. We show that Rca1 and CycA post-mitotic cells have supernumerary centrosomes and that other mutant conditions that increase centrosome number also show excess of subcellular lumen branching. Furthermore, we show that de novo lumen formation is impaired in mutant embryos with fewer centrioles. The data presented here define a requirement for the centrosome as a microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) for the initiation of subcellular lumen formation. We propose that centrosomes are necessary to drive subcellular lumen formation. In addition, centrosome amplification increases single-cell branching, a process parallel to capillary sprouting in blood vessels [3]. These results shed new light on how centrosomes can contribute to pathology independently of mitotic defects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. File list: His.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available His.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 dm3 Histone Embryo Mitotic cycle 13-14 http://...dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/His.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14.bed ...

  12. File list: His.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available His.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 dm3 Histone Embryo Mitotic cycle 13-14 http://...dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/His.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14.bed ...

  13. Measuring mitotic spindle dynamics in budding yeast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plumb, Kemp

    In order to carry out its life cycle and produce viable progeny through cell division, a cell must successfully coordinate and execute a number of complex processes with high fidelity, in an environment dominated by thermal noise. One important example of such a process is the assembly and positioning of the mitotic spindle prior to chromosome segregation. The mitotic spindle is a modular structure composed of two spindle pole bodies, separated in space and spanned by filamentous proteins called microtubules, along which the genetic material of the cell is held. The spindle is responsible for alignment and subsequent segregation of chromosomes into two equal parts; proper spindle positioning and timing ensure that genetic material is appropriately divided amongst mother and daughter cells. In this thesis, I describe fluorescence confocal microscopy and automated image analysis algorithms, which I have used to observe and analyze the real space dynamics of the mitotic spindle in budding yeast. The software can locate structures in three spatial dimensions and track their movement in time. By selecting fluorescent proteins which specifically label the spindle poles and cell periphery, mitotic spindle dynamics have been measured in a coordinate system relevant to the cell division. I describe how I have characterised the accuracy and precision of the algorithms by simulating fluorescence data for both spindle poles and the budding yeast cell surface. In this thesis I also describe the construction of a microfluidic apparatus that allows for the measurement of long time-scale dynamics of individual cells and the development of a cell population. The tools developed in this thesis work will facilitate in-depth quantitative analysis of the non-equilibrium processes in living cells.

  14. Identification of Conserved MEL-28/ELYS Domains with Essential Roles in Nuclear Assembly and Chromosome Segregation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez-Saldivar, Georgina; Fernandez, Anita; Hirano, Yasuhiro; Mauro, Michael; Lai, Allison; Ayuso, Cristina; Haraguchi, Tokuko; Hiraoka, Yasushi; Piano, Fabio; Askjaer, Peter

    2016-06-01

    Nucleoporins are the constituents of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) and are essential regulators of nucleocytoplasmic transport, gene expression and genome stability. The nucleoporin MEL-28/ELYS plays a critical role in post-mitotic NPC reassembly through recruitment of the NUP107-160 subcomplex, and is required for correct segregation of mitotic chromosomes. Here we present a systematic functional and structural analysis of MEL-28 in C. elegans early development and human ELYS in cultured cells. We have identified functional domains responsible for nuclear envelope and kinetochore localization, chromatin binding, mitotic spindle matrix association and chromosome segregation. Surprisingly, we found that perturbations to MEL-28's conserved AT-hook domain do not affect MEL-28 localization although they disrupt MEL-28 function and delay cell cycle progression in a DNA damage checkpoint-dependent manner. Our analyses also uncover a novel meiotic role of MEL-28. Together, these results show that MEL-28 has conserved structural domains that are essential for its fundamental roles in NPC assembly and chromosome segregation.

  15. File list: Pol.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 dm3 RNA polymerase Embryo Mitotic cycle 8-9 http...://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Pol.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9.bed ...

  16. File list: Pol.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 dm3 RNA polymerase Embryo Mitotic cycle 13-14 ...http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Pol.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14.bed ...

  17. File list: Pol.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  18. File list: Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 dm3 RNA polymerase Embryo Mitotic cycle 12-14 ...http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14.bed ...

  19. File list: Oth.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_7-9 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Oth.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_7-9 dm3 TFs and others Embryo Mitotic cycle 7-9 http...://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Oth.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_7-9.bed ...

  20. File list: DNS.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available DNS.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 dm3 DNase-seq Embryo Mitotic cycle 12-14 http:...//dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/DNS.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14.bed ...

  1. File list: DNS.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available DNS.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 dm3 DNase-seq Embryo Mitotic cycle 12-14 http:...//dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/DNS.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14.bed ...

  2. File list: Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 dm3 RNA polymerase Embryo Mitotic cycle 11-13 ...http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13.bed ...

  3. File list: Unc.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  4. File list: Unc.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  5. File list: Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_7-9 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_7-9 dm3 RNA polymerase Embryo Mitotic cycle 7-9 http...://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_7-9.bed ...

  6. File list: Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 dm3 RNA polymerase Embryo Mitotic cycle 8-9 http...://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9.bed ...

  7. File list: DNS.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available DNS.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 dm3 DNase-seq Embryo Mitotic cycle 11-13 http:...//dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/DNS.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13.bed ...

  8. File list: Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 dm3 RNA polymerase Embryo Mitotic cycle 12-14 ...http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14.bed ...

  9. File list: Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 dm3 RNA polymerase Embryo Mitotic cycle 11-13 ...http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13.bed ...

  10. File list: Oth.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Oth.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 dm3 TFs and others Embryo Mitotic cycle 11-13 ...http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Oth.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13.bed ...

  11. File list: Oth.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Oth.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 dm3 TFs and others Embryo Mitotic cycle 11-13 ...http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Oth.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13.bed ...

  12. File list: DNS.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available DNS.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 dm3 DNase-seq Embryo Mitotic cycle 11-13 http:...//dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/DNS.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13.bed ...

  13. File list: Unc.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Unc.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 dm3 Unclassified Embryo Mitotic cycle 11-13 ht...tp://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Unc.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13.bed ...

  14. File list: Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 dm3 RNA polymerase Embryo Mitotic cycle 8-9 http...://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9.bed ...

  15. File list: Unc.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  16. File list: Pol.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_7-9 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_7-9 dm3 RNA polymerase Embryo Mitotic cycle 7-9 http...://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Pol.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_7-9.bed ...

  17. File list: Unc.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Unc.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 dm3 Unclassified Embryo Mitotic cycle 13-14 ht...tp://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Unc.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14.bed ...

  18. File list: DNS.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available DNS.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14 dm3 DNase-seq Embryo Mitotic cycle 12-14 http:...//dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/DNS.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12-14.bed ...

  19. Mechanical control of mitotic progression in single animal cells

    OpenAIRE

    Cattin, Cedric J.; Düggelin, Marcel; Martinez-Martin, David; Gerber, Christoph; Müller, Daniel J.; Stewart, Martin P.

    2015-01-01

    Despite the importance of mitotic cell rounding in tissue development and cell proliferation, there remains a paucity of approaches to investigate the mechanical robustness of cell rounding. Here we introduce ion beam-sculpted microcantilevers that enable precise force-feedback-controlled confinement of single cells while characterizing their progression through mitosis. We identify three force regimes according to the cell response: small forces (∼5 nN) that accelerate mitotic progression, i...

  20. File list: ALL.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available ALL.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 dm3 All antigens Embryo Mitotic cycle 8-9 SRX084...383 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/ALL.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9.bed ...

  1. File list: Oth.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Oth.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 dm3 TFs and others Embryo Mitotic cycle 13-14 ...SRX084384 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Oth.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14.bed ...

  2. File list: ALL.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available ALL.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 dm3 All antigens Embryo Mitotic cycle 8-9 SRX084...383 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/ALL.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9.bed ...

  3. File list: ALL.Emb.50.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  4. File list: ALL.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available ALL.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 dm3 All antigens Embryo Mitotic cycle 13-14 SR...X084384 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/ALL.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14.bed ...

  5. File list: InP.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available InP.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12 dm3 Input control Embryo Mitotic cycle 12 SRX7500...69 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/InP.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12.bed ...

  6. File list: InP.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available InP.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12 dm3 Input control Embryo Mitotic cycle 12 SRX7500...69 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/InP.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_12.bed ...

  7. File list: Oth.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Oth.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14 dm3 TFs and others Embryo Mitotic cycle 13-14 ...SRX084384 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/dm3/assembled/Oth.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13-14.bed ...

  8. Predictors of responses to immune checkpoint blockade in advanced melanoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacquelot, N; Roberti, M P; Enot, D P

    2017-01-01

    Immune checkpoint blockers (ICB) have become pivotal therapies in the clinical armamentarium against metastatic melanoma (MMel). Given the frequency of immune related adverse events and increasing use of ICB, predictors of response to CTLA-4 and/or PD-1 blockade represent unmet clinical needs....... Using a systems biology-based approach to an assessment of 779 paired blood and tumor markers in 37 stage III MMel patients, we analyzed association between blood immune parameters and the functional immune reactivity of tumor-infiltrating cells after ex vivo exposure to ICB. Based on this assay, we...

  9. File list: Oth.Emb.10.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_8-9 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  10. File list: InP.Emb.05.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  11. CHECKPOINT INHIBITOR IMMUNE THERAPY: Systemic Indications and Ophthalmic Side Effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalvin, Lauren A; Shields, Carol L; Orloff, Marlana; Sato, Takami; Shields, Jerry A

    2018-06-01

    To review immune checkpoint inhibitor indications and ophthalmic side effects. A literature review was performed using a PubMed search for publications between 1990 and 2017. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are designed to treat system malignancies by targeting one of three ligands, leading to T-cell activation for attack against malignant cells. These ligands (and targeted drug) include cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4, ipilimumab), programmed death protein 1 (PD-1, pembrolizumab, nivolumab), and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1, atezolizumab, avelumab, durvalumab). These medications upregulate the immune system and cause autoimmune-like side effects. Ophthalmic side effects most frequently manifest as uveitis (1%) and dry eye (1-24%). Other side effects include myasthenia gravis (n = 19 reports), inflammatory orbitopathy (n = 11), keratitis (n = 3), cranial nerve palsy (n = 3), optic neuropathy (n = 2), serous retinal detachment (n = 2), extraocular muscle myopathy (n = 1), atypical chorioretinal lesions (n = 1), immune retinopathy (n = 1), and neuroretinitis (n = 1). Most inflammatory side effects are managed with topical or periocular corticosteroids, but advanced cases require systemic corticosteroids and cessation of checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Checkpoint inhibitors enhance the immune system by releasing inhibition on T cells, with risk of autoimmune-like side effects. Ophthalmologists should include immune-related adverse events in their differential when examining cancer patients with new ocular symptoms.

  12. Inhibition of Chk1 by CEP-3891 accelerates mitotic nuclear fragmentation in response to ionizing Radiation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Syljuåsen, Randi G; Sørensen, Claus Storgaard; Nylandsted, Jesper

    2004-01-01

    The human checkpoint kinase Chk1 has been suggested as a target for cancer treatment. Here, we show that a new inhibitor of Chk1 kinase, CEP-3891, efficiently abrogates both the ionizing radiation (IR)-induced S and G(2) checkpoints. When the checkpoints were abrogated by CEP-3891, the majority (64...

  13. Developmental checkpoints and feedback circuits time insect maturation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rewitz, Kim Furbo; Yamanaka, Naoki; O'Connor, Michael B.

    2013-01-01

    as external cues, to time production and release of ecdysone. Based on results discussed here, we suggest that developmental progression to adulthood is controlled by checkpoints that regulate the genetic timing program enabling it to adapt to different environmental conditions. These checkpoints utilize...... a number of signaling pathways to modulate ecdysone production in the prothoracic gland. Release of ecdysone activates an autonomous cascade of both feedforward and feedback signals that determine the duration of the ecdysone pulse at each developmental transitions. Conservation of the genetic mechanisms...... that coordinate the juvenile-adult transition suggests that insights from the fruit fly Drosophila will provide a framework for future investigation of developmental timing in metazoans....

  14. Sumoylation promotes optimal APC/C Activation and Timely Anaphase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Christine C; Li, Bing; Yu, Hongtao; Matunis, Michael J

    2018-03-08

    The Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) is a ubiquitin E3 ligase that functions as the gatekeeper to mitotic exit. APC/C activity is controlled by an interplay of multiple pathways during mitosis, including the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), that are not yet fully understood. Here, we show that sumoylation of the APC4 subunit of the APC/C peaks during mitosis and is critical for timely APC/C activation and anaphase onset. We have also identified a functionally important SUMO interacting motif in the cullin-homology domain of APC2 located near the APC4 sumoylation sites and APC/C catalytic core. Our findings provide evidence of an important regulatory role for SUMO modification and binding in affecting APC/C activation and mitotic exit. © 2018, Lee et al.

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    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  17. TRIP13 is a protein-remodeling AAA+ ATPase that catalyzes MAD2 conformation switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Qiaozhen; Rosenberg, Scott C; Moeller, Arne; Speir, Jeffrey A; Su, Tiffany Y; Corbett, Kevin D

    2015-04-28

    The AAA+ family ATPase TRIP13 is a key regulator of meiotic recombination and the spindle assembly checkpoint, acting on signaling proteins of the conserved HORMA domain family. Here we present the structure of the Caenorhabditis elegans TRIP13 ortholog PCH-2, revealing a new family of AAA+ ATPase protein remodelers. PCH-2 possesses a substrate-recognition domain related to those of the protein remodelers NSF and p97, while its overall hexameric architecture and likely structural mechanism bear close similarities to the bacterial protein unfoldase ClpX. We find that TRIP13, aided by the adapter protein p31(comet), converts the HORMA-family spindle checkpoint protein MAD2 from a signaling-active 'closed' conformer to an inactive 'open' conformer. We propose that TRIP13 and p31(comet) collaborate to inactivate the spindle assembly checkpoint through MAD2 conformational conversion and disassembly of mitotic checkpoint complexes. A parallel HORMA protein disassembly activity likely underlies TRIP13's critical regulatory functions in meiotic chromosome structure and recombination.

  18. TRIP13 is a protein-remodeling AAA+ ATPase that catalyzes MAD2 conformation switching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ye, Qiaozhen [Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, San Diego Branch, La Jolla, United States; Rosenberg, Scott C. [Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, San Diego Branch, La Jolla, United States; Moeller, Arne [National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, United States; Speir, Jeffrey A. [National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, United States; Su, Tiffany Y. [Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, San Diego Branch, La Jolla, United States; Corbett, Kevin D. [Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, San Diego Branch, La Jolla, United States; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States

    2015-04-28

    The AAA+ family ATPase TRIP13 is a key regulator of meiotic recombination and the spindle assembly checkpoint, acting on signaling proteins of the conserved HORMA domain family. Here we present the structure of the Caenorhabditis elegans TRIP13 ortholog PCH-2, revealing a new family of AAA+ ATPase protein remodelers. PCH-2 possesses a substrate-recognition domain related to those of the protein remodelers NSF and p97, while its overall hexameric architecture and likely structural mechanism bear close similarities to the bacterial protein unfoldase ClpX. We find that TRIP13, aided by the adapter protein p31(comet), converts the HORMA-family spindle checkpoint protein MAD2 from a signaling-active ‘closed’ conformer to an inactive ‘open’ conformer. We propose that TRIP13 and p31(comet) collaborate to inactivate the spindle assembly checkpoint through MAD2 conformational conversion and disassembly of mitotic checkpoint complexes. A parallel HORMA protein disassembly activity likely underlies TRIP13's critical regulatory functions in meiotic chromosome structure and recombination.

  19. Chromosome segregation regulation in human zygotes: altered mitotic histone phosphorylation dynamics underlying centromeric targeting of the chromosomal passenger complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van de Werken, C; Avo Santos, M; Laven, J S E; Eleveld, C; Fauser, B C J M; Lens, S M A; Baart, E B

    2015-10-01

    regulatory kinase pathways involved in centromeric CPC targeting revealed normal phosphorylation dynamics of histone H2A at T120 (H2ApT120) by Bub1 kinase and subsequent recruitment of Shugoshin. However, phosphorylation of histone H3 at threonine 3 (H3pT3) by Haspin kinase failed to show the expected centromeric enrichment on metaphase chromosomes in the zygote, but not at later stages. Inhibition of Haspin revealed this activity to be essential for proper mitotic checkpoint complex activation in human zygotes, thus demonstrating an active mitotic checkpoint under normal conditions. Abolishment of H3pT3 during zygotic prometaphase further shows that centromeric H2ApT120 alone is not sufficient for proper shugoshin and CPC localization. As the removal of H3pT3 from the chromosome arms during prometaphase normally contributes to further centromeric enrichment of the CPC in somatic cells, CPC targeting may be less accurate in human zygotes. Owing to ethical limitations, tripronuclear zygotes were used in functional experiments. Although these represent the best available models, it is unknown if they are completely representative for dipronuclear zygotes. In addition, further research is needed to determine to what extent the differences we observed in H3T3 phosphorylation dynamics and CPC localization affect chromosome attachment. In the zygote, paternal and maternal chromosomes coming from two separate pronuclei, and with contrasting epigenetic signatures, need to be aligned on a single metaphase plate. Our results suggest that adaptations in mechanisms regulating CPC targeting exist in the human zygote, to ensure symmetric recruitment despite the epigenetic asymmetry between maternal and paternal chromosomes. This adaptation may come at a price regarding chromosome segregation fidelity. This study was funded by the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare

  20. Targeting the Checkpoint to Kill Cancer Cells

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Benada, Jan; Macůrek, Libor

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 6, č. 3 (2015), s. 1912-1937 ISSN 2218-273X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-34264S Institutional support: RVO:68378050 Keywords : checkpoint * DNA damage response * cancer Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology

  1. Hydrogen peroxide induced loss of heterozygosity correlates with replicative lifespan and mitotic asymmetry in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Erin D.; Parker, Meighan C.; Gupta, Nilin; Rodrigues, Jenny

    2016-01-01

    Cellular aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can lead to genomic instability and impaired mitotic asymmetry. To investigate the role of oxidative stress in cellular aging, we examined the effect of exogenous hydrogen peroxide on genomic instability and mitotic asymmetry in a collection of yeast strains with diverse backgrounds. We treated yeast cells with hydrogen peroxide and monitored the changes of viability and the frequencies of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in response to hydrogen peroxide doses. The mid-transition points of viability and LOH were quantified using sigmoid mathematical functions. We found that the increase of hydrogen peroxide dependent genomic instability often occurs before a drop in viability. We previously observed that elevation of genomic instability generally lags behind the drop in viability during chronological aging. Hence, onset of genomic instability induced by exogenous hydrogen peroxide treatment is opposite to that induced by endogenous oxidative stress during chronological aging, with regards to the midpoint of viability. This contrast argues that the effect of endogenous oxidative stress on genome integrity is well suppressed up to the dying-off phase during chronological aging. We found that the leadoff of exogenous hydrogen peroxide induced genomic instability to viability significantly correlated with replicative lifespan (RLS), indicating that yeast cells’ ability to counter oxidative stress contributes to their replicative longevity. Surprisingly, this leadoff is positively correlated with an inverse measure of endogenous mitotic asymmetry, indicating a trade-off between mitotic asymmetry and cell’s ability to fend off hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative stress. Overall, our results demonstrate strong associations of oxidative stress to genomic instability and mitotic asymmetry at the population level of budding yeast. PMID:27833823

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  5. Emodnet Med Sea Check-Point - Indicators for decision- maker

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besnard, Sophie; Claverie, Vincent; Blanc, Frédérique

    2015-04-01

    The Emodnet Checkpoint projects aim is to assess the cost-effectiveness, reliability and utility of the existing monitoring at the sea basin level. This involves the development of monitoring system indicators and a GIS Platform to perform the assessment and make it available. Assessment or production of Check-Point information is made by developing targeted products based on the monitoring data and determining whether the products are meeting the needs of industry and public authorities. Check-point users are the research community, the 'institutional' policy makers for IMP and MSFD implementation, the 'intermediate users', i.e., users capable to understand basic raw data but that benefit from seeing the Checkpoint targeted products and the assessment of the fitness for purpose. We define assessment criteria aimed to characterize/depict the input datasets in terms of 3 territories capable to show performance and gaps of the present monitoring system, appropriateness, availability and fitness for purpose. • Appropriateness: What is made available to users? What motivate/decide them to select this observation rather than this one. • Availability: How this is made available to the user? Place to understand the readiness and service performance of the EU infrastructure • Fitness for use / fitness for purpose: Ability for non-expert user to appreciate the data exploitability (feedback on efficiency & reliability of marine data) For each territory (appropriateness, Availability and Fitness for purpose / for use), we define several indicators. For example, for Availability we define Visibility, Accessibility and Performance. And Visibility is itself defined by "Easily found" and "EU service". So these indicators can be classified according to their territory and sub-territory as seen above, but also according to the complexity to build them. Indicators are built from raw descriptors in 3 stages:  Stage 1: to give a neutral and basic status directly computed from

  6. Analysis of Drug Development Paradigms for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jardim, Denis L; de Melo Gagliato, Débora; Giles, Francis J; Kurzrock, Razelle

    2018-04-15

    Immune checkpoint inhibitors have unique toxicities and response kinetics compared with cytotoxic and gene-targeted anticancer agents. We investigated the impact of innovative/accelerated immunotherapy drug development/approval models on the accuracy of safety and efficacy assessments by searching the FDA website. Initial phase I trials for each agent were reviewed and safety and efficacy data compared with that found in later trials leading to regulatory approvals of the same agents. As of June 2017, the FDA approved six checkpoint inhibitors for a variety of cancer types. All checkpoint inhibitors received a priority review status and access to at least two additional FDA special access programs, more often breakthrough therapy designation and accelerated approval. Median clinical development time (investigational new drug application to approval) was 60.77 months [avelumab had the shortest timeline (52.33 months)]. Response rates during early phase I trials (median = 16%) are higher than for phase I trials of other agents (with the exception of gene-targeted agents tested with a biomarker). Doses approved were usually not identical to doses recommended on phase I trials. Approximately 50% of types of immune-related and 43% of types of clinically relevant toxicities from later trials were identified in early-phase trials. Even so, treatment-related mortality remains exceedingly low in later studies (0.33% of patients). In conclusion, efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors appear to be reasonably predicted from the dose-finding portion of phase I trials, indicating that the fast-track development of these agents is safe and justified. Clin Cancer Res; 24(8); 1785-94. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

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  5. Mitotic Figure Recognition: Agreement among Pathologists and Computerized Detector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher Malon

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Despite the prognostic importance of mitotic count as one of the components of the Bloom – Richardson grade [3], several studies ([2, 9, 10] have found that pathologists’ agreement on the mitotic grade is fairly modest. Collecting a set of more than 4,200 candidate mitotic figures, we evaluate pathologists' agreement on individual figures, and train a computerized system for mitosis detection, comparing its performance to the classifications of three pathologists. The system’s and the pathologists’ classifications are based on evaluation of digital micrographs of hematoxylin and eosin stained breast tissue. On figures where the majority of pathologists agree on a classification, we compare the performance of the trained system to that of the individual pathologists. We find that the level of agreement of the pathologists ranges from slight to moderate, with strong biases, and that the system performs competitively in rating the ground truth set. This study is a step towards automatic mitosis count to accelerate a pathologist's work and improve reproducibility.

  6. Disappearance of nucleosome positioning in mitotic chromatin in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komura, Jun-ichiro; Ono, Tetsuya

    2005-04-15

    During mitosis, transcription is silenced and most transcription factors are displaced from their recognition sequences. By in vivo footprinting analysis, we have confirmed and extended previous studies showing loss of transcription factors from an RNA polymerase II promoter (c-FOS) and, for the first time, an RNA polymerase III promoter (U6) in HeLa cells. Because little was known about nucleosomal organization in mitotic chromosomes, we performed footprinting analysis for nucleosomes on these promoters in interphase and mitotic cells. During interphase, each of the promoters had a positioned nucleosome in the region intervening between proximal promoter elements and distal enhancer elements, but the strong nucleosome positioning disappeared during mitosis. Thus, the nucleosomal organization that appears to facilitate transcription in interphase cells may be lost in mitotic cells, and nucleosome positioning during mitosis does not seem to be a major component of the epigenetic mechanisms to mark genes for rapid reactivation after this phase.

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  8. File list: InP.Emb.20.AllAg.Mitotic_cycle_11-13 [Chip-atlas[Archive

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  9. Localization of spindle checkpoint proteins in cells undergoing mitosis with unreplicated genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Mary Kathrine; Cooksey, Amanda M; Wise, Dwayne A

    2008-11-01

    CHO cells can be arrested with hydoxyurea at the beginning of the DNA synthesis phase of the cell cycle. Subsequent treatment with the xanthine, caffeine, induces cells to bypass the S-phase checkpoint and enter unscheduled mitosis [Schlegel and Pardee,1986, Science 232:1264-1266]. These treated cells build a normal spindle and distribute kinetochores, unattached to chromosomes, to their daughter cells [Brinkley et al.,1988, Nature 336:251-254; Zinkowski et al.,1991, J Cell Biol 113:1091-1110; Wise and Brinkley,1997, Cell Motil Cytoskeleton 36:291-302; Balczon et al.,2003, Chromosoma 112:96-102]. To investigate how these cells distribute kinetochores to daughter cells, we analyzed the spindle checkpoint components, Mad2, CENP-E, and the 3F3 phosphoepitope, using immunofluorescence and digital microscopy. Even though the kinetochores were unpaired and DNA was fragmented, the tension, alignment, and motor components of the checkpoint were found to be present and localized as predicted in prometaphase and metaphase. This unusual mitosis proves that a cell can successfully localize checkpoint proteins and divide even when kinetochores are unpaired and fragmented. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  10. Strategies to overcome HBV-specific T cell exhaustion: checkpoint inhibitors and metabolic re-programming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisicaro, Paola; Boni, Carolina; Barili, Valeria; Laccabue, Diletta; Ferrari, Carlo

    2018-01-29

    HBV-specific T cells play a key role in antiviral protection and failure to control HBV is associated with severely dysfunctional T cell responses. Therefore, functional T cell reconstitution represents a potential way to treat chronically infected patients. The growing understanding of the dysregulated transcriptional/epigenetic and metabolic programs underlying T cell exhaustion allows to envisage functional T cell reconstitution strategies based on the combined/sequential use of compounds able to induce decline of antigen load, checkpoint modulation, metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming with possible boosting of functionally restored responses by specific vaccines. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Structural Biology of the Immune Checkpoint Receptor PD-1 and Its Ligands PD-L1/PD-L2

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zak, Krzysztof M.; Grudnik, Przemyslaw; Magiera, Katarzyna; Dömling, Alexander; Dubin, Grzegorz; Holak, Tad A.

    2017-01-01

    Cancer cells can avoid and suppress immune responses through activation of inhibitory immune checkpoint proteins, such as PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4. Blocking the activities of these proteins with monoclonal antibodies, and thus restoring T cell function, has delivered breakthrough therapies against

  12. T cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia display dysregulated expression of immune checkpoints and activation markers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palma, Marzia; Gentilcore, Giusy; Heimersson, Kia; Mozaffari, Fariba; Näsman-Glaser, Barbro; Young, Emma; Rosenquist, Richard; Hansson, Lotta; Österborg, Anders; Mellstedt, Håkan

    2017-03-01

    Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is characterized by impaired immune functions largely due to profound T-cell defects. T-cell functions also depend on co-signaling receptors, inhibitory or stimulatory, known as immune checkpoints, including cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and programmed death-1 (PD-1). Here we analyzed the T-cell phenotype focusing on immune checkpoints and activation markers in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients (n=80) with different clinical characteristics and compared them to healthy controls. In general, patients had higher absolute numbers of CD3 + cells and the CD8 + subset was particularly expanded in previously treated patients. Progressive patients had higher numbers of CD4 + and CD8 + cells expressing PD-1 compared to healthy controls, which was more pronounced in previously treated patients ( P =0.0003 and P =0.001, respectively). A significant increase in antigen-experienced T cells was observed in patients within both the CD4 + and CD8 + subsets, with a significantly higher PD-1 expression. Higher numbers of CD4 + and CD8 + cells with intracellular CTLA-4 were observed in patients, as well as high numbers of proliferating (Ki67 + ) and activated (CD69 + ) CD4 + and CD8 + cells, more pronounced in patients with active disease. The numbers of Th1, Th2, Th17 and regulatory T cells were substantially increased in patients compared to controls ( P leukemia T cells display increased expression of immune checkpoints, abnormal subset distribution, and a higher proportion of proliferating cells compared to healthy T cells. Disease activity and previous treatment shape the T-cell profile of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients in different ways. Copyright© Ferrata Storti Foundation.

  13. Mitotic delay of irradiated cells and its connection with quantity of radiation injuries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lobachevskij, P.N.; Fominykh, E.V.

    1989-01-01

    The study is dedicated to development of mathematical approach to interpret radiation-induced mitosic delay. An assumption is made that mitotic delay is conditioned by discrete injuries distributed in cells according to stochasticity of interaction of radiation and target substance. It is supposed to consider the problem on injuries nature causing mitotic delay and to use the developed method for accounting the effect of radiation-induced mitotic delay on registered chromosomal aberration yield. 10 refs.; 2 figs.; 3 tabs

  14. When the genome plays dice: circumvention of the spindle assembly checkpoint and near-random chromosome segregation in multipolar cancer cell mitoses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gisselsson, David; Håkanson, Ulf; Stoller, Patrick; Marti, Dominik; Jin, Yuesheng; Rosengren, Anders H; Stewénius, Ylva; Kahl, Fredrik; Panagopoulos, Ioannis

    2008-04-02

    Normal cell division is coordinated by a bipolar mitotic spindle, ensuring symmetrical segregation of chromosomes. Cancer cells, however, occasionally divide into three or more directions. Such multipolar mitoses have been proposed to generate genetic diversity and thereby contribute to clonal evolution. However, this notion has been little validated experimentally. Chromosome segregation and DNA content in daughter cells from multipolar mitoses were assessed by multiphoton cross sectioning and fluorescence in situ hybridization in cancer cells and non-neoplastic transformed cells. The DNA distribution resulting from multipolar cell division was found to be highly variable, with frequent nullisomies in the daughter cells. Time-lapse imaging of H2B/GFP-labelled multipolar mitoses revealed that the time from the initiation of metaphase to the beginning of anaphase was prolonged and that the metaphase plates often switched polarity several times before metaphase-anaphase transition. The multipolar metaphase-anaphase transition was accompanied by a normal reduction of cellular cyclin B levels, but typically occurred before completion of the normal separase activity cycle. Centromeric AURKB and MAD2 foci were observed frequently to remain on the centromeres of multipolar ana-telophase chromosomes, indicating that multipolar mitoses were able to circumvent the spindle assembly checkpoint with some sister chromatids remaining unseparated after anaphase. Accordingly, scoring the distribution of individual chromosomes in multipolar daughter nuclei revealed a high frequency of nondisjunction events, resulting in a near-binomial allotment of sister chromatids to the daughter cells. The capability of multipolar mitoses to circumvent the spindle assembly checkpoint system typically results in a near-random distribution of chromosomes to daughter cells. Spindle multipolarity could thus be a highly efficient generator of genetically diverse minority clones in transformed cell

  15. When the genome plays dice: circumvention of the spindle assembly checkpoint and near-random chromosome segregation in multipolar cancer cell mitoses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Gisselsson

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Normal cell division is coordinated by a bipolar mitotic spindle, ensuring symmetrical segregation of chromosomes. Cancer cells, however, occasionally divide into three or more directions. Such multipolar mitoses have been proposed to generate genetic diversity and thereby contribute to clonal evolution. However, this notion has been little validated experimentally. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Chromosome segregation and DNA content in daughter cells from multipolar mitoses were assessed by multiphoton cross sectioning and fluorescence in situ hybridization in cancer cells and non-neoplastic transformed cells. The DNA distribution resulting from multipolar cell division was found to be highly variable, with frequent nullisomies in the daughter cells. Time-lapse imaging of H2B/GFP-labelled multipolar mitoses revealed that the time from the initiation of metaphase to the beginning of anaphase was prolonged and that the metaphase plates often switched polarity several times before metaphase-anaphase transition. The multipolar metaphase-anaphase transition was accompanied by a normal reduction of cellular cyclin B levels, but typically occurred before completion of the normal separase activity cycle. Centromeric AURKB and MAD2 foci were observed frequently to remain on the centromeres of multipolar ana-telophase chromosomes, indicating that multipolar mitoses were able to circumvent the spindle assembly checkpoint with some sister chromatids remaining unseparated after anaphase. Accordingly, scoring the distribution of individual chromosomes in multipolar daughter nuclei revealed a high frequency of nondisjunction events, resulting in a near-binomial allotment of sister chromatids to the daughter cells. CONCLUSION: The capability of multipolar mitoses to circumvent the spindle assembly checkpoint system typically results in a near-random distribution of chromosomes to daughter cells. Spindle multipolarity could thus be a highly efficient

  16. Co-delivery of paclitaxel and cetuximab by nanodiamond enhances mitotic catastrophe and tumor inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yu-Wei; Raj, Emmanuel Naveen; Liao, Wei-Siang; Lin, Johnson; Liu, Kuang-Kai; Chen, Ting-Hua; Cheng, Hsiao-Chun; Wang, Chi-Ching; Li, Lily Yi; Chen, Chinpiao; Chao, Jui-I

    2017-08-29

    The poor intracellular uptake and non-specific binding of anticancer drugs into cancer cells are the bottlenecks in cancer therapy. Nanocarrier platforms provide the opportunities to improve the drug efficacy. Here we show a carbon-based nanomaterial nanodiamond (ND) that carried paclitaxel (PTX), a microtubule inhibitor, and cetuximab (Cet), a specific monoclonal antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), inducing mitotic catastrophe and tumor inhibition in human colorectal cancer (CRC). ND-PTX blocked the mitotic progression, chromosomal separation, and induced apoptosis in the CRC cells; however, NDs did not induce these effects. Conjugation of ND-PTX with Cet (ND-PTX-Cet) was specifically binding to the EGFR-positive CRC cells and enhanced the mitotic catastrophe and apoptosis induction. Besides, ND-PTX-Cet markedly decreased tumor size in the xenograft EGFR-expressed human CRC tumors of nude mice. Moreover, ND-PTX-Cet induced the mitotic marker protein phospho-histone 3 (Ser10) and apoptotic protein active-caspase 3 for mitotic catastrophe and apoptosis. Taken together, this study demonstrated that the co-delivery of PTX and Cet by ND enhanced the effects of mitotic catastrophe and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, which may be applied in the human CRC therapy.

  17. Tripolar mitosis in human cells and embryos: occurrence, pathophysiology and medical implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalatova, Beata; Jesenska, Renata; Hlinka, Daniel; Dudas, Marek

    2015-01-01

    Tripolar mitosis is a specific case of cell division driven by typical molecular mechanisms of mitosis, but resulting in three daughter cells instead of the usual count of two. Other variants of multipolar mitosis show even more mitotic poles and are relatively rare. In nature, this phenomenon was frequently observed or suspected in multiple common cancers, infected cells, the placenta, and in early human embryos with impaired pregnancy-yielding potential. Artificial causes include radiation and various toxins. Here we combine several pieces of the most recent evidence for the existence of different types of multipolar mitosis in preimplantation embryos together with a detailed review of the literature. The related molecular and cellular mechanisms are discussed, including the regulation of centriole duplication, mitotic spindle biology, centromere functions, cell cycle checkpoints, mitotic autocorrection mechanisms, and the related complicating factors in healthy and affected cells, including post-mitotic cell-cell fusion often associated with multipolar cell division. Clinical relevance for oncology and embryo selection in assisted reproduction is also briefly discussed in this context. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  18. The anaphase inhibitor of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pds1p is a target of the DNA damage checkpoint pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen-Fix, O.; Koshland, D.

    1997-01-01

    Inhibition of DNA replication and physical DNA damage induce checkpoint responses that arrest cell cycle progression at two different stages. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the execution of both checkpoint responses requires the Mec1 and Rad53 proteins. This observation led to the suggestion that these checkpoint responses are mediated through a common signal transduction pathway. However, because the checkpoint-induced arrests occur at different cell cycle stages, the downstream effectors mediating these arrests are likely to be distinct. We have previously shown that the S. cerevisiae protein Pds1p is an anaphase inhibitor and is essential for cell cycle arrest in mitosis in the presence DNA damage. Herein we show that DNA damage, but not inhibition of DNA replication, induces the phosphorylation of Pds1p. Analyses of Pds1p phosphorylation in different checkpoint mutants reveal that in the presence of DNA damage, Pds1p is phosphorylated in a Mec1p- and Rad9p-dependent hut Rad53p-independent manner. Our data place Pds1p and Rad53p on parallel branches of the DNA damage checkpoint pathway. We suggest that Pds1p is a downstream target of the DNA damage checkpoint pathway and that it is involved in implementing the DNA damage checkpoint arrest specifically in mitosis

  19. 53BP1 and USP28 mediate p53-dependent cell cycle arrest in response to centrosome loss and prolonged mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fong, Chii Shyang; Mazo, Gregory; Das, Tuhin; Goodman, Joshua; Kim, Minhee; O'Rourke, Brian P; Izquierdo, Denisse; Tsou, Meng-Fu Bryan

    2016-07-02

    Mitosis occurs efficiently, but when it is disturbed or delayed, p53-dependent cell death or senescence is often triggered after mitotic exit. To characterize this process, we conducted CRISPR-mediated loss-of-function screens using a cell-based assay in which mitosis is consistently disturbed by centrosome loss. We identified 53BP1 and USP28 as essential components acting upstream of p53, evoking p21-dependent cell cycle arrest in response not only to centrosome loss, but also to other distinct defects causing prolonged mitosis. Intriguingly, 53BP1 mediates p53 activation independently of its DNA repair activity, but requiring its interacting protein USP28 that can directly deubiquitinate p53 in vitro and ectopically stabilize p53 in vivo. Moreover, 53BP1 can transduce prolonged mitosis to cell cycle arrest independently of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), suggesting that while SAC protects mitotic accuracy by slowing down mitosis, 53BP1 and USP28 function in parallel to select against disturbed or delayed mitosis, promoting mitotic efficiency.

  20. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in the Treatment of Patients with Neuroendocrine Neoplasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Matthias M; Fottner, Christian

    2018-01-01

    Well-differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are usually controlled by antiproliferative, local ablative and/or radionuclide therapies, whereas poorly differentiated NENs generally require cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, treatment options for patients with advanced/metastatic high-grade NENs remain limited. Review of the literature and international congress abstracts on the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy by checkpoint inhibition in advanced/metastatic NENs. Evidence points to an important role of immune phenomena in the pathogenesis and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) protein and its ligand are mainly expressed in poorly differentiated NENs. Microsatellite instability and high mutational load are more pronounced in high-grade NENs and may predict response to immunotherapy. Clinical experience of immune checkpoint blockade mainly exists for Merkel cell carcinoma, a high-grade cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), which has led to approval of the anti-PD-1 antibody avelumab. In addition, there is anecdotal evidence for the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors in large-cell lung NECs, ovarian NECs and others, including gastroenteropancreatic NENs. Currently, phase II studies investigate PDR001, pembrolizumab, combined durvalumab and tremelimumab, and avelumab treatment in patients with advanced/metastatic NENs. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a promising therapeutic option, especially in progressive NECs or high-grade NETs with high tumor burden, microsatellite instability, and/or mutational load. © 2018 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

  1. Beyond CTLA-4 and PD-1, the Generation Z of Negative Checkpoint Regulators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Mercier, Isabelle; Lines, J Louise; Noelle, Randolph J

    2015-01-01

    In the last two years, clinical trials with blocking antibodies to the negative checkpoint regulators CTLA-4 and PD-1 have rekindled the hope for cancer immunotherapy. Multiple negative checkpoint regulators protect the host against autoimmune reactions but also restrict the ability of T cells to effectively attack tumors. Releasing these brakes has emerged as an exciting strategy for cancer treatment. Conversely, these pathways can be manipulated to achieve durable tolerance for treatment of autoimmune diseases and transplantation. In the future, treatment may involve combination therapy to target multiple cell types and stages of the adaptive immune responses. In this review, we describe the current knowledge on the recently discovered negative checkpoint regulators, future targets for immunotherapy.

  2. Blocking CHK1 Expression Induces Apoptosis and Abrogates the G2 Checkpoint Mechanism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Luo

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chki is a checkpoint gene that is activated after DNA damage. It phosphorylates and inactivates the Cdc2 activating phosphatase Cdc25C. This in turn inactivates Cdc2, which leads to G2/M arrest. We report that blocking Chki expression by antisense or ribozymes in mammalian cells induces apoptosis and interferes with the G2/M arrest induced by adriamycin. The Chki inhibitor UCN-01 also blocks the G2 arrest after DNA damage and renders cells more susceptible to adriamycin. These results indicate that Chki is an essential gene for the checkpoint mechanism during normal cell proliferation as well as in the DNA damage response.

  3. PD-1 Checkpoint Inhibitor Associated Autoimmune Encephalitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephanie Schneider

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To report first-hand narrative experience of autoimmune encephalitis and to briefly review currently available evidence of autoimmune encephalitis in cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Setting: A case study is presented on the management of a patient who developed autoimmune encephalitis during nivolumab monotherapy occurring after 28 weeks on anti-PD-1 monotherapy (nivolumab 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks for non-small cell lung cancer. Results: No substantial improvement was observed by antiepileptic treatment. After administration of 80 mg methylprednisolone, neurologic symptoms disappeared within 24 h and the patient fully recovered. Conclusions: Immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment can lead to autoimmune encephalitis. Clinical trial data indicate a frequency of autoimmune encephalitis of ≥0.1 to <1% with a higher probability during combined or sequential anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 therapy than during anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 monotherapy. Further collection of evidence and translational research is warranted.

  4. Zwint-1 is required for spindle assembly checkpoint function and kinetochore-microtubule attachment during oocyte meiosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo Seo, Dong; Yeop You, Seung; Chung, Woo-Jae; Cho, Dong-Hyung; Kim, Jae-Sung; Su Oh, Jeong

    2015-10-21

    The key step for faithful chromosome segregation during meiosis is kinetochore assembly. Defects in this process result in aneuploidy, leading to miscarriages, infertility and various birth defects. However, the roles of kinetochores in homologous chromosome segregation during meiosis are ill-defined. Here we found that Zwint-1 is required for homologous chromosome segregation during meiosis. Knockdown of Zwint-1 accelerated the first meiosis by abrogating the kinetochore recruitment of Mad2, leading to chromosome misalignment and a high incidence of aneuploidy. Although Zwint-1 knockdown did not affect Aurora C kinase activity, the meiotic defects following Zwint-1 knockdown were similar to those observed with ZM447439 treatment. Importantly, the chromosome misalignment following Aurora C kinase inhibition was not restored after removing the inhibitor in Zwint-1-knockdown oocytes, whereas the defect was rescued after the inhibitor washout in the control oocytes. These results suggest that Aurora C kinase-mediated correction of erroneous kinetochore-microtubule attachment is primarily regulated by Zwint-1. Our results provide the first evidence that Zwint-1 is required to correct erroneous kinetochore-microtubule attachment and regulate spindle checkpoint function during meiosis.

  5. Controlling the response to DNA damage by the APC/C-Cdh1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Boer, H Rudolf; Guerrero Llobet, S; van Vugt, Marcel A T M

    2016-03-01

    Proper cell cycle progression is safeguarded by the oscillating activities of cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase complexes. An important player in the regulation of mitotic cyclins is the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), a multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase. Prior to entry into mitosis, the APC/C remains inactive, which allows the accumulation of mitotic regulators. APC/C activation requires binding to either the Cdc20 or Cdh1 adaptor protein, which sequentially bind the APC/C and facilitate targeting of multiple mitotic regulators for proteasomal destruction, including Securin and Cyclin B, to ensure proper chromosome segregation and mitotic exit. Emerging data have indicated that the APC/C, particularly in association with Cdh1, also functions prior to mitotic entry. Specifically, the APC/C-Cdh1 is activated in response to DNA damage in G2 phase cells. These observations are in line with in vitro and in vivo genetic studies, in which cells lacking Cdh1 expression display various defects, including impaired DNA repair and aberrant cell cycle checkpoints. In this review, we summarize the current literature on APC/C regulation in response to DNA damage, the functions of APC/C-Cdh1 activation upon DNA damage, and speculate how APC/C-Cdh1 can control cell fate in the context of persistent DNA damage.

  6. Suspension of Mitotic Activity in Dentate Gyrus of the Hibernating Ground Squirrel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victor I. Popov

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Neurogenesis occurs in the adult mammalian hippocampus, a region of the brain important for learning and memory. Hibernation in Siberian ground squirrels provides a natural model to study mitosis as the rapid fall in body temperature in 24 h (from 35-36°C to +4–6°C permits accumulation of mitotic cells at different stages of the cell cycle. Histological methods used to study adult neurogenesis are limited largely to fixed tissue, and the mitotic state elucidated depends on the specific phase of mitosis at the time of day. However, using an immunohistochemical study of doublecortin (DCX and BrdU-labelled neurons, we demonstrate that the dentate gyrus of the ground squirrel hippocampus contains a population of immature cells which appear to possess mitotic activity. Our data suggest that doublecortin-labelled immature cells exist in a mitotic state and may represent a renewable pool for generation of new neurons within the dentate gyrus.

  7. Mapping genes by meiotic and UV-induced mitotic recombination in Coprinus cinereus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amirkhanian, J.D.; Cowan, J.W.

    1985-01-01

    Three morphological mutants in Coprinus cinereus—one spontaneous (den-2) and two chemically induced (zigand sta)—were assigned to linkage groups and utilized in meiotic and mitotic mapping. Mutants den-2 and zig belong to linkage group III, den-2 being close to the centromere and about 20 map units (mu) from zig. The mutant sta in linkage group ‘G’ is at a distance of about 37 mu from ade-3. Mitotic mapping confirmed the gene order in linkage group III and provided evidence that trp-2 in linkage group ‘G’ was between the centromere and ade-3. These morphological mutants are compact in colony growth and therefore suited to high-density plating. The rarity of spontaneously occurring mitotic segregants suggests that diploids of Coprinus cinereus, heterozygous for morphoiogical markers in repuision, could serve as useful test systems for rapid screening of chemical mutagen/carcinogens via mitotic recombination studies

  8. The PP2AB56 phosphatase promotes the association of Cdc20 with APC/C in mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sun Joo; Rodriguez-Bravo, Veronica; Kim, Hyunjung; Datta, Sutirtha; Foley, Emily A

    2017-05-15

    PP2A comprising B56 regulatory subunit isoforms (PP2A B56 ) is a serine/threonine phosphatase essential for mitosis. At the kinetochore, PP2A B56 both stabilizes microtubule binding and promotes silencing of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) through its association with the SAC protein BubR1. Cells depleted of the B56 regulatory subunits of PP2A are delayed in activation of Cdc20-containing APC/C (APC/C Cdc20 ), which is an essential step for mitotic exit. It has been hypothesized that this delay arises from increased production of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), an APC/C Cdc20 inhibitor formed at unattached kinetochores through SAC signaling. In contrast to this prediction, we show that depletion of B56 subunits does not increase the amount or stability of the MCC. Rather, delays in APC/C Cdc20 activation in B56-depleted cells correlate with impaired Cdc20 binding to APC/C. Stimulation of APC/C Cdc20 assembly does not require binding between PP2A B56 and BubR1, and thus this contribution of PP2A B56 towards mitotic exit is distinct from its functions at kinetochores. PP2A B56 associates with APC/C constitutively in a BubR1-independent manner. A mitotic phosphorylation site on Cdc20, known to be a substrate of PP2A B56 , modulates APC/C Cdc20 assembly. These results elucidate the contributions of PP2A B56 towards completion of mitosis. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  9. Incorporation of Immune Checkpoint Blockade into Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells (CAR-Ts): Combination or Built-In CAR-T.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Dok Hyun; Osborn, Mark J; Tolar, Jakub; Kim, Chong Jai

    2018-01-24

    Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy represents the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved gene therapy and these engineered cells function with unprecedented efficacy in the treatment of refractory CD19 positive hematologic malignancies. CAR translation to solid tumors is also being actively investigated; however, efficacy to date has been variable due to tumor-evolved mechanisms that inhibit local immune cell activity. To bolster the potency of CAR-T cells, modulation of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment with immune-checkpoint blockade is a promising strategy. The impact of this approach on hematological malignancies is in its infancy, and in this review we discuss CAR-T cells and their synergy with immune-checkpoint blockade.

  10. Incorporation of Immune Checkpoint Blockade into Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells (CAR-Ts: Combination or Built-In CAR-T

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dok Hyun Yoon

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR T cell therapy represents the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved gene therapy and these engineered cells function with unprecedented efficacy in the treatment of refractory CD19 positive hematologic malignancies. CAR translation to solid tumors is also being actively investigated; however, efficacy to date has been variable due to tumor-evolved mechanisms that inhibit local immune cell activity. To bolster the potency of CAR-T cells, modulation of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment with immune-checkpoint blockade is a promising strategy. The impact of this approach on hematological malignancies is in its infancy, and in this review we discuss CAR-T cells and their synergy with immune-checkpoint blockade.

  11. The relationship between mitotic rate and depth of invasion in biopsies of malignant melanoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghasemi Basir HR

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Hamid Reza Ghasemi Basir,1,2 Pedram Alirezaei,2 Sara Ahovan,3 Abbas Moradi3 1Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 2Psoriasis Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 3School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran Background: Malignant melanoma of the skin is a potentially lethal neoplasm that generally originates from atypical melanocytes in the dermal–epidermal junction. When the neoplasm penetrates into the dermis, several variables can affect the extent of its spread, among which depth of invasion has the most important prognostic value. Mitotic rate is another prognostic factor that reflects the biological behavior of the neoplasm.Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the probable relationship between the depth of invasion of malignant melanoma and its mitotic rate.Materials and methods: This study was performed on 50 excisional biopsy specimens that had received the diagnosis of malignant melanoma histopathologically. Tumor characteristics including Breslow thickness, Clark level, T-stage, and tumor mitotic rate were recorded.Results: We observed that at higher Clark levels and higher T-stages, and the mean mitotic rate was significantly increased. Moreover, there was a positive and significant correlation between Breslow thickness and mitotic rate. We demonstrated that one unit increase in mitotic rate was correlated with 0.8 mm increase in Breslow thickness of the tumor.Conclusion: In malignant melanoma, mitotic activity may probably indicate the depth of tumor invasion. Therefore, in incisional biopsies where depth of invasion cannot be accurately determined, the mitotic activity may be used to estimate Breslow thickness, which is necessary for planning surgical management. Keywords: melanoma, mitosis, Breslow, invasion, thickness, proliferation

  12. Rituximab does not reset defective early B cell tolerance checkpoints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamberlain, Nicolas; Massad, Christopher; Oe, Tyler; Cantaert, Tineke; Herold, Kevan C.; Meffre, Eric

    2015-01-01

    Type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients show abnormalities in early B cell tolerance checkpoints, resulting in the accumulation of large numbers of autoreactive B cells in their blood. Treatment with rituximab, an anti-CD20 mAb that depletes B cells, has been shown to preserve β cell function in T1D patients and improve other autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. However, it remains largely unknown how anti–B cell therapy thwarts autoimmunity in these pathologies. Here, we analyzed the reactivity of Abs expressed by single, mature naive B cells from 4 patients with T1D before and 52 weeks after treatment to determine whether rituximab resets early B cell tolerance checkpoints. We found that anti–B cell therapy did not alter the frequencies of autoreactive and polyreactive B cells, which remained elevated in the blood of all patients after rituximab treatment. Moreover, the limited proliferative history of autoreactive B cells after treatment revealed that these clones were newly generated B cells and not self-reactive B cells that had escaped depletion and repopulated the periphery through homeostatic expansion. We conclude that anti–B cell therapy may provide a temporary dampening of autoimmune processes through B cell depletion. However, repletion with autoreactive B cells may explain the relapse that occurs in many autoimmune patients after anti–B cell therapy. PMID:26642366

  13. A gene encoding the major beta tubulin of the mitotic spindle in Physarum polycephalum plasmodia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burland, T.G.; Paul, E.C.A.; Oetliker, M.; Dove, W.F.

    1988-03-01

    The multinucleate plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum is unusual among eucaryotic cells in that it uses tubulins only in mitotic-spindle microtubules; cytoskeletal, flagellar, and centriolar microtubules are absent in this cell type. The authors identified a ..beta..-tubulin cDNA clone, ..beta..105, which is shown to correspond to the transcript of the betC ..beta..-tubulin locus and to encode ..beta..2 tubulin, the ..beta.. tubulin expressed specifically in the plasmodium and used exclusively in the mitotic spindle. Physarum amoebae utilize tubulins in the cytoskeleton, centrioles, and flagella, in addition to the mitotic spindle. Sequence analysis shows that ..beta..2 tubulin is only 83% identical to the two ..beta.. tubulins expressed in amoebae. This compares with 70 to 83% identity between Physarum ..beta..2 tubulin and the ..beta.. tubulins of yeasts, fungi, alga, trypanosome, fruit fly, chicken, and mouse. On the other hand, Physarum ..beta..2 tubulin is no more similar to, for example, Aspergillus ..beta.. tubulins than it is to those of Drosophila melanogaster or mammals. Several eucaryotes express at least one widely diverged ..beta.. tubulin as well as one or more ..beta.. tubulins that conform more closely to a consensus ..beta..-tubulin sequence. The authors suggest that ..beta..-tubulins diverge more when their expression pattern is restricted, especially when this restriction results in their use in fewer functions. This divergence among ..beta.. tubulins could have resulted through neutral drift. For example, exclusive use of Physarum ..beta..2 tubulin in the spindle may have allowed more amino acid substitutions than would be functionally tolerable in the ..beta.. tubulins that are utilized in multiple microtubular organelles. Alternatively, restricted use of ..beta.. tubulins may allow positive selection to operate more freely to refine ..beta..-tubulin function.

  14. Live-Cell Imaging Visualizes Frequent Mitotic Skipping During Senescence-Like Growth Arrest in Mammary Carcinoma Cells Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Masatoshi, E-mail: msuzuki@nagasaki-u.ac.jp [Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki (Japan); Yamauchi, Motohiro; Oka, Yasuyoshi; Suzuki, Keiji; Yamashita, Shunichi [Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki (Japan)

    2012-06-01

    Purpose: Senescence-like growth arrest in human solid carcinomas is now recognized as the major outcome of radiotherapy. This study was designed to analyze cell cycle during the process of senescence-like growth arrest in mammary carcinoma cells exposed to X-rays. Methods and Materials: Fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicators were introduced into the human mammary carcinoma cell line MCF-7. Cell cycle was sequentially monitored by live-cell imaging for up to 5 days after exposure to 10 Gy of X-rays. Results: Live-cell imaging revealed that cell cycle transition from G2 to G1 phase without mitosis, so-called mitotic skipping, was observed in 17.1% and 69.8% of G1- and G2-irradiated cells, respectively. Entry to G1 phase was confirmed by the nuclear accumulation of mKO{sub 2}-hCdt1 as well as cyclin E, which was inversely correlated to the accumulation of G2-specific markers such as mAG-hGeminin and CENP-F. More than 90% of cells skipping mitosis were persistently arrested in G1 phase and showed positive staining for the senescent biochemical marker, which is senescence-associated ss-galactosidase, indicating induction of senescence-like growth arrest accompanied by mitotic skipping. While G2 irradiation with higher doses of X-rays induced mitotic skipping in approximately 80% of cells, transduction of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) for p53 significantly suppressed mitotic skipping, suggesting that ionizing radiation-induced mitotic skipping is associated with p53 function. Conclusions: The present study found the pathway of senescence-like growth arrest in G1 phase without mitotic entry following G2-irradiation.

  15. Live-Cell Imaging Visualizes Frequent Mitotic Skipping During Senescence-Like Growth Arrest in Mammary Carcinoma Cells Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Masatoshi; Yamauchi, Motohiro; Oka, Yasuyoshi; Suzuki, Keiji; Yamashita, Shunichi

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Senescence-like growth arrest in human solid carcinomas is now recognized as the major outcome of radiotherapy. This study was designed to analyze cell cycle during the process of senescence-like growth arrest in mammary carcinoma cells exposed to X-rays. Methods and Materials: Fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicators were introduced into the human mammary carcinoma cell line MCF-7. Cell cycle was sequentially monitored by live-cell imaging for up to 5 days after exposure to 10 Gy of X-rays. Results: Live-cell imaging revealed that cell cycle transition from G2 to G1 phase without mitosis, so-called mitotic skipping, was observed in 17.1% and 69.8% of G1- and G2-irradiated cells, respectively. Entry to G1 phase was confirmed by the nuclear accumulation of mKO 2 -hCdt1 as well as cyclin E, which was inversely correlated to the accumulation of G2-specific markers such as mAG-hGeminin and CENP-F. More than 90% of cells skipping mitosis were persistently arrested in G1 phase and showed positive staining for the senescent biochemical marker, which is senescence-associated ß-galactosidase, indicating induction of senescence-like growth arrest accompanied by mitotic skipping. While G2 irradiation with higher doses of X-rays induced mitotic skipping in approximately 80% of cells, transduction of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) for p53 significantly suppressed mitotic skipping, suggesting that ionizing radiation-induced mitotic skipping is associated with p53 function. Conclusions: The present study found the pathway of senescence-like growth arrest in G1 phase without mitotic entry following G2-irradiation.

  16. Beyond CTLA-4 and PD-1, the generation Z of negative checkpoint regulators.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabelle eLe Mercier

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available In the last two years, clinical trials with blocking antibodies to the negative checkpoint regulators CTLA-4 and PD-1 have rekindled the hope for cancer immunotherapy. Multiple negative checkpoint regulators protect the host against autoimmune reactions but also restrict the ability of T cells to effectively attack tumors. Releasing these brakes has emerged as an exciting strategy for cancer treatment. Conversely, these pathways can be manipulated to achieve durable tolerance for treatment of autoimmune diseases and transplantation. In the future, treatment may involve combination therapy to target multiple cell types and stages of the adaptive immune responses. In this review, we describe the current knowledge on the recently discovered negative checkpoint regulators, future targets for immunotherapy.

  17. NEK11: linking CHK1 and CDC25A in DNA damage checkpoint signaling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Claus Storgaard; Melixetian, Marina; Klein, Ditte Kjaersgaard

    2010-01-01

    The DNA damage induced G(2)/M checkpoint is an important guardian of the genome that prevents cell division when DNA lesions are present. The checkpoint prevents cells from entering mitosis by degrading CDC25A, a key CDK activator. CDC25A proteolysis is controlled by direct phosphorylation events...... is required for beta-TrCP mediated CDC25A polyubiquitylation and degradation. The activity of NEK11 is in turn controlled by CHK1 that activates NEK11 via phosphorylation on serine 273. Since inhibition of NEK11 activity forces checkpoint-arrested cells into mitosis and cell death, NEK11 is, like CHK1...

  18. Radiation-induced mitotic and meiotic aneuploidy in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parry, J.M.; Sharp, D.; Tippins, R.S.; Parry, E.M.

    1979-01-01

    A number of genetic systems are described which in yeast may be used to monitor the induction of chromosome aneuploidy during both mitotic and meiotic cell division. Using these systems the authors have been able to demonstrate the induction of both monosomic and trisomic cells in mitotically dividing cells and disomic spores in meiotically dividing cells after both UV light and X-ray exposure. (Auth.)

  19. Validate Mitotic Checkpoint and Kinetochore Motor Proteins in Breast Cancer Cells as Targets for the Development of Novel Anti-Mitotic Drugs

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Yen, Timothy J

    2005-01-01

    .... Taxol and vincristine are microtubule poisons that block the proper function of microtubules that are essential for a broad spectrum of motile biological processes that include cell division, vesicle...

  20. Immune Checkpoint Function of CD85j in CD8 T Cell Differentiation and Aging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claire E. Gustafson

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Aging is associated with an increased susceptibility to infection and a failure to control latent viruses thought to be driven, at least in part, by alterations in CD8 T cell function. The aging T cell repertoire is characterized by an accumulation of effector CD8 T cells, many of which express the negative regulatory receptor CD85j. To define the biological significance of CD85j expression on CD8 T cells and to address the question whether presence of CD85j in older individuals is beneficial or detrimental for immune function, we examined the specific attributes of CD8 T cells expressing CD85j as well as the functional role of CD85j in antigen-specific CD8 T cell responses during immune aging. Here, we show that CD85j is mainly expressed by terminally differentiated effector (TEMRAs CD8 T cells, which increase with age, in cytomegalovirus (CMV infection and in males. CD85j+ CMV-specific cells demonstrate clonal expansion. However, TCR diversity is similar between CD85j+ and CD85j− compartments, suggesting that CD85j does not directly impact the repertoire of antigen-specific cells. Further phenotypic and functional analyses revealed that CD85j identifies a specific subset of CMV-responsive CD8 T cells that coexpress a marker of senescence (CD57 but retain polyfunctional cytokine production and expression of cytotoxic mediators. Blocking CD85j binding enhanced proliferation of CMV-specific CD8 T cells upon antigen stimulation but did not alter polyfunctional cytokine production. Taken together, these data demonstrate that CD85j characterizes a population of “senescent,” but not exhausted antigen-specific effector CD8 T cells and indicates that CD85j is an important checkpoint regulator controlling expansion of virus-specific T cells during aging. Inhibition of CD85j activity may be a mechanism to promote stronger CD8 T cell effector responses during immune aging.

  1. A retinoblastoma orthologue is a major regulator of S-phase, mitotic, and developmental gene expression in Dictyostelium.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kimchi Strasser

    Full Text Available The retinoblastoma tumour suppressor, Rb, has two major functions. First, it represses genes whose products are required for S-phase entry and progression thus stabilizing cells in G1. Second, Rb interacts with factors that induce cell-cycle exit and terminal differentiation. Dictyostelium lacks a G1 phase in its cell cycle but it has a retinoblastoma orthologue, rblA.Using microarray analysis and mRNA-Seq transcriptional profiling, we show that RblA strongly represses genes whose products are involved in S phase and mitosis. Both S-phase and mitotic genes are upregulated at a single point in late G2 and again in mid-development, near the time when cell cycling is reactivated. RblA also activates a set of genes unique to slime moulds that function in terminal differentiation.Like its mammalian counterpart Dictyostelium, RblA plays a dual role, regulating cell-cycle progression and transcriptional events leading to terminal differentiation. In the absence of a G1 phase, however, RblA functions in late G2 controlling the expression of both S-phase and mitotic genes.

  2. Identification of Pathways Required for the Coordination of Late Mitotic Events in Animal Cells

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Baumgartner, Bridget L; Harper, J. W

    2005-01-01

    ... in genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer. In yeast, a signaling pathway has been identified, called the Mitotic Exit Network, which coordinates mitotic exit and cytokinesis with the end of anaphase...

  3. Identification of Pathways Required for the Coordination of Late Mitotic Events in Animal Cells

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Baumgartner, Bridget

    2004-01-01

    ... in genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer. In yeast, a signaling pathway has been identified, called the Mitotic Exit Network, which coordinates mitotic exit and cytokinesis with the end of anaphase...

  4. MiR-210 disturbs mitotic progression through regulating a group of mitosis-related genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Jie; Wu, Jiangbin; Xu, Naihan; Xie, Weidong; Li, Mengnan; Li, Jianna; Jiang, Yuyang; Yang, Burton B; Zhang, Yaou

    2013-01-07

    MiR-210 is up-regulated in multiple cancer types but its function is disputable and further investigation is necessary. Using a bioinformatics approach, we identified the putative target genes of miR-210 in hypoxia-induced CNE cells from genome-wide scale. Two functional gene groups related to cell cycle and RNA processing were recognized as the major targets of miR-210. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism and biological consequence of miR-210 in cell cycle regulation, particularly mitosis. Hypoxia-induced up-regulation of miR-210 was highly correlated with the down-regulation of a group of mitosis-related genes, including Plk1, Cdc25B, Cyclin F, Bub1B and Fam83D. MiR-210 suppressed the expression of these genes by directly targeting their 3'-UTRs. Over-expression of exogenous miR-210 disturbed mitotic progression and caused aberrant mitosis. Furthermore, miR-210 mimic with pharmacological doses reduced tumor formation in a mouse metastatic tumor model. Taken together, these results implicate that miR-210 disturbs mitosis through targeting multi-genes involved in mitotic progression, which may contribute to its inhibitory role on tumor formation.

  5. Biological significance of the focus on DNA damage checkpoint factors remained after irradiation of ionizing radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamauchi, Motohiro; Suzuki, Keiji

    2005-01-01

    This paper reviews recent reports on the focus formation and participation to checkpoint of (such phosphorylated (P-d) as below) ATM and H2AX, MDC1, 53BP1 and NBS1, and discusses their role in DNA damage checkpoint induction mainly around authors' studies. When the cell is irradiated by ionizing radiation, the subtype histone like H2AX is P-d and the formed focus', seen in the nucleus on immuno-fluorographic observation, represents the P-d H2AX at the damaged site of DNA. The role of P-d ATM (the product of causative gene of ataxia-telangiectasia mutation, a protein kinase) has been first shown by laser beam irradiation. Described are discussions on the roles and functions after irradiation in focus formation and DNA damage checkpoint of P-d H2AX (a specific histone product by the radiation like γ-ray as above), P-d ATM, MDC1 (a mediator of DNA damage check point protein 1), 53BP1, (a p53 binding protein) and NBS1 (the product of the causative gene of Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome). Authors have come to point out the remained focal size increase as implications of the efficient repair of damaged DNA, and the second cycled p53 accumulation, of tumor suppression. Thus evaluation of biological significance of these aspects, scarcely noted hitherto, is concluded important. (S.I.)

  6. The emerging role of immune checkpoint based approaches in AML and MDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boddu, Prajwal; Kantarjian, Hagop; Garcia-Manero, Guillermo; Allison, James; Sharma, Padmanee; Daver, Naval

    2018-04-01

    The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors represents a major breakthrough in the field of cancer therapeutics. Pursuant to their success in melanoma and numerous solid tumor malignancies, these agents are being investigated in hematological malignancies including acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Although AML/MDS have traditionally been considered to be less immunogenic than solid tumor malignancies, recent pre-clinical models suggest a therapeutic role for immune checkpoint inhibition in these diseases. CTLA-4 inhibition may be especially effective in treating late post-allogeneic stem cell transplant relapse of AML in patients with limited or no graft versus host disease. Immune checkpoint inhibition, specifically PD-1 inhibition, demonstrated limited single agent efficacy in patients with relapsed AML and with MDS post-hypomethylating therapy. Rationally designed combinations of PD-1 inhibitors with standard anti-leukemic therapy are needed. Hypomethylating agents such as azacitidine, up-regulate PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 in patients with AML/MDS and up-regulation of these genes was associated with the emergence of resistance. The combination of azacitidine and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition may be a potential mechanism to prevent or overcome resistance to 5-azacitidine. A number of such combinations are being evaluated in clinical trials with early encouraging results. Immune checkpoint inhibition is also an attractive option to improve relapse-free survival or eliminate minimal residual disease post induction and consolidation by enhancing T-cell surveillance in patients with high-risk AML. The ongoing clinical trials with checkpoint inhibitors in AML/MDS will improve our understanding of the immunobiology of these diseases and guide us to the most appropriate application of these agents in the therapy of AML/MDS.

  7. Phosphatase-regulated recruitment of the spindle- and kinetochore-associated (Ska complex to kinetochores

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sushama Sivakumar

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Kinetochores move chromosomes on dynamic spindle microtubules and regulate signaling of the spindle checkpoint. The spindle- and kinetochore-associated (Ska complex, a hexamer composed of two copies of Ska1, Ska2 and Ska3, has been implicated in both roles. Phosphorylation of kinetochore components by the well-studied mitotic kinases Cdk1, Aurora B, Plk1, Mps1, and Bub1 regulate chromosome movement and checkpoint signaling. Roles for the opposing phosphatases are more poorly defined. Recently, we showed that the C terminus of Ska1 recruits protein phosphatase 1 (PP1 to kinetochores. Here we show that PP1 and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A both promote accumulation of Ska at kinetochores. Depletion of PP1 or PP2A by siRNA reduces Ska binding at kinetochores, impairs alignment of chromosomes to the spindle midplane, and causes metaphase delay or arrest, phenotypes that are also seen after depletion of Ska. Artificial tethering of PP1 to the outer kinetochore protein Nuf2 promotes Ska recruitment to kinetochores, and it reduces but does not fully rescue chromosome alignment and metaphase arrest defects seen after Ska depletion. We propose that Ska has multiple functions in promoting mitotic progression and that kinetochore-associated phosphatases function in a positive feedback cycle to reinforce Ska complex accumulation at kinetochores.

  8. Glial-Specific Functions of Microcephaly Protein WDR62 and Interaction with the Mitotic Kinase AURKA Are Essential for Drosophila Brain Growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Nicholas R; Shohayeb, Belal; Zaytseva, Olga; Mitchell, Naomi; Millard, S Sean; Ng, Dominic C H; Quinn, Leonie M

    2017-07-11

    The second most commonly mutated gene in primary microcephaly (MCPH) patients is wd40-repeat protein 62 (wdr62), but the relative contribution of WDR62 function to the growth of major brain lineages is unknown. Here, we use Drosophila models to dissect lineage-specific WDR62 function(s). Interestingly, although neural stem cell (neuroblast)-specific depletion of WDR62 significantly decreased neuroblast number, brain size was unchanged. In contrast, glial lineage-specific WDR62 depletion significantly decreased brain volume. Moreover, loss of function in glia not only decreased the glial population but also non-autonomously caused neuroblast loss. We further demonstrated that WDR62 controls brain growth through lineage-specific interactions with master mitotic signaling kinase, AURKA. Depletion of AURKA in neuroblasts drives brain overgrowth, which was suppressed by WDR62 co-depletion. In contrast, glial-specific depletion of AURKA significantly decreased brain volume, which was further decreased by WDR62 co-depletion. Thus, dissecting relative contributions of MCPH factors to individual neural lineages will be critical for understanding complex diseases such as microcephaly. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. The Set1/COMPASS histone H3 methyltransferase helps regulate mitosis with the CDK1 and NIMA mitotic kinases in Aspergillus nidulans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Govindaraghavan, Meera; Anglin, Sarah Lea; Osmani, Aysha H; Osmani, Stephen A

    2014-08-01

    Mitosis is promoted and regulated by reversible protein phosphorylation catalyzed by the essential NIMA and CDK1 kinases in the model filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Protein methylation mediated by the Set1/COMPASS methyltransferase complex has also been shown to regulate mitosis in budding yeast with the Aurora mitotic kinase. We uncover a genetic interaction between An-swd1, which encodes a subunit of the Set1 protein methyltransferase complex, with NIMA as partial inactivation of nimA is poorly tolerated in the absence of swd1. This genetic interaction is additionally seen without the Set1 methyltransferase catalytic subunit. Importantly partial inactivation of NIMT, a mitotic activator of the CDK1 kinase, also causes lethality in the absence of Set1 function, revealing a functional relationship between the Set1 complex and two pivotal mitotic kinases. The main target for Set1-mediated methylation is histone H3K4. Mutational analysis of histone H3 revealed that modifying the H3K4 target residue of Set1 methyltransferase activity phenocopied the lethality seen when either NIMA or CDK1 are partially functional. We probed the mechanistic basis of these genetic interactions and find that the Set1 complex performs functions with CDK1 for initiating mitosis and with NIMA during progression through mitosis. The studies uncover a joint requirement for the Set1 methyltransferase complex with the CDK1 and NIMA kinases for successful mitosis. The findings extend the roles of the Set1 complex to include the initiation of mitosis with CDK1 and mitotic progression with NIMA in addition to its previously identified interactions with Aurora and type 1 phosphatase in budding yeast. Copyright © 2014 by the Genetics Society of America.

  10. PD-1 checkpoint inhibition: Toxicities and management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hahn, Andrew W; Gill, David M; Agarwal, Neeraj; Maughan, Benjamin L

    2017-12-01

    With the recent approval of 5 PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for a number of malignancies, PD-1 axis inhibition is drastically changing the treatment landscape of immunotherapy in cancer. As PD-1/PD-L1 are involved in peripheral immune tolerance, inhibition of this immune checkpoint has led to novel immune-related adverse events including colitis, hepatitis, pneumonitis, rash, and endocrinopathies among many others. In this seminar, we will analyze the incidence of immune-related adverse events for nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, durvalumab, and avelumab. Then, we will discuss the specific management of the most common immune-mediated adverse events including colitis, hepatitis, pneumonitis, rash, endocrinopathies, nephritis, and neurologic toxicities. Immune-related adverse events are frequently treated with immunosuppressive medication such as steroids and mycofenolate mofetil. There are specific immune-related adverse events which are frequently seen by the treating oncologist from checkpoint inhibitors. It is essential to understand the recommended treatment options to minimize toxicity and mortality from this important class of anti-neoplastic therapies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The structure of the mitotic spindle and nucleolus during mitosis in the amebo-flagellate Naegleria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Charles J

    2012-01-01

    Mitosis in the amebo-flagellate Naegleria pringsheimi is acentrosomal and closed (the nuclear membrane does not break down). The large central nucleolus, which occupies about 20% of the nuclear volume, persists throughout the cell cycle. At mitosis, the nucleolus divides and moves to the poles in association with the chromosomes. The structure of the mitotic spindle and its relationship to the nucleolus are unknown. To identify the origin and structure of the mitotic spindle, its relationship to the nucleolus and to further understand the influence of persistent nucleoli on cellular division in acentriolar organisms like Naegleria, three-dimensional reconstructions of the mitotic spindle and nucleolus were carried out using confocal microscopy. Monoclonal antibodies against three different nucleolar regions and α-tubulin were used to image the nucleolus and mitotic spindle. Microtubules were restricted to the nucleolus beginning with the earliest prophase spindle microtubules. Early spindle microtubules were seen as short rods on the surface of the nucleolus. Elongation of the spindle microtubules resulted in a rough cage of microtubules surrounding the nucleolus. At metaphase, the mitotic spindle formed a broad band completely embedded within the nucleolus. The nucleolus separated into two discreet masses connected by a dense band of microtubules as the spindle elongated. At telophase, the distal ends of the mitotic spindle were still completely embedded within the daughter nucleoli. Pixel by pixel comparison of tubulin and nucleolar protein fluorescence showed 70% or more of tubulin co-localized with nucleolar proteins by early prophase. These observations suggest a model in which specific nucleolar binding sites for microtubules allow mitotic spindle formation and attachment. The fact that a significant mass of nucleolar material precedes the chromosomes as the mitotic spindle elongates suggests that spindle elongation drives nucleolar division.

  12. Histone phosphorylation during radiation-induced mitotic delay in synchronous plasmodia of Physarum polycephalum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brewer, E.N.; Oleinick, N.L.

    1980-01-01

    Using the nearly perfect synchrony of the mitotic stages in Physarum plasmodia, and making use of 32 P as a tracer, studies were made to define the time course of histone phosphorylation during the late G2 and prophase and the alterations in that time course accompanying radiation-induced mitotic delay. Histone H1 was phosphorylated throughout the last 2-3 hours of the mitotic cycle coincident with the early stages of chromosome condensation. H1 phosphorylation appeared to be reduced in irradiated plasmodia. It is postulated that a longer time period, i.e. the mitotic delay, may be required to obtain the same eventual level of H1-phosphate. In normal cultures, nucleosome core histones were phosphorylated late in G2 and prophase, the peak corresponding closely with the γ-transition point. In irradiated plasmodia, phosphorylation of the core histones had an extended time course similar to H1. (U.K.)

  13. Changes in Ect2 Localization Couple Actomyosin-Dependent Cell Shape Changes to Mitotic Progression

    OpenAIRE

    Matthews, Helen K.; Delabre, Ulysse; Rohn, Jennifer L.; Guck, Jochen; Kunda, Patricia; Baum, Buzz

    2012-01-01

    Summary As they enter mitosis, animal cells undergo profound actin-dependent changes in shape to become round. Here we identify the Cdk1 substrate, Ect2, as a central regulator of mitotic rounding, thus uncovering a link between the cell-cycle machinery that drives mitotic entry and its accompanying actin remodeling. Ect2 is a RhoGEF that plays a well-established role in formation of the actomyosin contractile ring at mitotic exit, through the local activation of RhoA. We find that Ect2 first...

  14. Carbamazepine induces mitotic arrest in mammalian Vero cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez Martin, J.M.; Fernandez Freire, P.; Labrador, V.; Hazen, M.J.

    2008-01-01

    We reported recently that the anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine, at supratherapeutic concentrations, exerts antiproliferative effects in mammalian Vero cells, but the underlying mechanism has not been elucidated. This motivates us to examine rigorously whether growth arrest was associated with structural changes in cellular organization during mitosis. In the present work, we found that exposure of the cells to carbamazepine led to an increase in mitotic index, mainly due to the sustained block at the metaphase/anaphase boundary, with the consequent inhibition of cell proliferation. Indirect immunofluorescence, using antibodies directed against spindle apparatus proteins, revealed that mitotic arrest was associated with formation of monopolar spindles, caused by impairment of centrosome separation. The final consequence of the spindle defects induced by carbamazepine, depended on the duration of cell cycle arrest. Following the time course of accumulation of metaphase and apoptotic cells during carbamazepine treatments, we observed a causative relationship between mitotic arrest and induction of cell death. Conversely, cells released from the block of metaphase by removal of the drug, continued to progress through mitosis and resume normal proliferation. Our results show that carbamazepine shares a common antiproliferative mechanism with spindle-targeted drugs and contribute to a better understanding of the cytostatic activity previously described in Vero cells. Additional studies are in progress to extend these initial findings that define a novel mode of action of carbamazepine in cultured mammalian cells

  15. Carbamazepine induces mitotic arrest in mammalian Vero cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez Martin, J.M.; Fernandez Freire, P.; Labrador, V. [Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Hazen, M.J. [Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain)], E-mail: mariajose.hazen@uam.es

    2008-01-01

    We reported recently that the anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine, at supratherapeutic concentrations, exerts antiproliferative effects in mammalian Vero cells, but the underlying mechanism has not been elucidated. This motivates us to examine rigorously whether growth arrest was associated with structural changes in cellular organization during mitosis. In the present work, we found that exposure of the cells to carbamazepine led to an increase in mitotic index, mainly due to the sustained block at the metaphase/anaphase boundary, with the consequent inhibition of cell proliferation. Indirect immunofluorescence, using antibodies directed against spindle apparatus proteins, revealed that mitotic arrest was associated with formation of monopolar spindles, caused by impairment of centrosome separation. The final consequence of the spindle defects induced by carbamazepine, depended on the duration of cell cycle arrest. Following the time course of accumulation of metaphase and apoptotic cells during carbamazepine treatments, we observed a causative relationship between mitotic arrest and induction of cell death. Conversely, cells released from the block of metaphase by removal of the drug, continued to progress through mitosis and resume normal proliferation. Our results show that carbamazepine shares a common antiproliferative mechanism with spindle-targeted drugs and contribute to a better understanding of the cytostatic activity previously described in Vero cells. Additional studies are in progress to extend these initial findings that define a novel mode of action of carbamazepine in cultured mammalian cells.

  16. Hepatic neuregulin 4 signaling defines an endocrine checkpoint for steatosis-to-NASH progression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Liang; Chen, Zhimin; Xia, Houjun; Li, Siming; Zhang, Yanqiao; Kobberup, Sune; Zou, Weiping; Lin, Jiandie D.

    2017-01-01

    Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by progressive liver injury, inflammation, and fibrosis; however, the mechanisms that govern the transition from hepatic steatosis, which is relatively benign, to NASH remain poorly defined. Neuregulin 4 (Nrg4) is an adipose tissue–enriched endocrine factor that elicits beneficial metabolic effects in obesity. Here, we show that Nrg4 is a key component of an endocrine checkpoint that preserves hepatocyte health and counters diet-induced NASH in mice. Nrg4 deficiency accelerated liver injury, fibrosis, inflammation, and cell death in a mouse model of NASH. In contrast, transgenic expression of Nrg4 in adipose tissue alleviated diet-induced NASH. Nrg4 attenuated hepatocyte death in a cell-autonomous manner by blocking ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of c-FLIPL, a negative regulator of cell death. Adeno-associated virus–mediated (AAV-mediated) rescue of hepatic c-FLIPL expression in Nrg4-deficent mice functionally restored the brake for steatosis to NASH transition. Thus, hepatic Nrg4 signaling serves as an endocrine checkpoint for steatosis-to-NASH progression by activating a cytoprotective pathway to counter stress-induced liver injury. PMID:29106384

  17. DNA damage response and spindle assembly checkpoint function throughout the cell cycle to ensure genomic integrity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katherine S Lawrence

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Errors in replication or segregation lead to DNA damage, mutations, and aneuploidies. Consequently, cells monitor these events and delay progression through the cell cycle so repair precedes division. The DNA damage response (DDR, which monitors DNA integrity, and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC, which responds to defects in spindle attachment/tension during metaphase of mitosis and meiosis, are critical for preventing genome instability. Here we show that the DDR and SAC function together throughout the cell cycle to ensure genome integrity in C. elegans germ cells. Metaphase defects result in enrichment of SAC and DDR components to chromatin, and both SAC and DDR are required for metaphase delays. During persistent metaphase arrest following establishment of bi-oriented chromosomes, stability of the metaphase plate is compromised in the absence of DDR kinases ATR or CHK1 or SAC components, MAD1/MAD2, suggesting SAC functions in metaphase beyond its interactions with APC activator CDC20. In response to DNA damage, MAD2 and the histone variant CENPA become enriched at the nuclear periphery in a DDR-dependent manner. Further, depletion of either MAD1 or CENPA results in loss of peripherally associated damaged DNA. In contrast to a SAC-insensitive CDC20 mutant, germ cells deficient for SAC or CENPA cannot efficiently repair DNA damage, suggesting that SAC mediates DNA repair through CENPA interactions with the nuclear periphery. We also show that replication perturbations result in relocalization of MAD1/MAD2 in human cells, suggesting that the role of SAC in DNA repair is conserved.

  18. The effect of tributyltin chloride on Caenorhabditis elegans germline is mediated by a conserved DNA damage checkpoint pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Zhe; Tian, Huimin; Chu, Hongran; Wu, Jianjian; Li, Yingying; Wang, Yanhai

    2014-03-21

    Tributyltin (TBT), one of the environmental pollutants, has been shown to impact the reproduction of animals. However, due to the lack of appropriate animal model, analysis of the affected molecular pathways in germ cells is lagging and has been particularly challenging. In the present study, we investigated the effects of tributyltin chloride (TBTCL) on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans germline. We show that exposure of C. elegans to TBTCL causes significantly elevated level of sterility and embryonic lethality. TBTCL exposure results in an increased number of meiotic DNA double-strand breaks in germ cells, subsequently leading to activated DNA damage checkpoint. Exposing C. elegans to TBTCL causes dose- and time-dependent germline apoptosis. This apoptotic response was blocked in loss-of-function mutants of hus-1 (op241), mrt-2 (e2663) and p53/cep-1 (gk138), indicating that checkpoints and p53 are essential for mediating TBTCL-induced germ cell apoptosis. Moreover, TBTCL exposure can inhibit germ cell proliferation, which is also mediated by the conserved checkpoint pathway. We thereby propose that TBT exhibits its effects on the germline by inducing DNA damage and impaired maintenance of genomic integrity. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  19. The MiAge Calculator: a DNA methylation-based mitotic age calculator of human tissue types.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Youn, Ahrim; Wang, Shuang

    2018-01-01

    Cell division is important in human aging and cancer. The estimation of the number of cell divisions (mitotic age) of a given tissue type in individuals is of great interest as it allows not only the study of biological aging (using a new molecular aging target) but also the stratification of prospective cancer risk. Here, we introduce the MiAge Calculator, a mitotic age calculator based on a novel statistical framework, the MiAge model. MiAge is designed to quantitatively estimate mitotic age (total number of lifetime cell divisions) of a tissue using the stochastic replication errors accumulated in the epigenetic inheritance process during cell divisions. With the MiAge model, the MiAge Calculator was built using the training data of DNA methylation measures of 4,020 tumor and adjacent normal tissue samples from eight TCGA cancer types and was tested using the testing data of DNA methylation measures of 2,221 tumor and adjacent normal tissue samples of five other TCGA cancer types. We showed that within each of the thirteen cancer types studied, the estimated mitotic age is universally accelerated in tumor tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. Across the thirteen cancer types, we showed that worse cancer survivals are associated with more accelerated mitotic age in tumor tissues. Importantly, we demonstrated the utility of mitotic age by showing that the integration of mitotic age and clinical information leads to improved survival prediction in six out of the thirteen cancer types studied. The MiAge Calculator is available at http://www.columbia.edu/∼sw2206/softwares.htm .

  20. Lyn tyrosine kinase promotes silencing of ATM-dependent checkpoint signaling during recovery from DNA double-strand breaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukumoto, Yasunori; Kuki, Kazumasa; Morii, Mariko; Miura, Takahito; Honda, Takuya; Ishibashi, Kenichi; Hasegawa, Hitomi; Kubota, Sho; Ide, Yudai; Yamaguchi, Noritaka; Nakayama, Yuji; Yamaguchi, Naoto

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Inhibition of Src family kinases decreased γ-H2AX signal. • Inhibition of Src family increased ATM-dependent phosphorylation of Chk2 and Kap1. • shRNA-mediated knockdown of Lyn increased phosphorylation of Kap1 by ATM. • Ectopic expression of Src family kinase suppressed ATM-mediated Kap1 phosphorylation. • Src is involved in upstream signaling for inactivation of ATM signaling. - Abstract: DNA damage activates the DNA damage checkpoint and the DNA repair machinery. After initial activation of DNA damage responses, cells recover to their original states through completion of DNA repair and termination of checkpoint signaling. Currently, little is known about the process by which cells recover from the DNA damage checkpoint, a process called checkpoint recovery. Here, we show that Src family kinases promote inactivation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-dependent checkpoint signaling during recovery from DNA double-strand breaks. Inhibition of Src activity increased ATM-dependent phosphorylation of Chk2 and Kap1. Src inhibition increased ATM signaling both in G2 phase and during asynchronous growth. shRNA knockdown of Lyn increased ATM signaling. Src-dependent nuclear tyrosine phosphorylation suppressed ATM-mediated Kap1 phosphorylation. These results suggest that Src family kinases are involved in upstream signaling that leads to inactivation of the ATM-dependent DNA damage checkpoint

  1. Participation of SRM5/CDC28, SRM8/NET1 and SRM12/HF11 genes in activation of checkpoints of Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kadyshevskaya, E.Yu.; Koltovaya, N.A.

    2007-01-01

    It is known that there are about twenty checkpoint genes in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We study participation of SRM genes selected as genes affecting genetic stability and radiosensitivity. It has been shown that srm5/cdc28-srm, srm8/net1-srm, srm12/hfil-srm mutations prevent checkpoint activation by DNA damage, particularly G0/S-checkpoint (srm5, srm8), G1/S-checkpoint (srm5, srm8, srm12), S-checkpoint (srm5, srm12) and G2-checkpoint (srm5). These data indicate, at least in budding yeast, CDC28/SRM5, HF11/ADA1/SRM12 and NET1/SRM8 genes mediate cellular response induced by DNA damage including checkpoint control

  2. Effect of head-irradiation upon epidermal mitotic activity during wound healing in the adrenalectomized mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kobayashi, Koshi

    1977-01-01

    Epidermal mitotic activity during wound healing was estimated both in the adrenalectomized, head-irradiated mice and in the adrenalectomized, non-irradiated mice, and was compared with those obtained previously from the unoperated, head-irradiated mice. It was found that head-irradiation caused a mitotic depression to a much smaller extent in the adrenalectomized mice than it did in the unoperated mice, though adrenalectomy itself had exerted a great inhibitory effect upon the mitosis induced by an injury. Whether this abscopal effect of head-irradiation upon the mitotic activity was mediated via the adrenals, and whether in the adrenalectomized mice the head-irradiation acted to increase epidermal response to injury, making the mitotic pattern of adrenalectomized mice to come near that of control mice were discussed. (auth.)

  3. Cyclin F suppresses B-Myb activity to promote cell cycle checkpoint control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klein, Ditte Kjærsgaard; Hoffmann, Saskia; Ahlskog, Johanna K

    2015-01-01

    an important role in checkpoint control following ionizing radiation. Cyclin F-depleted cells initiate checkpoint signalling after ionizing radiation, but fail to maintain G2 phase arrest and progress into mitosis prematurely. Importantly, cyclin F suppresses the B-Myb-driven transcriptional programme...... that promotes accumulation of crucial mitosis-promoting proteins. Cyclin F interacts with B-Myb via the cyclin box domain. This interaction is important to suppress cyclin A-mediated phosphorylation of B-Myb, a key step in B-Myb activation. In summary, we uncover a regulatory mechanism linking the F-box protein...

  4. Effects of 5-fluorouracil on the mitotic activity of onion root tips apical meristem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waldemar Lechowicz

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The effects of various concentrations of 5-FU on the mitotic activity of onion root tips apical meristem were investigated during 24-hour incubation in 5-FU and postincubation in water. The incubation in 5-FU caused a reversible inhibition of mitotic activity, and waves of the partially synchronised mitoses were observed during the period of postincubation. The most pronounced synchronisation of mitoses was obtained after incubation in 100 mg/l. 5-FU but the mitotic index of the resumed mitotic activity amounted to only one half of the control value. 5-FU was found to cause some cytological changes in meristematic cells such as enlargement of the nucleoli, change in the interphasic nuclei structure, appearance of subchromatid and chromatid aberrations and micronuclei. The effects of 5-FU on nucleic acids and the cell division cycle ace discussed and compared with the effects of 5-FUdR.

  5. A Review of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for the Management of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanna, Kirollos S

    2017-11-01

    Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is the second most common malignancy of the genitourinary system and the sixth most common cancer in the United States. The overall incidence of UC appears to be on the decline, but death rates have remained stable. Stage IV metastatic disease is associated with only a 5% survival rate at 5 years. Gemcitabine and cisplatin combinations or dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin are the preferred regimens for individuals with advance, metastatic disease and a good performance status and organ function. Second-line therapies in this setting are limited. During the course of 1 year, five immune checkpoint inhibitors were approved for treatment of cancers in the locally advanced or metastatic setting: atezolizumab, nivolumab, durvalumab, avelumab, and pembrolizumab. Immunotherapies have played a significant role in the treatment of various cancers and have continued to expand. It is of utmost importance that practitioners include checkpoint inhibitors as treatment options for UC. Based on the limited data, pembrolizumab and atezolizumab may be the drugs of choice, as they are supported by the most influential data to date; however, further research is warranted. Ongoing clinical trials will further assess the benefits of inducing cellular immunity in the treatment of UC. These therapies mark a new landscape in the treatment of UC. In this article, the available data on immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic UC and their place in therapy are reviewed. © 2017 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

  6. Immune checkpoint blockade therapy: The 2014 Tang prize in biopharmaceutical science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ya-Shan Chen

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The first Tang Prize for Biopharmaceutical Science has been awarded to Prof. James P. Allison and Prof. Tasuku Honjo for their contributions leading to an entirely new way to treat cancer by blocking the molecules cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4 and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1 that turn off immune response. The treatment, called "immune checkpoint blockade therapy," has opened a new therapeutic era. Here the discoveries of the immune checkpoints and how they contribute to the maintenance of self-tolerance, as well as how to protect tissues from the excess immune responses causing damage are reviewed. The efforts made by Prof. Allison and Prof. Honjo for developing the most promising approaches to activate therapeutic antitumor immunity are also summarized. Since these certain immune checkpoint pathways appear to be one of the major mechanisms resulting in immune escape of tumors, the presence of anti-CTLA-4 and/or anti-PD-1 should contribute to removal of the inhibition signals for T cell activation. Subsequently, it will enhance specific T cell activation and, therefore, strengthen antitumor immunity.

  7. Cell fate after mitotic arrest in different tumor cells is determined by the balance between slippage and apoptotic threshold

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galán-Malo, Patricia; Vela, Laura; Gonzalo, Oscar; Calvo-Sanjuán, Rubén; Gracia-Fleta, Lucía; Naval, Javier; Marzo, Isabel, E-mail: imarzo@unizar.es

    2012-02-01

    Microtubule poisons and other anti-mitotic drugs induce tumor death but the molecular events linking mitotic arrest to cell death are still not fully understood. We have analyzed cell fate after mitotic arrest produced by the microtubule-destabilizing drug vincristine in a panel of human tumor cell lines showing different response to vincristine. In Jurkat, RPMI 8226 and HeLa cells, apoptosis was triggered shortly after vincristine-induced mitotic arrest. However, A549 cells, which express a great amount of Bcl-x{sub L} and undetectable amounts of Bak, underwent mitotic slippage prior to cell death. However, when Bcl-x{sub L} gene was silenced in A549 cells, vincristine induced apoptosis during mitotic arrest. Another different behavior was found in MiaPaca2 cells, where vincristine caused death by mitotic catastrophe that switched to apoptosis when cyclin B1 degradation was prevented by proteasome inhibition. Overexpression of Bcl-x{sub L} or silencing Bax and Bak expression delayed the onset of apoptosis in Jurkat and RPMI 8226 cells, enabling mitotic slippage and endoreduplication. In HeLa cells, overexpression of Bcl-x{sub L} switched cell death from apoptosis to mitotic catastrophe. Mcl-1 offered limited protection to vincristine-induced cell death and Mcl-1 degradation was not essential for vincristine-induced death. All these results, taken together, indicate that the Bcl-x{sub L}/Bak ratio and the ability to degrade cyclin B1 determine cell fate after mitotic arrest in the different tumor cell types. Highlights: ► Vincristine induces cell death by apoptosis or mitotic catastrophe. ► Apoptosis-proficient cells die by apoptosis during mitosis upon vincristine treatment. ► p53wt apoptosis-deficient cells undergo apoptosis from a G1-like tetraploid state. ► p53mt apoptosis-deficient cells can survive and divide giving rise to 8N cells.

  8. Immunogenic Chemotherapy Sensitizes Renal Cancer to Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy in Preclinical Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Shujin

    2017-07-11

    BACKGROUND Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is among the most common malignant cancers of males worldwide. For advanced RCC patients, there still is no effective therapy. Immune checkpoint blockade therapies have shown benefits for many cancers, but previous clinical trials of immune checkpoint blockade therapies in RCC patients achieved only modest results. MATERIAL AND METHODS We explored the effects of combining chemotherapy with immune checkpoint blockade therapy in RCC xenograft mouse models. We also studied the potential mechanisms by which chemotherapy might enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapy, both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS Our results showed that many commonly used chemotherapy agents can induce immunogenic marker release in RCC cell lines. Importantly, the RCC xenograft mouse model mice who received the combination treatment of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and anti-programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibodies (Abs) had longer survival times compared to those who received 5-FU or anti-PD-L1 Abs alone. Also, increased key cytokines that promote tumor immunity, such as IL-2, IFN-γ, and TNF-α, as well as tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic T cells, were also increased after the combination treatment. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that 5-FU can sensitize RCC to anti-PD-L1 treatment by releasing the immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment.

  9. Effect of colchicine on mitotic polyploidization and morphological ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ajai

    2012-05-15

    May 15, 2012 ... to diseases and insects and reduction in fertility of flowering plants ..... soaking duration was noticed to cause the treated seeds to give low height .... Addison-. Wesley, London. Stadler J, Phillips RL, Leonard M (1989).Mitotic ...

  10. Acute inflammatory thyromegaly following checkpoint inhibition: A new imaging entity?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erik H. Middlebrooks, MD

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Immune checkpoint blockade (CPB utilizing such agents as ipilimumab, nivolumab, or pembrolizumab has revolutionized melanoma therapy and has seen continued utilization in numerous other malignancies in recent years. However, these agents come at the price of inflammatory immune-related adverse events. Despite the increasing recognition of biochemical thyroid dysfunction associated with CPB, information regarding potential imaging findings is sparse. We describe the first 2 cases of acute thyroiditis following CPB presenting as diffuse thyromegaly documented by computed tomography, ultrasound, and iodine uptake imaging. Given the rise in the use of CPB, it is important for radiologists to recognize potential imaging manifestations of therapy immune-related adverse events to avoid erroneous diagnosis and to prompt the biochemical investigation of thyroid function.

  11. Mitotically Active Leiomyoma of the Uterus in a Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Patient Receiving Tamoxifen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I-Feng Liu

    2006-06-01

    Conclusion: Endometrial cancer is rarely noted in breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen. Further, none have reported mitotically active leiomyoma of the uterus. From this case, endometrial proliferation and mitotically active leiomyoma of the uterus may be related to tamoxifen therapy, and should not be neglected in breast cancer patients.

  12. Effect of tumor promoters on ultraviolet light-induced mutation and mitotic recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kunz, B.A.; Hannan, M.A.; Haynes, R.H.

    1980-01-01

    Recently, it has been suggested that mitotic recombination is involved in tumor promotion. On this basis, one might expect tumor promoters to be recombinagenic. D7 is a diploid strain of yeast in which both mutation and mitotic recombination can be measured. We have used this strain to assay the known tumor promoters, iodacetate, anthralin, and 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, and the cocarcinogen, catechol, for mutagenicity, recombinagenicity, and the ability to enhance ultraviolet light (UV)-induced genetic events. In the absence of preirradiation with UV, iodoacetate was found to be recombinagenic whereas catechol was mutagenic; however, in both cases, the effects were small. Iodoacetate, anthralin, and catechol potentiated UV-induced mitotic crossing-over, aberrant colony formation, and mutation, while catechol also increased UV-induced gene conversion. We were unable to detect any mutagenic or recombinagenic effect of 12-0-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate in either whole cells or spheroplasts. Our results do not indicate any consistent correlation between tumor-promoting activity and the ability of an agent to induce mitotic recombination in yeast. However, the ability to potentiate UV-induced mutation and mitotic recombination may reflect the cocarcinogenic activity of certain promoters

  13. SPARC: Demonstrate burst-buffer-based checkpoint/restart on ATS-1.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oldfield, Ron A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Ulmer, Craig D. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Widener, Patrick [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Ward, H. Lee [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2018-01-01

    Recent high-performance computing (HPC) platforms such as the Trinity Advanced Technology System (ATS-1) feature burst buffer resources that can have a dramatic impact on an application’s I/O performance. While these non-volatile memory (NVM) resources provide a new tier in the storage hierarchy, developers must find the right way to incorporate the technology into their applications in order to reap the benefits. Similar to other laboratories, Sandia is actively investigating ways in which these resources can be incorporated into our existing libraries and workflows without burdening our application developers with excessive, platform-specific details. This FY18Q1 milestone summaries our progress in adapting the Sandia Parallel Aerodynamics and Reentry Code (SPARC) in Sandia’s ATDM program to leverage Trinity’s burst buffers for checkpoint/restart operations. We investigated four different approaches with varying tradeoffs in this work: (1) simply updating job script to use stage-in/stage out burst buffer directives, (2) modifying SPARC to use LANL’s hierarchical I/O (HIO) library to store/retrieve checkpoints, (3) updating Sandia’s IOSS library to incorporate the burst buffer in all meshing I/O operations, and (4) modifying SPARC to use our Kelpie distributed memory library to store/retrieve checkpoints. Team members were successful in generating initial implementation for all four approaches, but were unable to obtain performance numbers in time for this report (reasons: initial problem sizes were not large enough to stress I/O, and SPARC refactor will require changes to our code). When we presented our work to the SPARC team, they expressed the most interest in the second and third approaches. The HIO work was favored because it is lightweight, unobtrusive, and should be portable to ATS-2. The IOSS work is seen as a long-term solution, and is favored because all I/O work (including checkpoints) can be deferred to a single library.

  14. The final checkpoint. Cancer as an adaptive evolutionary mechanism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rumena Petkova

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The mechanisms for identification of DNA damage and repair usually manage DNA damage very efficiently. If damaged cells manage to bypass the checkpoints where the integrity of the genome is assessed and the decisions whether to proceed with the cell cycle are made, they may evade the imperative to stop dividing and to die. As a result, cancer may develop. Warding off the potential sequence-altering effects of DNA damage during the life of the individual or the existence span of the species is controlled by a set of larger checkpoints acting on a progressively increasing scale, from systematic removal of damaged cells from the proliferative pool by means of repair of DNA damage/programmed cell death through ageing to, finally, cancer. They serve different purposes and act at different levels of the life cycle, safeguarding the integrity of the genetic backup of the individual, the genetic diversity of the population, and, finally, the survival of the species and of life on Earth. In the light of the theory that cancer is the final checkpoint or the nature's manner to prevent complex organisms from living forever at the expense of genetic stagnation, the eventual failure of modern anti-cancer treatments is only to be expected. Nevertheless, the medicine of today and the near future has enough potential to slow down the progression to terminal cancer so that the life expectancy and the quality of life of cancer-affected individuals may be comparable to those of healthy aged individuals.

  15. Caffeine stabilizes Cdc25 independently of Rad3 in S chizosaccharomyces pombe contributing to checkpoint override

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alao, John P; Sjölander, Johanna J; Baar, Juliane; Özbaki-Yagan, Nejla; Kakoschky, Bianca; Sunnerhagen, Per

    2014-01-01

    Cdc25 is required for Cdc2 dephosphorylation and is thus essential for cell cycle progression. Checkpoint activation requires dual inhibition of Cdc25 and Cdc2 in a Rad3-dependent manner. Caffeine is believed to override activation of the replication and DNA damage checkpoints by inhibiting Rad3-related proteins in both S chizosaccharomyces pombe and mammalian cells. In this study, we have investigated the impact of caffeine on Cdc25 stability, cell cycle progression and checkpoint override. Caffeine induced Cdc25 accumulation in S . pombe independently of Rad3. Caffeine delayed cell cycle progression under normal conditions but advanced mitosis in cells treated with replication inhibitors and DNA-damaging agents. In the absence of Cdc25, caffeine inhibited cell cycle progression even in the presence of hydroxyurea or phleomycin. Caffeine induces Cdc25 accumulation in S . pombe by suppressing its degradation independently of Rad3. The induction of Cdc25 accumulation was not associated with accelerated progression through mitosis, but rather with delayed progression through cytokinesis. Caffeine-induced Cdc25 accumulation appears to underlie its ability to override cell cycle checkpoints. The impact of Cdc25 accumulation on cell cycle progression is attenuated by Srk1 and Mad2. Together our findings suggest that caffeine overrides checkpoint enforcement by inducing the inappropriate nuclear localization of Cdc25. PMID:24666325

  16. Comparative effects of ionizing radiation on cycle time and mitotic duration. A time-lapse cinematography study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Hooghe, M.C.; Hemon, D.; Valleron, A.J.; Malaise, E.P.

    1980-01-01

    The effects of 60 Co γ rays on the length of the intermitotic period, the duration of mitosis, and the division probability of EMT6 cells have been studied in vitro using time-lapse cinematography. Irradiation increases the duration of the mitosis and of the cycle in comparable proportions: both parameters are practically doubled by a dose of 10 Gy. When daughters of irradiated cells die, the mitotic delay and lengthening of mitosis of their mother cells are longer than average. Mitotic delay and lengthening of mitosis depend on the age of cells at the moment of irradiation. The mitotic delay increases progressively when cells are irradiated during the first 8 h of their cycle (i.e., before the transition point), whereas mitosis is slightly prolonged. On the other hand, when the cells are irradiated after this transition point the mitotic delay decreases markedly, whereas the lengthening of mitosis increases sharply. These results tend to indicate that two different mechanisms are responsible for mitotic delay and prolongation of mitosis observed after irradiation

  17. Comparative effects of ionizing radiation on cycle time and mitotic duration. A time-lapse cinematography study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    D' Hooghe, M.C. (Institut de Recherches sur le Cancer, Lille, France); Hemon, D.; Valleron, A.J.; Malaise, E.P.

    1980-03-01

    The effects of /sup 60/Co ..gamma.. rays on the length of the intermitotic period, the duration of mitosis, and the division probability of EMT6 cells have been studied in vitro using time-lapse cinematography. Irradiation increases the duration of the mitosis and of the cycle in comparable proportions: both parameters are practically doubled by a dose of 10 Gy. When daughters of irradiated cells die, the mitotic delay and lengthening of mitosis of their mother cells are longer than average. Mitotic delay and lengthening of mitosis depend on the age of cells at the moment of irradiation. The mitotic delay increases progressively when cells are irradiated during the first 8 h of their cycle (i.e., before the transition point), whereas mitosis is slightly prolonged. On the other hand, when the cells are irradiated after this transition point the mitotic delay decreases markedly, whereas the lengthening of mitosis increases sharply. These results tend to indicate that two different mechanisms are responsible for mitotic delay and prolongation of mitosis observed after irradiation.

  18. Genetic variation in mitotic regulatory pathway genes is associated with breast tumor grade

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purrington, Kristen S.; Slettedahl, Seth; Bolla, Manjeet K.; Michailidou, Kyriaki; Czene, Kamila; Nevanlinna, Heli; Bojesen, Stig E.; Andrulis, Irene L.; Cox, Angela; Hall, Per; Carpenter, Jane; Yannoukakos, Drakoulis; Haiman, Christopher A.; Fasching, Peter A.; Mannermaa, Arto; Winqvist, Robert; Brenner, Hermann; Lindblom, Annika; Chenevix-Trench, Georgia; Benitez, Javier; Swerdlow, Anthony; Kristensen, Vessela; Guénel, Pascal; Meindl, Alfons; Darabi, Hatef; Eriksson, Mikael; Fagerholm, Rainer; Aittomäki, Kristiina; Blomqvist, Carl; Nordestgaard, Børge G.; Nielsen, Sune F.; Flyger, Henrik; Wang, Xianshu; Olswold, Curtis; Olson, Janet E.; Mulligan, Anna Marie; Knight, Julia A.; Tchatchou, Sandrine; Reed, Malcolm W.R.; Cross, Simon S.; Liu, Jianjun; Li, Jingmei; Humphreys, Keith; Clarke, Christine; Scott, Rodney; Fostira, Florentia; Fountzilas, George; Konstantopoulou, Irene; Henderson, Brian E.; Schumacher, Fredrick; Le Marchand, Loic; Ekici, Arif B.; Hartmann, Arndt; Beckmann, Matthias W.; Hartikainen, Jaana M.; Kosma, Veli-Matti; Kataja, Vesa; Jukkola-Vuorinen, Arja; Pylkäs, Katri; Kauppila, Saila; Dieffenbach, Aida Karina; Stegmaier, Christa; Arndt, Volker; Margolin, Sara; Balleine, Rosemary; Arias Perez, Jose Ignacio; Pilar Zamora, M.; Menéndez, Primitiva; Ashworth, Alan; Jones, Michael; Orr, Nick; Arveux, Patrick; Kerbrat, Pierre; Truong, Thérèse; Bugert, Peter; Toland, Amanda E.; Ambrosone, Christine B.; Labrèche, France; Goldberg, Mark S.; Dumont, Martine; Ziogas, Argyrios; Lee, Eunjung; Dite, Gillian S.; Apicella, Carmel; Southey, Melissa C.; Long, Jirong; Shrubsole, Martha; Deming-Halverson, Sandra; Ficarazzi, Filomena; Barile, Monica; Peterlongo, Paolo; Durda, Katarzyna; Jaworska-Bieniek, Katarzyna; Tollenaar, Robert A.E.M.; Seynaeve, Caroline; Brüning, Thomas; Ko, Yon-Dschun; Van Deurzen, Carolien H.M.; Martens, John W.M.; Kriege, Mieke; Figueroa, Jonine D.; Chanock, Stephen J.; Lissowska, Jolanta; Tomlinson, Ian; Kerin, Michael J.; Miller, Nicola; Schneeweiss, Andreas; Tapper, William J.; Gerty, Susan M.; Durcan, Lorraine; Mclean, Catriona; Milne, Roger L.; Baglietto, Laura; dos Santos Silva, Isabel; Fletcher, Olivia; Johnson, Nichola; Van'T Veer, Laura J.; Cornelissen, Sten; Försti, Asta; Torres, Diana; Rüdiger, Thomas; Rudolph, Anja; Flesch-Janys, Dieter; Nickels, Stefan; Weltens, Caroline; Floris, Giuseppe; Moisse, Matthieu; Dennis, Joe; Wang, Qin; Dunning, Alison M.; Shah, Mitul; Brown, Judith; Simard, Jacques; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Neuhausen, Susan L.; Hopper, John L.; Bogdanova, Natalia; Dörk, Thilo; Zheng, Wei; Radice, Paolo; Jakubowska, Anna; Lubinski, Jan; Devillee, Peter; Brauch, Hiltrud; Hooning, Maartje; García-Closas, Montserrat; Sawyer, Elinor; Burwinkel, Barbara; Marmee, Frederick; Eccles, Diana M.; Giles, Graham G.; Peto, Julian; Schmidt, Marjanka; Broeks, Annegien; Hamann, Ute; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Lambrechts, Diether; Pharoah, Paul D.P.; Easton, Douglas; Pankratz, V. Shane; Slager, Susan; Vachon, Celine M.; Couch, Fergus J.

    2014-01-01

    Mitotic index is an important component of histologic grade and has an etiologic role in breast tumorigenesis. Several small candidate gene studies have reported associations between variation in mitotic genes and breast cancer risk. We measured associations between 2156 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 194 mitotic genes and breast cancer risk, overall and by histologic grade, in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) iCOGS study (n = 39 067 cases; n = 42 106 controls). SNPs in TACC2 [rs17550038: odds ratio (OR) = 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16–1.33, P = 4.2 × 10−10) and EIF3H (rs799890: OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.04–1.11, P = 8.7 × 10−6) were significantly associated with risk of low-grade breast cancer. The TACC2 signal was retained (rs17550038: OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.07–1.23, P = 7.9 × 10−5) after adjustment for breast cancer risk SNPs in the nearby FGFR2 gene, suggesting that TACC2 is a novel, independent genome-wide significant genetic risk locus for low-grade breast cancer. While no SNPs were individually associated with high-grade disease, a pathway-level gene set analysis showed that variation across the 194 mitotic genes was associated with high-grade breast cancer risk (P = 2.1 × 10−3). These observations will provide insight into the contribution of mitotic defects to histological grade and the etiology of breast cancer. PMID:24927736

  19. EFHC1, a protein mutated in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, associates with the mitotic spindle through its N-terminus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nijs, Laurence de; Lakaye, Bernard; Coumans, Bernard; Leon, Christine; Ikeda, Takashi; Delgado-Escueta, Antonio V.; Grisar, Thierry; Chanas, Grazyna

    2006-01-01

    A novel gene, EFHC1, mutated in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) encodes a protein with three DM10 domains of unknown function and one putative EF-hand motif. To study the properties of EFHC1, we expressed EGFP-tagged protein in various cell lines. In interphase cells, the fusion protein was present in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus with specific accumulation at the centrosome. During mitosis EGFP-EFHC1 colocalized with the mitotic spindle, especially at spindle poles and with the midbody during cytokinesis. Using a specific antibody, we demonstrated the same distribution of the endogenous protein. Deletion analyses revealed that the N-terminal region of EFHC1 is crucial for the association with the mitotic spindle and the midbody. Our results suggest that EFHC1 could play an important role during cell division

  20. The CRO-1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae controls mitotic crossing over, chromosomal stability and sporulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Esposito, M.S.; Maleas, D.T.; Bjornstad, K.A.; Holbrook, L.L.

    1987-01-01

    The properties of a novel temperature-sensitive recombination-defective mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, cro1-1 is described. The cro1-1 mutant is the first instance of a rec mutation that reduces drastically the rates of spontaneous mitotic crossing-over events but not those of gene conversional events. The cro1-1 mutation thus provides evidence that mitotic crossing-over is dependent upon gene products that are not essential for gene conversional events. The cro1-1 mutation also results in enhanced mitotic-chromosomal instability and MATa/MATα cro1-1/cro1-1 mutants are sporulation deficient. These phenotypes indicate that the CRO1 gene modulates mitotic chromosomal integrity and is essential for normal meiosis. The cro1-1 mutant possesses Holliday junction resolvase activity, hence its recombinational defect does not involve failure to execute this putative final recombinational step. 7 refs., 1 fig., 5 tabs

  1. Checkpoint Inhibition: Programmed Cell Death 1 and Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand Inhibitors in Hodgkin Lymphoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villasboas, Jose Caetano; Ansell, Stephen

    2016-01-01

    Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a lymphoid malignancy characterized by a reactive immune infiltrate surrounding relatively few malignant cells. In this scenario, active immune evasion seems to play a central role in allowing tumor progression. Immune checkpoint inhibitor pathways are normal mechanisms of T-cell regulation that suppress immune effector function following an antigenic challenge. Hodgkin lymphoma cells are able to escape immune surveillance by co-opting these mechanisms. The programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) pathway in particular is exploited in HL as the malignant Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells express on their surface cognate ligands (PD-L1/L2) for the PD-1 receptor and thereby dampen the T-cell-mediated antitumoral response. Monoclonal antibodies that interact with and disrupt the PD-1:PD-L1/L2 axis have now been developed and tested in early-phase clinical trials in patients with advanced HL with encouraging results. The remarkable clinical activity of PD-1 inhibitors in HL highlights the importance of immune checkpoint pathways as therapeutic targets in HL. In this review, we discuss the rationale for targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 in the treatment of HL. We will evaluate the published clinical data on the different agents and highlight the safety profile of this class of agents. We discuss the available evidence on the use of biomarkers as predictors of response to checkpoint blockade and summarize the areas under active investigation in the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for the treatment of HL.

  2. Spatial Reorganization of the Endoplasmic Reticulum during Mitosis Relies on Mitotic Kinase Cyclin A in the Early Drosophila Embryo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergman, Zane J.; Mclaurin, Justin D.; Eritano, Anthony S.; Johnson, Brittany M.; Sims, Amanda Q.; Riggs, Blake

    2015-01-01

    Mitotic cyclin-dependent kinase with their cyclin partners (cyclin:Cdks) are the master regulators of cell cycle progression responsible for regulating a host of activities during mitosis. Nuclear mitotic events, including chromosome condensation and segregation have been directly linked to Cdk activity. However, the regulation and timing of cytoplasmic mitotic events by cyclin:Cdks is poorly understood. In order to examine these mitotic cytoplasmic events, we looked at the dramatic changes in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) during mitosis in the early Drosophila embryo. The dynamic changes of the ER can be arrested in an interphase state by inhibition of either DNA or protein synthesis. Here we show that this block can be alleviated by micro-injection of Cyclin A (CycA) in which defined mitotic ER clusters gathered at the spindle poles. Conversely, micro-injection of Cyclin B (CycB) did not affect spatial reorganization of the ER, suggesting CycA possesses the ability to initiate mitotic ER events in the cytoplasm. Additionally, RNAi-mediated simultaneous inhibition of all 3 mitotic cyclins (A, B and B3) blocked spatial reorganization of the ER. Our results suggest that mitotic ER reorganization events rely on CycA and that control and timing of nuclear and cytoplasmic events during mitosis may be defined by release of CycA from the nucleus as a consequence of breakdown of the nuclear envelope. PMID:25689737

  3. Deficiency of RITA results in multiple mitotic defects by affecting microtubule dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinhäuser, K; Klöble, P; Kreis, N-N; Ritter, A; Friemel, A; Roth, S; Reichel, J M; Michaelis, J; Rieger, M A; Louwen, F; Oswald, F; Yuan, J

    2017-04-01

    Deregulation of mitotic microtubule (MT) dynamics results in defective spindle assembly and chromosome missegregation, leading further to chromosome instability, a hallmark of tumor cells. RBP-J interacting and tubulin-associated protein (RITA) has been identified as a negative regulator of the Notch signaling pathway. Intriguingly, deregulated RITA is involved in primary hepatocellular carcinoma and other malignant entities. We were interested in the potential molecular mechanisms behind its involvement. We show here that RITA binds to tubulin and localizes to various mitotic MT structures. RITA coats MTs and affects their structures in vitro as well as in vivo. Tumor cell lines deficient of RITA display increased acetylated α-tubulin, enhanced MT stability and reduced MT dynamics, accompanied by multiple mitotic defects, including chromosome misalignment and segregation errors. Re-expression of wild-type RITA, but not RITA Δtub ineffectively binding to tubulin, restores the phenotypes, suggesting that the role of RITA in MT modulation is mediated via its interaction with tubulin. Mechanistically, RITA interacts with tubulin/histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) and its suppression decreases the binding of the deacetylase HDAC6 to tubulin/MTs. Furthermore, the mitotic defects and increased MT stability are also observed in RITA -/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts. RITA has thus a novel role in modulating MT dynamics and its deregulation results in erroneous chromosome segregation, one of the major reasons for chromosome instability in tumor cells.

  4. CDC28, NETI, and HFII are required for checkpoints in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koltovaya, N.A.; Kadyshevskaya, E.Yu.; Roshina, M.P.; Devin, A.B.

    2009-01-01

    The involvement of SRM genes selected as genes affecting genetic stability and radiosensitivity in a cell cycle arrest under the action of damaging agents was studied. It was shown that the srm5/cdc28-srm, srm8/netI-srm, and srmI2/hfiI-srm mutations prevent checkpoint activation by DNA damage, particularly the G 0 /S (srm5, srm8), G 1 /S (srm5, srm8, srm12), S (srm8, srm12) and S/G 2 (srm5) checkpoints. It seems that in budding yeast the CDC28, HFII/ADAI, and NETI genes mediate cellular response induced by DNA damage with checkpoint control. The well-known checkpoint-genes RAD9, RAD17, RAD24, and RAD53, and the genes CDC28, and NETI have been found to belong to one epistasis group named RAD9-group as regards cell sensitivity to γ radiation. An analysis of the radiosensitivity of double mutants has revealed that the mutation cdc-28-srm is hypostatic to each of mutations rad9Δ, and rad24Δ, and additive to rad17Δ. The mutation netI-srm is hypostatic to the mutations rad9Δ but additive to rad17Δ, rad24Δ, and rad53. The mutation hfiI-srm has an additive effect in compound with the mutations rad24Δ and rad9Δ. So, investigations of epistatic interactions have demonstrated a branched RAD9-dependent pathway. The analyzed genes can also participate in a minor mechanism involved in determining cell radiation sensitivity independently of the mentioned RAD9-dependent pathway

  5. Differential impact of diverse anticancer chemotherapeutics on the Cdc25A-degradation checkpoint pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agner, Jeppe; Falck, Jacob; Lukas, Jiri; Bartek, Jiri

    2005-01-01

    When exposed to DNA-damaging insults such as ionizing radiation (IR) or ultraviolet light (UV), mammalian cells activate checkpoint pathways to halt cell cycle progression or induce cell death. Here we examined the ability of five commonly used anticancer drugs with different mechanisms of action to activate the Chk1/Chk2-Cdc25A-CDK2/cyclin E cell cycle checkpoint pathway, previously shown to be induced by IR or UV. Whereas exposure of human cells to topoisomerase inhibitors camptothecin, etoposide, or adriamycin resulted in rapid (within 1 h) activation of the pathway including degradation of the Cdc25A phosphatase and inhibition of cyclin E/CDK2 kinase activity, taxol failed to activate this checkpoint even after a prolonged treatment. Unexpectedly, although the alkylating agent cisplatin also induced degradation of Cdc25A (albeit delayed, after 8-12 h), cyclin E/CDK2 activity was elevated and DNA synthesis continued, a phenomena that correlated with increased E2F1 protein levels and consequently enhanced expression of cyclin E. These results reveal a differential impact of various classes of anticancer chemotherapeutics on the Cdc25A-degradation pathway, and indicate that the kinetics of checkpoint induction, and the relative balance of key components within the DNA damage response network may dictate whether the treated cells arrest their cell cycle progression

  6. Immuno-oncologic Approaches: CAR-T Cells and Checkpoint Inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gay, Francesca; D'Agostino, Mattia; Giaccone, Luisa; Genuardi, Mariella; Festuccia, Moreno; Boccadoro, Mario; Bruno, Benedetto

    2017-08-01

    Advances in understanding myeloma biology have shown that disease progression is not only the consequence of intrinsic tumor changes but also of interactions between the tumor and the microenvironment in which the cancer grows. The immune system is an important component of the tumor microenvironment in myeloma, and acting on the immune system is an appealing new treatment strategy. There are 2 ways to act toward immune cells and boost antitumor immunity: (1) to increase antitumor activity (acting on T and NK cytotoxic cells), and (2) to reduce immunosuppression (acting on myeloid-derived stem cells and T regulatory cells). Checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapy (ACT) are 2 of the main actors, together with monoclonal antibodies and immunomodulatory agents, in the immune-oncologic approach. The aim of checkpoint inhibitors is to release the brakes that block the action of the immune system against the tumor. Anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) and PD-1-Ligand, as well as anti-CTLA4 and KIR are currently under evaluation, as single agents or in combination, with the best results achieved so far with combination of anti-PD-1 and immunomodulatory agents. The aim of ACT is to create an immune effector specific against the tumor. Preliminary results on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, first against CD19, and more recently against B-cell maturation antigen, have shown to induce durable responses in heavily pretreated patients. This review focuses on the most recent clinical results available on the use of checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cells in myeloma, in the context of the new immune-oncologic approach. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Mitotic Stress in Cancer: Tipping the Fine Balance

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Acer

    of these molecules do not fit into the classical definition of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. In some cases, both over-expression and decreased expression of these genes result in mitotic arrest. Moreover, some .... The Clinical Collaborators: Dr. Arunabha Sengupta. Dr. Arun Roy. Dr. Jayanta Chakrabarty, CNCI. Prof.

  8. Measures to detect and control radioactive contaminated metallurgical scrap at border checkpoints in Poland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smagala, G.

    1999-01-01

    The issue of radioactive contaminated metallurgical scrap has never received a high priority in Poland and in the international community. Since the dissolution of the former Soviet Union a higher attention has been given to the problem. Poland which is located between the West and East Europe has the obligation to develop and implement an effective prevention and detection system. The reasons to increase national control and detection system at the border checkpoints in Poland are to avoid the following risks: post Chernobyl contamination transports of commodities; transport of contaminated metal scrap; transfer of radioactive waste for their disposal or utilization; high risk of becoming a transit country of illicit trafficking of nuclear materials and radioactive sources. In order to avoid the above-mentioned risks, Poland initiated in 1990, a deployment of the portable radiation devices at the border checkpoints and, as of 1998, the number of installed instruments exceeded a hundred. This paper presents Poland's activities to detect contaminated scrap at its border checkpoints. (author)

  9. Mitotic recombination induced by chemical and physical agents in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davies, P.J.; Evans, W.E.; Parry, J.M.

    1975-01-01

    The treatment of diploid cultures of yeast with ultraviolet light (uv), γ-rays, nitrous acid (na) and ethyl methane sulphonate (ems) results in increases in cell death, mitotic gene conversion and crossing-over. Acridine orange (ao) treatment, in contrast, was effective only in increasing the frequency of gene conversion. The individual mutagens were effective in the order uv>na>γ-rays>ao>ems. Prior treatment of yeast cultures in starvation medium produced a significant reduction in the yield of induced gene conversion. The results have been interpreted on the basis of a general model of mitotic gene conversion which involves the post-replication repair of induced lesions involving de novo DNA synthesis without genetic exchange. In contrast mitotic crossing-over appears to involve the action of a repair system independent from excision or post-replication repair which involves genetic exchange between homologous chromosomes

  10. INPP5E Preserves Genomic Stability through Regulation of Mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sierra Potchanant, Elizabeth A; Cerabona, Donna; Sater, Zahi Abdul; He, Ying; Sun, Zejin; Gehlhausen, Jeff; Nalepa, Grzegorz

    2017-03-15

    The partially understood phosphoinositide signaling cascade regulates multiple aspects of cellular metabolism. Previous studies revealed that INPP5E, the inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase that is mutated in the developmental disorders Joubert and MORM syndromes, is essential for the function of the primary cilium and maintenance of phosphoinositide balance in nondividing cells. Here, we report that INPP5E further contributes to cellular homeostasis by regulating cell division. We found that silencing or genetic knockout of INPP5E in human and murine cells impairs the spindle assembly checkpoint, centrosome and spindle function, and maintenance of chromosomal integrity. Consistent with a cell cycle regulatory role, we found that INPP5E expression is cell cycle dependent, peaking at mitotic entry. INPP5E localizes to centrosomes, chromosomes, and kinetochores in early mitosis and shuttles to the midzone spindle at mitotic exit. Our findings identify the previously unknown, essential role of INPP5E in mitosis and prevention of aneuploidy, providing a new perspective on the function of this phosphoinositide phosphatase in health and development. Copyright © 2017 Sierra Potchanant et al.

  11. Identification of a BET Family Bromodomain/Casein Kinase II/TAF-Containing Complex as a Regulator of Mitotic Condensin Function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyun-Soo Kim

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Condensin is a central regulator of mitotic genome structure with mutants showing poorly condensed chromosomes and profound segregation defects. Here, we identify NCT, a complex comprising the Nrc1 BET-family tandem bromodomain protein (SPAC631.02, casein kinase II (CKII, and several TAFs, as a regulator of condensin function. We show that NCT and condensin bind similar genomic regions but only briefly colocalize during the periods of chromosome condensation and decondensation. This pattern of NCT binding at the core centromere, the region of maximal condensin enrichment, tracks the abundance of acetylated histone H4, as regulated by the Hat1-Mis16 acetyltransferase complex and recognized by the first Nrc1 bromodomain. Strikingly, mutants in NCT or Hat1-Mis16 restore the formation of segregation-competent chromosomes in cells containing defective condensin. These results are consistent with a model where NCT targets CKII to chromatin in a cell-cycle-directed manner in order to modulate the activity of condensin during chromosome condensation and decondensation.

  12. Identification of a BET family bromodomain/casein kinase II/TAF-containing complex as a regulator of mitotic condensin function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyun-Soo; Mukhopadhyay, Rituparna; Rothbart, Scott B; Silva, Andrea C; Vanoosthuyse, Vincent; Radovani, Ernest; Kislinger, Thomas; Roguev, Assen; Ryan, Colm J; Xu, Jiewei; Jahari, Harlizawati; Hardwick, Kevin G; Greenblatt, Jack F; Krogan, Nevan J; Fillingham, Jeffrey S; Strahl, Brian D; Bouhassira, Eric E; Edelmann, Winfried; Keogh, Michael-Christopher

    2014-03-13

    Condensin is a central regulator of mitotic genome structure with mutants showing poorly condensed chromosomes and profound segregation defects. Here, we identify NCT, a complex comprising the Nrc1 BET-family tandem bromodomain protein (SPAC631.02), casein kinase II (CKII), and several TAFs, as a regulator of condensin function. We show that NCT and condensin bind similar genomic regions but only briefly colocalize during the periods of chromosome condensation and decondensation. This pattern of NCT binding at the core centromere, the region of maximal condensin enrichment, tracks the abundance of acetylated histone H4, as regulated by the Hat1-Mis16 acetyltransferase complex and recognized by the first Nrc1 bromodomain. Strikingly, mutants in NCT or Hat1-Mis16 restore the formation of segregation-competent chromosomes in cells containing defective condensin. These results are consistent with a model where NCT targets CKII to chromatin in a cell-cycle-directed manner in order to modulate the activity of condensin during chromosome condensation and decondensation. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. The Effect Of PHA And SEA On Mitotic Index Of Lymphocyte Cell Of Macaca Fasciulare

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lubis, Masnelli; Iwiq-Indrawati

    2003-01-01

    The observation of influences of PHA (phytohemagglutinin) and SEA (staphilucoccal enterotoxin A) on mitotic index of lymphocyte of Macaca Fascicularis had been done. Half milliliters of lymphocyte cells stimulated with PHA or SEA were cultured in 10 ml RPMI + 1.0 ml Fetal Bouvine Serum (FBS ) + 0.1 ml L-glutamine + 0.15 ml PHA or 0.1 ml SEA ( 0.5 μg/ml ) + 0.1 ml Colchisin on 37 degree C for 96 hours. The result demonstrated that the frequency of mitotic index stimulated with PHA was higher than that of SEA. The average of mitotic index with PHA was 18.56 %, and with SEA was 8.3 %. (author)

  14. Cells bearing chromosome aberrations lacking one telomere are selectively blocked at the G2/M checkpoint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodriguez, Pilar [Unitat de Biologia Cel.lular, Departament de Biologia Cel.lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Spain); Barquinero, Joan Francesc [Unitat d' Antropologia Biologica, Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Spain); Duran, Assumpta [Unitat de Biologia Cel.lular, Departament de Biologia Cel.lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Spain); Caballin, Maria Rosa [Unitat d' Antropologia Biologica, Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Spain); Ribas, Montserrat [Servei de Radiofisica i Radioproteccio de l' Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08025 Barcelona (Spain); Barrios, Leonardo, E-mail: Lleonard.Barrios@uab.cat [Unitat de Biologia Cel.lular, Departament de Biologia Cel.lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Spain)

    2009-11-02

    Cell cycle checkpoints are part of the cellular mechanisms to maintain genomic integrity. After ionizing radiation exposure, the cells can show delay or arrest in their progression through the cell cycle, as well as an activation of the DNA repair machinery in order to reduce the damage. The G2/M checkpoint prevents G2 cells entering mitosis until the DNA damage has been reduced. The present study evaluates which G0 radiation-induced chromosome aberrations are negatively selected in the G2/M checkpoint. For this purpose, peripheral blood samples were irradiated at 1 and 3 Gy of {gamma}-rays, and lymphocytes were cultured for 48 h. Calyculin-A and Colcemid were used to analyze, in the same slide, cells in G2 and M. Chromosome spreads were consecutively analyzed by solid stain, pancentromeric and pantelomeric FISH and mFISH. The results show that the frequency of incomplete chromosome elements, those lacking a telomeric signal at one end, decreases abruptly from G2 to M. This indicates that cells with incomplete chromosome elements can progress from G0 to G2, but at the G2/M checkpoint suffer a strong negative selection.

  15. Cells bearing chromosome aberrations lacking one telomere are selectively blocked at the G2/M checkpoint

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, Pilar; Barquinero, Joan Francesc; Duran, Assumpta; Caballin, Maria Rosa; Ribas, Montserrat; Barrios, Leonardo

    2009-01-01

    Cell cycle checkpoints are part of the cellular mechanisms to maintain genomic integrity. After ionizing radiation exposure, the cells can show delay or arrest in their progression through the cell cycle, as well as an activation of the DNA repair machinery in order to reduce the damage. The G2/M checkpoint prevents G2 cells entering mitosis until the DNA damage has been reduced. The present study evaluates which G0 radiation-induced chromosome aberrations are negatively selected in the G2/M checkpoint. For this purpose, peripheral blood samples were irradiated at 1 and 3 Gy of γ-rays, and lymphocytes were cultured for 48 h. Calyculin-A and Colcemid were used to analyze, in the same slide, cells in G2 and M. Chromosome spreads were consecutively analyzed by solid stain, pancentromeric and pantelomeric FISH and mFISH. The results show that the frequency of incomplete chromosome elements, those lacking a telomeric signal at one end, decreases abruptly from G2 to M. This indicates that cells with incomplete chromosome elements can progress from G0 to G2, but at the G2/M checkpoint suffer a strong negative selection.

  16. Effects of mutagen-sensitive mus mutations on spontaneous mitotic recombination in Aspergillus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, P; Kafer, E

    1992-04-01

    Methyl methane-sulfonate (MMS)-sensitive, radiation-induced mutants of Aspergillus were shown to define nine new DNA repair genes, musK to musS. To test mus mutations for effects on mitotic recombination, intergenic crossing over was assayed between color markers and their centromeres, and intragenic recombination between two distinguishable adE alleles. Of eight mutants analyzed, four showed significant deviations from mus+ controls in both tests. Two mutations, musK and musL, reduced recombination, while musN and musQ caused increases. In contrast, musO diploids produced significantly higher levels only for intragenic recombination. Effects were relatively small, but averages between hypo- and hyperrec mus differed 15-20-fold. In musL diploids, most of the rare color segregants resulted from mitotic malsegregation rather than intergenic crossing over. This indicates that the musL gene product is required for recombination and that DNA lesions lead to chromosome loss when it is deficient. In addition, analysis of the genotypes of intragenic (ad+) recombinants showed that the musL mutation specifically reduced single allele conversion but increased complex conversion types (especially recombinants homozygous for ad+). Similar analysis revealed differences between the effects of two hyperrec mutations; musN apparently caused high levels solely of mitotic crossing over, while musQ increased various conversion types but not reciprocal crossovers. These results suggest that mitotic gene conversion and crossing over, while generally associated, are affected differentially in some of the mus strains of Aspergillus nidulans.

  17. Use of common time base for checkpointing and rollback recovery in a distributed system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramanathan, Parameswaran; Shin, Kang G.

    1993-01-01

    An approach to checkpointing and rollback recovery in a distributed computing system using a common time base is proposed. A common time base is established in the system using a hardware clock synchronization algorithm. This common time base is coupled with the idea of pseudo-recovery points to develop a checkpointing algorithm that has the following advantages: reduced wait for commitment for establishing recovery lines, fewer messages to be exchanged, and less memory requirement. These advantages are assessed quantitatively by developing a probabilistic model.

  18. Synthesis of Fault-Tolerant Embedded Systems with Checkpointing and Replication

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Izosimov, Viacheslav; Pop, Paul; Eles, Petru

    2006-01-01

    We present an approach to the synthesis of fault-tolerant hard real-time systems for safety-critical applications. We use checkpointing with rollback recovery and active replication for tolerating transient faults. Processes are statically scheduled and communications are performed using the time...

  19. Cell cycle checkpoints: reversible when possible, irreversible when needed

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Krenning, L.

    2015-01-01

    Cell cycle checkpoints are reversible in nature, and can prevent progression into the next cell cycle phase if needed. In the case of DNA damage, cells can prevent progression from G1 into S phase, and from G2 into mitosis in the presence of DNA double strand breaks. Following DNA repair, these

  20. Correlation between centromere protein-F autoantibodies and cancer analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Welner, Simon; Trier, Nicole Hartwig; Morten Frisch, Morten

    2013-01-01

    Centromere protein-F (CENP-F) is a large nuclear protein of 367 kDa, which is involved in multiple mitosis-related events such as proper assembly of the kinetochores, stabilization of heterochromatin, chromosome alignment and mitotic checkpoint signaling. Several studies have shown a correlation...

  1. A haploid genetic screen identifies the G1/S regulatory machinery as a determinant of Wee1 inhibitor sensitivity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heijink, Anne Margriet; Blomen, Vincent A.; Bisteau, Xavier; Degener, Fabian; Matsushita, Felipe Yu; Kaldis, Philipp; Foijer, Floris; van Vugt, Marcel A. T. M.

    2015-01-01

    The Wee1 cell cycle checkpoint kinase prevents premature mitotic entry by inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinases. Chemical inhibitors of Wee1 are currently being tested clinically as targeted anticancer drugs. Wee1 inhibition is thought to be preferentially cytotoxic in p53-defective cancer cells.

  2. Implementing forward recovery using checkpointing in distributed systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Junsheng; Fuchs, W. K.; Abraham, Jacob A.

    1991-01-01

    The paper describes the implementation of a forward recovery scheme using checkpoints and replicated tasks. The implementation is based on the concept of lookahead execution and rollback validation. In the experiment, two tasks are selected for the normal execution and one for rollback validation. It is shown that the recovery strategy has nearly error-free execution time and an average redundancy lower than TMR.

  3. CYTOGENETICS EFFECTS INDUCED BY NITRATE OF LEAD ON MITOTIC DIVISION AT ALLIUM CEPA L.

    OpenAIRE

    Silvica Padureanu

    2005-01-01

    The paper presents the influence of nitrate of lead upon the mitotic division of Allium cepa L. The treatment with nitrate of lead has determined the lessening of the mitotic index and the chromosomial mutations. Also nitrate of lead determined in little proportion cells autopoliploid. The experiment prowed that nitrate of lead, known as a polluting agent has a mutagenic potential on the plants.

  4. Checkpoint inhibitors in breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Polk, Anne; Svane, Inge-Marie; Andersson, Michael

    2018-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: An increasing number of compounds directed against immune checkpoints are currently under clinical development. In this review we summarize current research in breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A computer-based literature search was carried out using PubMed and EMBASE; data...... reported at international meetings and clinicaltrials.gov were included as well. RESULTS: The obtained overall response rate of PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy varied from 5 to 30% in heavily pretreated triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The median duration of progression free survival and overall survival were...... and induce long standing anti-tumor immunity in a subgroup of breast cancer patients. However, the identification of predictive biomarkers is crucial for further development of this treatment modality....

  5. Wnt activation followed by Notch inhibition promotes mitotic hair cell regeneration in the postnatal mouse cochlea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wenyan; Chen, Yan; Zhang, Shasha; Tang, Mingliang; Sun, Shan; Chai, Renjie; Li, Huawei

    2016-01-01

    Hair cell (HC) loss is the main cause of permanent hearing loss in mammals. Previous studies have reported that in neonatal mice cochleae, Wnt activation promotes supporting cell (SC) proliferation and Notch inhibition promotes the trans-differentiation of SCs into HCs. However, Wnt activation alone fails to regenerate significant amounts of new HCs, Notch inhibition alone regenerates the HCs at the cost of exhausting the SC population, which leads to the death of the newly regenerated HCs. Mitotic HC regeneration might preserve the SC number while regenerating the HCs, which could be a better approach for long-term HC regeneration. We present a two-step gene manipulation, Wnt activation followed by Notch inhibition, to accomplish mitotic regeneration of HCs while partially preserving the SC number. We show that Wnt activation followed by Notch inhibition strongly promotes the mitotic regeneration of new HCs in both normal and neomycin-damaged cochleae while partially preserving the SC number. Lineage tracing shows that the majority of the mitotically regenerated HCs are derived specifically from the Lgr5+ progenitors with or without HC damage. Our findings suggest that the co-regulation of Wnt and Notch signaling might provide a better approach to mitotically regenerate HCs from Lgr5+ progenitor cells. PMID:27564256

  6. Frequencies of mutagen-induced coincident mitotic recombination at unlinked loci in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freeman, Kathryn M. [Department of Biology, College of the Holy Cross, One College Street, Worcester, MA 01610-2395 (United States); Hoffmann, George R. [Department of Biology, College of the Holy Cross, One College Street, Worcester, MA 01610-2395 (United States)]. E-mail: ghoffmann@holycross.edu

    2007-03-01

    Frequencies of coincident genetic events were measured in strain D7 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This diploid strain permits the detection of mitotic gene conversion involving the trp5-12 and trp5-27 alleles, mitotic crossing-over and gene conversion leading to the expression of the ade2-40 and ade2-119 alleles as red and pink colonies, and reversion of the ilv1-92 allele. The three genes are on different chromosomes, and one might expect that coincident (simultaneous) genetic alterations at two loci would occur at frequencies predicted by those of the single alterations acting as independent events. Contrary to this expectation, we observed that ade2 recombinants induced by bleomycin, {beta}-propiolactone, and ultraviolet radiation occur more frequently among trp5 convertants than among total colonies. This excess among trp5 recombinants indicates that double recombinants are more common than expected for independent events. No similar enrichment was found among Ilv{sup +} revertants. The possibility of an artifact in which haploid yeasts that mimic mitotic recombinants are generated by a low frequency of cryptic meiosis has been excluded. Several hypotheses that can explain the elevated incidence of coincident mitotic recombination have been evaluated, but the cause remains uncertain. Most evidence suggests that the excess is ascribable to a subset of the population being in a recombination-prone state.

  7. Frequencies of mutagen-induced coincident mitotic recombination at unlinked loci in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freeman, Kathryn M.; Hoffmann, George R.

    2007-01-01

    Frequencies of coincident genetic events were measured in strain D7 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This diploid strain permits the detection of mitotic gene conversion involving the trp5-12 and trp5-27 alleles, mitotic crossing-over and gene conversion leading to the expression of the ade2-40 and ade2-119 alleles as red and pink colonies, and reversion of the ilv1-92 allele. The three genes are on different chromosomes, and one might expect that coincident (simultaneous) genetic alterations at two loci would occur at frequencies predicted by those of the single alterations acting as independent events. Contrary to this expectation, we observed that ade2 recombinants induced by bleomycin, β-propiolactone, and ultraviolet radiation occur more frequently among trp5 convertants than among total colonies. This excess among trp5 recombinants indicates that double recombinants are more common than expected for independent events. No similar enrichment was found among Ilv + revertants. The possibility of an artifact in which haploid yeasts that mimic mitotic recombinants are generated by a low frequency of cryptic meiosis has been excluded. Several hypotheses that can explain the elevated incidence of coincident mitotic recombination have been evaluated, but the cause remains uncertain. Most evidence suggests that the excess is ascribable to a subset of the population being in a recombination-prone state

  8. Mitotic defects lead to pervasive aneuploidy and accompany loss of RB1 activity in mouse LmnaDhe dermal fibroblasts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C Herbert Pratt

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Lamin A (LMNA is a component of the nuclear lamina and is mutated in several human diseases, including Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD; OMIM ID# 181350 and the premature aging syndrome Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS; OMIM ID# 176670. Cells from progeria patients exhibit cell cycle defects in both interphase and mitosis. Mouse models with loss of LMNA function have reduced Retinoblastoma protein (RB1 activity, leading to aberrant cell cycle control in interphase, but how mitosis is affected by LMNA is not well understood.We examined the cell cycle and structural phenotypes of cells from mice with the Lmna allele, Disheveled hair and ears (Lmna(Dhe. We found that dermal fibroblasts from heterozygous Lmna(Dhe (Lmna(Dhe/+ mice exhibit many phenotypes of human laminopathy cells. These include severe perturbations to the nuclear shape and lamina, increased DNA damage, and slow growth rates due to mitotic delay. Interestingly, Lmna(Dhe/+ fibroblasts also had reduced levels of hypophosphorylated RB1 and the non-SMC condensin II-subunit D3 (NCAP-D3, a mitosis specific centromere condensin subunit that depends on RB1 activity. Mitotic check point control by mitotic arrest deficient-like 1 (MAD2L1 also was perturbed in Lmna(Dhe/+ cells. Lmna(Dhe/+ fibroblasts were consistently aneuploid and had higher levels of micronuclei and anaphase bridges than normal fibroblasts, consistent with chromosome segregation defects.These data indicate that RB1 may be a key regulator of cellular phenotype in laminopathy-related cells, and suggest that the effects of LMNA on RB1 include both interphase and mitotic cell cycle control.

  9. Mitotic Defects Lead to Pervasive Aneuploidy and Accompany Loss of RB1 Activity in Mouse LmnaDhe Dermal Fibroblasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pratt, C. Herbert; Curtain, Michelle; Donahue, Leah Rae; Shopland, Lindsay S.

    2011-01-01

    Background Lamin A (LMNA) is a component of the nuclear lamina and is mutated in several human diseases, including Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD; OMIM ID# 181350) and the premature aging syndrome Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS; OMIM ID# 176670). Cells from progeria patients exhibit cell cycle defects in both interphase and mitosis. Mouse models with loss of LMNA function have reduced Retinoblastoma protein (RB1) activity, leading to aberrant cell cycle control in interphase, but how mitosis is affected by LMNA is not well understood. Results We examined the cell cycle and structural phenotypes of cells from mice with the Lmna allele, Disheveled hair and ears (LmnaDhe). We found that dermal fibroblasts from heterozygous LmnaDhe (LmnaDhe/+) mice exhibit many phenotypes of human laminopathy cells. These include severe perturbations to the nuclear shape and lamina, increased DNA damage, and slow growth rates due to mitotic delay. Interestingly, LmnaDhe/+ fibroblasts also had reduced levels of hypophosphorylated RB1 and the non-SMC condensin II-subunit D3 (NCAP-D3), a mitosis specific centromere condensin subunit that depends on RB1 activity. Mitotic check point control by mitotic arrest deficient-like 1 (MAD2L1) also was perturbed in LmnaDhe /+ cells. LmnaDhe /+ fibroblasts were consistently aneuploid and had higher levels of micronuclei and anaphase bridges than normal fibroblasts, consistent with chromosome segregation defects. Conclusions These data indicate that RB1 may be a key regulator of cellular phenotype in laminopathy-related cells, and suggest that the effects of LMNA on RB1 include both interphase and mitotic cell cycle control. PMID:21464947

  10. Checkpoint-dependent RNR induction promotes fork restart after replicative stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morafraile, Esther C; Diffley, John F X; Tercero, José Antonio; Segurado, Mónica

    2015-01-20

    The checkpoint kinase Rad53 is crucial to regulate DNA replication in the presence of replicative stress. Under conditions that interfere with the progression of replication forks, Rad53 prevents Exo1-dependent fork degradation. However, although EXO1 deletion avoids fork degradation in rad53 mutants, it does not suppress their sensitivity to the ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) inhibitor hydroxyurea (HU). In this case, the inability to restart stalled forks is likely to account for the lethality of rad53 mutant cells after replication blocks. Here we show that Rad53 regulates replication restart through the checkpoint-dependent transcriptional response, and more specifically, through RNR induction. Thus, in addition to preventing fork degradation, Rad53 prevents cell death in the presence of HU by regulating RNR-expression and localization. When RNR is induced in the absence of Exo1 and RNR negative regulators, cell viability of rad53 mutants treated with HU is increased and the ability of replication forks to restart after replicative stress is restored.

  11. The influence of serotonin on the mitotic rate in the colonic crypt epithelium and in colonic adenocarcinoma in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tutton, P J; Barkla, D H

    1978-01-01

    1. The mitotic rate in the crypts of Lieberkühn of the descending colon and in dimethylhydrazine-induced adenocarcinomata of the descending colon of rat was measured using a stathmokinetic technique. 2. Intraperitoneal injection of a small dose (10 microgram/kg) of serotonin resulted in an increase in the tumour cell mitotic rate. 3. Blockade of serotonin receptors by 2-bromolysergic acid diethylamide and depletion of tissue serotonin levels following injection of DL-6-fluorotryptophan both result in a decrease in the tumour cell mitotic rate. 4. Treatment with serotonin, 2-bromolysergic acid diethylamide and DL-6-fluorotryptophan were all without effect on the colonic crypt cell mitotic rate.

  12. Checkpoint blockade in combination with cancer vaccines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morse, Michael A; Lyerly, H Kim

    2015-12-16

    Checkpoint blockade, prevention of inhibitory signaling that limits activation or function of tumor antigen-specific T cells responses, is revolutionizing the treatment of many poor prognosis malignancies. Indeed monoclonal antibodies that modulate signaling through the inhibitory molecules CTLA-4 and PD-1 are now clinically available; however, many tumors, demonstrate minimal response suggesting the need for combinations with other therapeutic strategies. Because an inadequate frequency of activated tumor antigen-specific T cells in the tumor environment, the so-called non-inflamed phenotype, is observed in some malignancies, other rationale partners are modalities that lead to enhanced T cell activation (vaccines, cytokines, toll-like receptor agonists, and other anticancer therapies such as chemo-, radio- or targeted therapies that lead to release of antigen from tumors). This review will focus on preclinical and clinical data supporting the use of cancer vaccines with anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies. Preliminary preclinical data demonstrate enhanced antitumor activity although the results in human studies are less clear. Broader combinations of multiple immune modulators are now under study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Genetic variation in mitotic regulatory pathway genes is associated with breast tumor grade

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Purrington, Kristen S; Slettedahl, Seth; Bolla, Manjeet K

    2014-01-01

    polymorphisms (SNPs) from 194 mitotic genes and breast cancer risk, overall and by histologic grade, in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) iCOGS study (n = 39 067 cases; n = 42 106 controls). SNPs in TACC2 [rs17550038: odds ratio (OR) = 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16-1.33, P = 4.2 × 10......Mitotic index is an important component of histologic grade and has an etiologic role in breast tumorigenesis. Several small candidate gene studies have reported associations between variation in mitotic genes and breast cancer risk. We measured associations between 2156 single nucleotide......(-10)) and EIF3H (rs799890: OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.04-1.11, P = 8.7 × 10(-6)) were significantly associated with risk of low-grade breast cancer. The TACC2 signal was retained (rs17550038: OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.07-1.23, P = 7.9 × 10(-5)) after adjustment for breast cancer risk SNPs in the nearby FGFR2 gene...

  14. BET Bromodomain Inhibition Synergizes with PARP Inhibitor in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergey Karakashev

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available PARP inhibition is known to be an effective clinical strategy in BRCA mutant cancers, but PARP inhibition has not been applied to BRCA-proficient tumors. Here, we show the synergy of BET bromodomain inhibition with PARP inhibition in BRCA-proficient ovarian cancers due to mitotic catastrophe. Treatment of BRCA-proficient ovarian cancer cells with the BET inhibitor JQ1 downregulated the G2-M cell-cycle checkpoint regulator WEE1 and the DNA-damage response factor TOPBP1. Combining PARP inhibitor Olaparib with the BET inhibitor, we observed a synergistic increase in DNA damage and checkpoint defects, which allowed cells to enter mitosis despite the accumulation of DNA damage, ultimately causing mitotic catastrophe. Moreover, JQ1 and Olaparib showed synergistic suppression of growth of BRCA-proficient cancer in vivo in a xenograft ovarian cancer mouse model. Our findings indicate that a combination of BET inhibitor and PARP inhibitor represents a potential therapeutic strategy for BRCA-proficient cancers.

  15. Akt Inhibitor A-443654 Interferes with Mitotic Progression by Regulating Aurora A Kinase Expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuesong Liu

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Both Akt and Aurora A kinase have been shown to be important targets for intervention for cancer therapy. We report here that Compound A (A-443654, a specific Akt inhibitor, interferes with mitotic progression and bipolar spindle formation. Compound A induces G2/M accumulation, defects in centrosome separation, and formation of either monopolar arrays or disorganized spindles. On the basis of gene expression array studies, we identified Aurora A as one of the genes regulated transcriptionally by Akt inhibitors including Compound A. Inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K/Akt pathway, either by PI3K inhibitor LY294002 or by Compound A, dramatically inhibits the promoter activity of Aurora A, whereas the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor has little effect, suggesting that Akt might be responsible for up-regulating Aurora A for mitotic progression. Further analysis of the Aurora A promoter region indicates that the Ets element but not the Sp1 element is required for Compound A-sensitive transcriptional control of Aurora A. Overexpression of Aurora A in cells treated with Compound A attenuates the mitotic arrest and the defects in bipolar spindle formation induced by Akt inhibition. Our studies suggest that that Akt may promote mitotic progression through the transcriptional regulation of Aurora A.

  16. Effect of insulin on the mitotic activity of bone marrow cells after irradiation. [Gamma radiation, rats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barkalaya, A I

    1976-02-01

    A total of 236 white rats were given a whole-body gamma dose of 750 R. Part of the rats were given a subcutaneous insulin injection of 0.2 units/kg. After 10, 20, 30 min, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12 hours the mitotic index was determined in both groups of rats in the bone marrow of the femur. The content of glucose and insulin in the blood was determined. The mitotic index was found to be higher on administering insulin. The use of insulin in radiation sickness intensifies the mitotic activity of bone marrow cells and stimulates the recovery of bone marrow hematopoiesis. 5 references.

  17. Vaccination targeting human HER3 alters the phenotype of infiltrating T cells and responses to immune checkpoint inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osada, Takuya; Morse, Michael A; Hobeika, Amy; Diniz, Marcio A; Gwin, William R; Hartman, Zachary; Wei, Junping; Guo, Hongtao; Yang, Xiao-Yi; Liu, Cong-Xiao; Kaneko, Kensuke; Broadwater, Gloria; Lyerly, H Kim

    2017-01-01

    Expression of human epidermal growth factor family member 3 (HER3), a critical heterodimerization partner with EGFR and HER2, promotes more aggressive biology in breast and other epithelial malignancies. As such, inhibiting HER3 could have broad applicability to the treatment of EGFR- and HER2-driven tumors. Although lack of a functional kinase domain limits the use of receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, HER3 contains antigenic targets for T cells and antibodies. Using novel human HER3 transgenic mouse models of breast cancer, we demonstrate that immunization with recombinant adenoviral vectors encoding full length human HER3 (Ad-HER3-FL) induces HER3-specific T cells and antibodies, alters the T cell infiltrate in tumors, and influences responses to immune checkpoint inhibitions. Both preventative and therapeutic Ad-HER3-FL immunization delayed tumor growth but were associated with both intratumoral PD-1 expressing CD8 + T cells and regulatory CD4 + T cell infiltrates. Immune checkpoint inhibition with either anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibodies increased intratumoral CD8 + T cell infiltration and eliminated tumor following preventive vaccination with Ad-HER3-FL vaccine. The combination of dual PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA4 blockade slowed the growth of tumor in response to Ad-HER3-FL in the therapeutic model. We conclude that HER3-targeting vaccines activate HER3-specific T cells and induce anti-HER3 specific antibodies, which alters the intratumoral T cell infiltrate and responses to immune checkpoint inhibition.

  18. Proteasome inhibition enhances the efficacy of volasertib-induced mitotic arrest in AML in vitro and prolongs survival in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnerch, Dominik; Schüler, Julia; Follo, Marie; Felthaus, Julia; Wider, Dagmar; Klingner, Kathrin; Greil, Christine; Duyster, Justus; Engelhardt, Monika; Wäsch, Ralph

    2017-03-28

    Elderly and frail patients, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and ineligible to undergo intensive treatment, have a dismal prognosis. The small molecule inhibitor volasertib induces a mitotic block via inhibition of polo-like kinase 1 and has shown remarkable anti-leukemic activity when combined with low-dose cytarabine. We have demonstrated that AML cells are highly vulnerable to cell death in mitosis yet manage to escape a mitotic block through mitotic slippage by sustained proteasome-dependent slow degradation of cyclin B. Therefore, we tested whether interfering with mitotic slippage through proteasome inhibition arrests and kills AML cells more efficiently during mitosis. We show that therapeutic doses of bortezomib block the slow degradation of cyclin B during a volasertib-induced mitotic arrest in AML cell lines and patient-derived primary AML cells. In a xenotransplant mouse model of human AML, mice receiving volasertib in combination with bortezomib showed superior disease control compared to mice receiving volasertib alone, highlighting the potential therapeutic impact of this drug combination.

  19. A molecular mechanism of mitotic centrosome assembly in Drosophila

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conduit, Paul T; Richens, Jennifer H; Wainman, Alan; Holder, James; Vicente, Catarina C; Pratt, Metta B; Dix, Carly I; Novak, Zsofia A; Dobbie, Ian M; Schermelleh, Lothar; Raff, Jordan W

    2014-01-01

    Centrosomes comprise a pair of centrioles surrounded by pericentriolar material (PCM). The PCM expands dramatically as cells enter mitosis, but it is unclear how this occurs. In this study, we show that the centriole protein Asl initiates the recruitment of DSpd-2 and Cnn to mother centrioles; both proteins then assemble into co-dependent scaffold-like structures that spread outwards from the mother centriole and recruit most, if not all, other PCM components. In the absence of either DSpd-2 or Cnn, mitotic PCM assembly is diminished; in the absence of both proteins, it appears to be abolished. We show that DSpd-2 helps incorporate Cnn into the PCM and that Cnn then helps maintain DSpd-2 within the PCM, creating a positive feedback loop that promotes robust PCM expansion around the mother centriole during mitosis. These observations suggest a surprisingly simple mechanism of mitotic PCM assembly in flies. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03399.001 PMID:25149451

  20. Interprofessional Collaboration with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy: the Roles of Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Neurology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seery, Virginia

    2017-11-01

    To discuss immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and identify opportunities for interprofessional collaboration in the management of toxicities in the areas of gastroenterology, endocrinology, and neurology. Published research and education articles in oncology, nursing, and various specialties. The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors is expanding; timely management of toxicity is critical for positive patient outcomes. There are many opportunities for interprofessional collaboration in the diagnosis and treatment of immune-related adverse events. Nurses play key roles in recognizing immune-related adverse events, providing patient education, and helping to facilitate interprofessional collaboration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Precommitment low-level Neurog3 expression defines a long-lived mitotic endocrine-biased progenitor pool that drives production of endocrine-committed cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bechard, Matthew E.; Bankaitis, Eric D.; Hipkens, Susan B.; Ustione, Alessandro; Piston, David W.; Yang, Yu-Ping; Magnuson, Mark A.; Wright, Christopher V.E.

    2016-01-01

    The current model for endocrine cell specification in the pancreas invokes high-level production of the transcription factor Neurogenin 3 (Neurog3) in Sox9+ bipotent epithelial cells as the trigger for endocrine commitment, cell cycle exit, and rapid delamination toward proto-islet clusters. This model posits a transient Neurog3 expression state and short epithelial residence period. We show, however, that a Neurog3TA.LO cell population, defined as Neurog3 transcriptionally active and Sox9+ and often containing nonimmunodetectable Neurog3 protein, has a relatively high mitotic index and prolonged epithelial residency. We propose that this endocrine-biased mitotic progenitor state is functionally separated from a pro-ductal pool and endows them with long-term capacity to make endocrine fate-directed progeny. A novel BAC transgenic Neurog3 reporter detected two types of mitotic behavior in Sox9+ Neurog3TA.LO progenitors, associated with progenitor pool maintenance or derivation of endocrine-committed Neurog3HI cells, respectively. Moreover, limiting Neurog3 expression dramatically increased the proportional representation of Sox9+ Neurog3TA.LO progenitors, with a doubling of its mitotic index relative to normal Neurog3 expression, suggesting that low Neurog3 expression is a defining feature of this cycling endocrine-biased state. We propose that Sox9+ Neurog3TA.LO endocrine-biased progenitors feed production of Neurog3HI endocrine-committed cells during pancreas organogenesis. PMID:27585590

  2. Roles of Rad51 protein in homologous recombination in mammalian cells: relation with repair, replication and cell cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lambert, S.

    2001-01-01

    Homologous recombination (HR) is a fundamental process, allowing a faithful repair. In mammalian, MmRAD51, which is the homologue of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ScRAD51 key protein for HR, is an essential gene. This work is based on the characterisation of viable hyper and hypo-recombinant cell lines specifically affected in the Rad51 pathway. By expressing wild type and dominant negative forms of MmRad51, we demonstrated that Rad51 pathway participates to the repair by HR to induced DNA damages. However, inhibition of the Rad 51 pathway does not affect cell viability, spontaneously or after irradiation, whereas, radiation induced HR is inhibited. In the presence of DNA damages during late S and G2/M phase, inhibition of Rad51 pathway induced chromosomal aberrations, leading to a transient arrest in mitosis. This arrest is associated with an increased of cell death. However, a fraction of cells can escape from this transient arrest by forming tetraploid cells, associated with an absence of chromalid separation. Thus, in response to impaired Rad51 pathway, mitotic checkpoints seems to play an essential role. In line with this, we showed that the essential function of Rad51 is p53-dependent, which is in agreement with the role of p53 in tetraploidy inhibition. Our results suggest that the Rad51 protein could participate to the control of mitotic checkpoints and thus to the maintenance of genetic stability. This function could involve other Rad51 partners such as the tumour suppressors BRCA1, BRCA2 and p53. (author) [fr

  3. SAP-like domain in nucleolar spindle associated protein mediates mitotic chromosome loading as well as interphase chromatin interaction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verbakel, Werner, E-mail: werner.verbakel@chem.kuleuven.be [Laboratory of Biomolecular Dynamics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200G, Bus 2403, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium); Carmeliet, Geert, E-mail: geert.carmeliet@med.kuleuven.be [Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Endocrinology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Herestraat 49, Bus 902, 3000 Leuven (Belgium); Engelborghs, Yves, E-mail: yves.engelborghs@fys.kuleuven.be [Laboratory of Biomolecular Dynamics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200G, Bus 2403, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium)

    2011-08-12

    Highlights: {yields} The SAP-like domain in NuSAP is a functional DNA-binding domain with preference for dsDNA. {yields} This SAP-like domain is essential for chromosome loading during early mitosis. {yields} NuSAP is highly dynamic on mitotic chromatin, as evident from photobleaching experiments. {yields} The SAP-like domain also mediates NuSAP-chromatin interaction in interphase nucleoplasm. -- Abstract: Nucleolar spindle associated protein (NuSAP) is a microtubule-stabilizing protein that localizes to chromosome arms and chromosome-proximal microtubules during mitosis and to the nucleus, with enrichment in the nucleoli, during interphase. The critical function of NuSAP is underscored by the finding that its depletion in HeLa cells results in various mitotic defects. Moreover, NuSAP is found overexpressed in multiple cancers and its expression levels often correlate with the aggressiveness of cancer. Due to its localization on chromosome arms and combination of microtubule-stabilizing and DNA-binding properties, NuSAP takes a special place within the extensive group of spindle assembly factors. In this study, we identify a SAP-like domain that shows DNA binding in vitro with a preference for dsDNA. Deletion of the SAP-like domain abolishes chromosome arm binding of NuSAP during mitosis, but is not sufficient to abrogate its chromosome-proximal localization after anaphase onset. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments revealed the highly dynamic nature of this NuSAP-chromatin interaction during mitosis. In interphase cells, NuSAP also interacts with chromatin through its SAP-like domain, as evident from its enrichment on dense chromatin regions and intranuclear mobility, measured by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. The obtained results are in agreement with a model where NuSAP dynamically stabilizes newly formed microtubules on mitotic chromosomes to enhance chromosome positioning without immobilizing these microtubules. Interphase Nu

  4. SAP-like domain in nucleolar spindle associated protein mediates mitotic chromosome loading as well as interphase chromatin interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verbakel, Werner; Carmeliet, Geert; Engelborghs, Yves

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → The SAP-like domain in NuSAP is a functional DNA-binding domain with preference for dsDNA. → This SAP-like domain is essential for chromosome loading during early mitosis. → NuSAP is highly dynamic on mitotic chromatin, as evident from photobleaching experiments. → The SAP-like domain also mediates NuSAP-chromatin interaction in interphase nucleoplasm. -- Abstract: Nucleolar spindle associated protein (NuSAP) is a microtubule-stabilizing protein that localizes to chromosome arms and chromosome-proximal microtubules during mitosis and to the nucleus, with enrichment in the nucleoli, during interphase. The critical function of NuSAP is underscored by the finding that its depletion in HeLa cells results in various mitotic defects. Moreover, NuSAP is found overexpressed in multiple cancers and its expression levels often correlate with the aggressiveness of cancer. Due to its localization on chromosome arms and combination of microtubule-stabilizing and DNA-binding properties, NuSAP takes a special place within the extensive group of spindle assembly factors. In this study, we identify a SAP-like domain that shows DNA binding in vitro with a preference for dsDNA. Deletion of the SAP-like domain abolishes chromosome arm binding of NuSAP during mitosis, but is not sufficient to abrogate its chromosome-proximal localization after anaphase onset. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments revealed the highly dynamic nature of this NuSAP-chromatin interaction during mitosis. In interphase cells, NuSAP also interacts with chromatin through its SAP-like domain, as evident from its enrichment on dense chromatin regions and intranuclear mobility, measured by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. The obtained results are in agreement with a model where NuSAP dynamically stabilizes newly formed microtubules on mitotic chromosomes to enhance chromosome positioning without immobilizing these microtubules. Interphase NuSAP-chromatin interaction

  5. Single-walled carbon nanotube-induced mitotic disruption⋆

    OpenAIRE

    Sargent, L.M.; Hubbs, A.F.; Young, S.-H.; Kashon, M.L.; Dinu, C.Z.; Salisbury, J.L.; Benkovic, S.A.; Lowry, D.T.; Murray, A.R.; Kisin, E.R.; Siegrist, K.J.; Battelli, L.; Mastovich, J.; Sturgeon, J.L.; Bunker, K.L.

    2011-01-01

    Carbon nanotubes were among the earliest products of nanotechnology and have many potential applications in medicine, electronics, and manufacturing. The low density, small size, and biological persistence of carbon nanotubes create challenges for exposure control and monitoring and make respiratory exposures to workers likely. We have previously shown mitotic spindle aberrations in cultured primary and immortalized human airway epithelial cells exposed to 24, 48 and 96 μg/cm2 single-walled c...

  6. Mitotic phosphorylation of VCIP135 blocks p97ATPase-mediated Golgi membrane fusion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Totsukawa, Go; Matsuo, Ayaka; Kubota, Ayano; Taguchi, Yuya; Kondo, Hisao, E-mail: hk228@med.kyushu-u.ac.jp

    2013-04-05

    Highlights: •VCIP135 is mitotically phosphorylated on Threonine-760 and Serine-767 by Cdc2. •Phosphorylated VCIP135 does not bind to p97ATPase. •The phosphorylation of VCIP135 inhibits p97ATPase-mediated Golgi membrane fusion. -- Abstract: In mammals, the Golgi apparatus is disassembled early mitosis and reassembled at the end of mitosis. For Golgi disassembly, membrane fusion needs to be blocked. Golgi biogenesis requires two distinct p97ATPase-mediated membrane fusion, the p97/p47 and p97/p37 pathways. We previously reported that p47 phosphorylation on Serine-140 and p37 phosphorylation on Serine-56 and Threonine-59 result in mitotic inhibition of the p97/p47 and the p97/p37 pathways, respectively [11,14]. In this study, we show another mechanism of mitotic inhibition of p97-mediated Golgi membrane fusion. We clarified that VCIP135, an essential factor in both p97 membrane fusion pathways, is phosphorylated on Threonine-760 and Serine-767 by Cdc2 at mitosis and that this phosphorylated VCIP135 does not bind to p97. An in vitro Golgi reassembly assay revealed that VCIP135(T760E, S767E), which mimics mitotic phosphorylation, caused no cisternal regrowth. Our results indicate that the phosphorylation of VCIP135 on Threonine-760 and Serine-767 inhibits p97-mediated Golgi membrane fusion at mitosis.

  7. The Drosophila Microtubule-Associated Protein Mars Stabilizes Mitotic Spindles by Crosslinking Microtubules through Its N-Terminal Region

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Gang; Beati, Hamze; Nilsson, Jakob

    2013-01-01

    Correct segregation of genetic material relies on proper assembly and maintenance of the mitotic spindle. How the highly dynamic microtubules (MTs) are maintained in stable mitotic spindles is a key question to be answered. Motor and non-motor microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) have been...

  8. Targeting Tumor-Associated Macrophages as a Potential Strategy to Enhance the Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassetta, Luca; Kitamura, Takanori

    2018-01-01

    Inhibition of immune checkpoint pathways in CD8 + T cell is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of solid tumors that has shown significant anti-tumor effects and is now approved by the FDA to treat patients with melanoma and lung cancer. However the response to this therapy is limited to a certain fraction of patients and tumor types, for reasons still unknown. To ensure success of this treatment, CD8 + T cells, the main target of the checkpoint inhibitors, should exert full cytotoxicity against tumor cells. However recent studies show that tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) can impede this process by different mechanisms. In this mini-review we will summarize recent studies showing the effect of TAM targeting on immune checkpoint inhibitors efficacy. We will also discuss on the limitations of the current strategies as well on the future scientific challenges for the progress of the tumor immunology field.

  9. EMODnet MedSea Checkpoint for sustainable Blue Growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moussat, Eric; Pinardi, Nadia; Manzella, Giuseppe; Blanc, Frederique

    2016-04-01

    The EMODNET checkpoint is a wide monitoring system assessment activity aiming to support the sustainable Blue Growth at the scale of the European Sea Basins by: 1) Clarifying the observation landscape of all compartments of the marine environment including Air, Water, Seabed, Biota and Human activities, pointing out to the existing programs, national, European and international 2) Evaluating fitness for use indicators that will show the accessibility and usability of observation and modeling data sets and their roles and synergies based upon selected applications by the European Marine Environment Strategy 3) Prioritizing the needs to optimize the overall monitoring Infrastructure (in situ and satellite data collection and assembling, data management and networking, modeling and forecasting, geo-infrastructure) and release recommendations for evolutions to better meet the application requirements in view of sustainable Blue Growth The assessment is designed for : - Institutional stakeholders for decision making on observation and monitoring systems - Data providers and producers to know how their data collected once for a given purpose could fit other user needs - End-users interested in a regional status and possible uses of existing monitoring data Selected end-user applications are of paramount importance for: (i) the blue economy sector (offshore industries, fisheries); (ii) marine environment variability and change (eutrophication, river inputs and ocean climate change impacts); (iii) emergency management (oil spills); and (iv) preservation of natural resources and biodiversity (Marine Protected Areas). End-user applications generate innovative products based on the existing observation landscape. The fitness for use assessment is made thanks to the comparison of the expected product specifications with the quality of the product derived from the selected data. This involves the development of checkpoint information and indicators based on Data quality and

  10. Sequential phosphorylation of GRASP65 during mitotic Golgi disassembly

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danming Tang

    2012-09-01

    GRASP65 phosphorylation during mitosis and dephosphorylation after mitosis are required for Golgi disassembly and reassembly during the cell cycle. At least eight phosphorylation sites on GRASP65 have been identified, but whether they are modified in a coordinated fashion during mitosis is so far unknown. In this study, we raised phospho-specific antibodies that recognize phosphorylated T220/T224, S277 and S376 residues of GRASP65, respectively. Biochemical analysis showed that cdc2 phosphorylates all three sites, while plk1 enhances the phosphorylation. Microscopic studies using these antibodies for double and triple labeling demonstrate sequential phosphorylation and dephosphorylation during the cell cycle. S277 and S376 are phosphorylated from late G2 phase through metaphase until telophase when the new Golgi is reassembled. T220/224 is not modified until prophase, but is highly modified from prometaphase to anaphase. In metaphase, phospho-T220/224 signal localizes on both Golgi haze and mitotic Golgi clusters that represent dispersed Golgi vesicles and Golgi remnants, respectively, while phospho-S277 and S376 labeling is more concentrated on mitotic Golgi clusters. Expression of a phosphorylation-resistant GRASP65 mutant T220A/T224A inhibited mitotic Golgi fragmentation to a much larger extent than the expression of the S277A and S376A mutants. In cytokinesis, T220/224 dephosphorylation occurs prior to that of S277, but after S376. This study provides evidence that GRASP65 is sequentially phosphorylated and dephosphorylated during mitosis at different sites to orchestrate Golgi disassembly and reassembly during cell division, with phosphorylation of the T220/224 site being most critical in the process.

  11. How oocytes try to get it right: spindle checkpoint control in meiosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Touati, Sandra A; Wassmann, Katja

    2016-06-01

    The generation of a viable, diploid organism depends on the formation of haploid gametes, oocytes, and spermatocytes, with the correct number of chromosomes. Halving the genome requires the execution of two consecutive specialized cell divisions named meiosis I and II. Unfortunately, and in contrast to male meiosis, chromosome segregation in oocytes is error prone, with human oocytes being extraordinarily "meiotically challenged". Aneuploid oocytes, that are with the wrong number of chromosomes, give rise to aneuploid embryos when fertilized. In humans, most aneuploidies are lethal and result in spontaneous abortions. However, some trisomies survive to birth or even adulthood, such as the well-known trisomy 21, which gives rise to Down syndrome (Nagaoka et al. in Nat Rev Genet 13:493-504, 2012). A staggering 20-25 % of oocytes ready to be fertilized are aneuploid in humans. If this were not bad enough, there is an additional increase in meiotic missegregations as women get closer to menopause. A woman above 40 has a risk of more than 30 % of getting pregnant with a trisomic child. Worse still, in industrialized western societies, child birth is delayed, with women getting their first child later in life than ever. This trend has led to an increase of trisomic pregnancies by 70 % in the last 30 years (Nagaoka et al. in Nat Rev Genet 13:493-504, 2012; Schmidt et al. in Hum Reprod Update 18:29-43, 2012). To understand why errors occur so frequently during the meiotic divisions in oocytes, we review here the molecular mechanisms at works to control chromosome segregation during meiosis. An important mitotic control mechanism, namely the spindle assembly checkpoint or SAC, has been adapted to the special requirements of the meiotic divisions, and this review will focus on our current knowledge of SAC control in mammalian oocytes. Knowledge on how chromosome segregation is controlled in mammalian oocytes may help to identify risk factors important for questions

  12. Magic with moulds: Meiotic and mitotic crossing over in Neurospora ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2006-02-16

    Feb 16, 2006 ... Home; Journals; Journal of Biosciences; Volume 31; Issue 1. Commentary: Magic with moulds: Meiotic and mitotic crossing over in Neurospora inversions and duplications. Durgadas P Kasbekar. Volume 31 Issue 1 March 2006 pp 3-4 ...

  13. Immunotherapy targeting immune check-point(s) in brain metastases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Giacomo, Anna Maria; Valente, Monica; Covre, Alessia; Danielli, Riccardo; Maio, Michele

    2017-08-01

    Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies (mAb) directed to different immune check-point(s) is showing a significant clinical impact in a growing number of human tumors of different histotype, both in terms of disease response and long-term survival patients. In this rapidly changing scenario, treatment of brain metastases remains an high unmeet medical need, and the efficacy of immunotherapy in these highly dismal clinical setting remains to be largely demonstrated. Nevertheless, up-coming observations are beginning to suggest a clinical potential of cancer immunotherapy also in brain metastases, regardless the underlying tumor histotype. These observations remain to be validated in larger clinical trials eventually designed also to address the efficacy of therapeutic mAb to immune check-point(s) within multimodality therapies for brain metastases. Noteworthy, the initial proofs of efficacy on immunotherapy in central nervous system metastases are already fostering clinical trials investigating its therapeutic potential also in primary brain tumors. We here review ongoing immunotherapeutic approaches to brain metastases and primary brain tumors, and the foreseeable strategies to overcome their main biologic hurdles and clinical challenges. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. The Geography of Deterrence: Exploring the Small Area Effects of Sobriety Checkpoints on Alcohol-Impaired Collision Rates within a City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nunn, Samuel; Newby, William

    2011-01-01

    This article examines alcohol-impaired collision metrics around nine sobriety checkpoint locations in Indianapolis, Indiana, before and after implementation of 22 checkpoints, using a pre/post examination, a pre/post nonequivalent comparison group analysis, and an interrupted time series approach. Traffic safety officials used geographical…

  15. Radiation-induced apoptosis and cell cycle checkpoints in human colorectal tumour cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Playle, L.C.

    2001-03-01

    The p53 tumour suppressor gene is mutated in 75% of colorectal carcinomas and is critical for DNA damage-induced G1 cell cycle arrest. Data presented in this thesis demonstrate that after treatment with Ionizing Radiation (IR), colorectal tumour cell lines with mutant p53 are unable to arrest at G1 and undergo cell cycle arrest at G2. The staurosporine derivative, UCN-01, was shown to abrogate the IR-induced G2 checkpoint in colorectal tumour cell lines. Furthermore, in some cell lines, abrogation of the G2 checkpoint was associated with radiosensitisation. Data presented in this study demonstrate that 2 out of 5 cell lines with mutant p53 were sensitised to IR by UCN-01. In order to determine whether radiosensitisation correlated with lack of functional p53, transfected derivatives of an adenoma-derived cell line were studied, in which endogenous wild type p53 was disrupted by expression of a dominant negative p53 mutant protein (and with a vector control). In both these cell lines UCN-01 abrogated the G2 arrest however this was not associated with radiosensitisation, indicating that radiosensitisation is a cell type-specific phenomenon. Although 2 colorectal carcinoma cell lines, with mutant p53, were sensitised to IR by UCN-01, the mechanisms of p53-independent IR-induced apoptosis in the colon are essentially unknown. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways (that is the JNK, p38 and ERK pathways) have been implicated in apoptosis in a range of cell systems and in IR-induced apoptosis in some cell types. Data presented in this study show that, although the MAPKs can be activated by the known activator anisomycin, there is no evidence of a role for MAPKs in IR-induced apoptosis in colorectal tumour cell lines, regardless of p53 status. In summary, some colorectal tumour cell lines with mutant p53 can be sensitised to IR-induced cell death by G2 checkpoint abrogation and this may be an important treatment strategy, however mechanisms of IR-induced p53

  16. Parallelization and checkpointing of GPU applications through program transformation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Solano-Quinde, Lizandro Damian [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2012-01-01

    GPUs have emerged as a powerful tool for accelerating general-purpose applications. The availability of programming languages that makes writing general-purpose applications for running on GPUs tractable have consolidated GPUs as an alternative for accelerating general purpose applications. Among the areas that have benefited from GPU acceleration are: signal and image processing, computational fluid dynamics, quantum chemistry, and, in general, the High Performance Computing (HPC) Industry. In order to continue to exploit higher levels of parallelism with GPUs, multi-GPU systems are gaining popularity. In this context, single-GPU applications are parallelized for running in multi-GPU systems. Furthermore, multi-GPU systems help to solve the GPU memory limitation for applications with large application memory footprint. Parallelizing single-GPU applications has been approached by libraries that distribute the workload at runtime, however, they impose execution overhead and are not portable. On the other hand, on traditional CPU systems, parallelization has been approached through application transformation at pre-compile time, which enhances the application to distribute the workload at application level and does not have the issues of library-based approaches. Hence, a parallelization scheme for GPU systems based on application transformation is needed. Like any computing engine of today, reliability is also a concern in GPUs. GPUs are vulnerable to transient and permanent failures. Current checkpoint/restart techniques are not suitable for systems with GPUs. Checkpointing for GPU systems present new and interesting challenges, primarily due to the natural differences imposed by the hardware design, the memory subsystem architecture, the massive number of threads, and the limited amount of synchronization among threads. Therefore, a checkpoint/restart technique suitable for GPU systems is needed. The goal of this work is to exploit higher levels of parallelism and

  17. Effects of whole-body and partial-body x irradiation upon epidermal mitotic activity during wound healing in mouse skin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kobayashi, K.

    1977-01-01

    Mitotic activity of normal (unwounded) and wounded skin was measured in the control (nonirradiated) and whole-body or partial-body x-irradiated mouse. Higher mitotic activity in the anterior than in the posterior region of the body was found in both the normal and the wounded skin of the control mouse. Whole-body irradiation (500 R) depressed completely the mitotic activity of normal skin 2 to 4 days after irradiation. In spite of this depression in mitotic activity, a surgical incision made 1 to 3 days after irradiation could induce a burst of proliferation after an inhibition of an initial mitosis increase. When the animals were partially irradiated with 500 R 3 days before wounding, it was shown that mitosis at 24 hr after wounding was inhibited markedly by the local effect of irradiation and that mitosis also could be inhibited diversely by the abscopal effect of irradiation. Because of a close similarity of sequential mitotic patterns between whole-body-irradiated and flapped-skin-only-irradiated groups (direct irradiation), the effect of irradiation upon mitosis was considered to be primarily local. Some discussions were made concerning the possible reasons which made a difference in mitotic patterns between the head-only-irradiated group, the irradiated group including the head and other parts of the body except for the skin flap

  18. Relationships betwen mitotic delay and the dose rate of X radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yi, P.N.; Rha, C.K.; Evans, H.H.; Beer, J.Z.

    1994-01-01

    Upon exposure of cells to radiation delivered at a continuous low dose rate, cell proliferation may be sustained with the cells exhibiting a constant doubling time that is independent of the total dose. The doubling time or mitotic delay under these conditions has been shown to depend on the dose rate in HeLa, V79 and P388F cells. Reanalysis of the data for these particular cell lines shows that there is a threshold dose rate for mitotic delay, and that above the threshold there is a linear relationship between the length of mitotic delay and the logarithm of the dose rate which is referred to as the dose-rate response. We have observed the same relationships for L5178Y (LY)-R and LY-S cells exposed to low-dose-rate radiation. The threshold dose rates for LY-R, LY-S and P388F cells are similar (0.01-0.02 Gy/h) and are much lower than for V79 and HeLa cells. The slope of the dose-rate response curve is the greatest for HeLa cells, followed in order by LY-S, V79 and P388F cells, and finally by LY-R cells. The slopes for HeLa and LY-R cells differ by a factor of 35. 20 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

  19. The tumor suppressor homolog in fission yeast, myh1+, displays a strong interaction with the checkpoint gene rad1+

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jansson, Kristina; Warringer, Jonas; Farewell, Anne; Park, Han-Oh; Hoe, Kwang-Lae; Kim, Dong-Uk; Hayles, Jacqueline; Sunnerhagen, Per

    2008-01-01

    The DNA glycosylase MutY is strongly conserved in evolution, and homologs are found in most eukaryotes and prokaryotes examined. This protein is implicated in repair of oxidative DNA damage, in particular adenine mispaired opposite 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine. Previous investigations in Escherichia coli, fission yeast, and mammalian cells show an association of mutations in MutY homologs with a mutator phenotype and carcinogenesis. Eukaryotic MutY homologs physically associate with several proteins with a role in replication, DNA repair, and checkpoint signaling, specifically the trimeric 9-1-1 complex. In a genetic investigation of the fission yeast MutY homolog, myh1 + , we show that the myh1 mutation confers a moderately increased UV sensitivity alone and in combination with mutations in several DNA repair genes. The myh1 rad1, and to a lesser degree myh1 rad9, double mutants display a synthetic interaction resulting in enhanced sensitivity to DNA damaging agents and hydroxyurea. UV irradiation of myh1 rad1 double mutants results in severe chromosome segregation defects and visible DNA fragmentation, and a failure to activate the checkpoint. Additionally, myh1 rad1 double mutants exhibit morphological defects in the absence of DNA damaging agents. We also found a moderate suppression of the slow growth and UV sensitivity of rhp51 mutants by the myh1 mutation. Our results implicate fission yeast Myh1 in repair of a wider range of DNA damage than previously thought, and functionally link it to the checkpoint pathway

  20. Determining local and contextual features describing appearance of difficult to identify mitotic figures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gandomkar, Ziba; Brennan, Patrick C.; Mello-Thoms, Claudia

    2017-03-01

    Mitotic count is helpful in determining the aggressiveness of breast cancer. In previous studies, it was shown that the agreement among pathologists for grading mitotic index is fairly modest, as mitoses have a large variety of appearances and they could be mistaken for other similar objects. In this study, we determined local and contextual features that differ significantly between easily identifiable mitoses and challenging ones. The images were obtained from the Mitosis-Atypia 2014 challenge. In total, the dataset contained 453 mitotic figures. Two pathologists annotated each mitotic figure. In case of disagreement, an opinion from a third pathologist was requested. The mitoses were grouped into three categories, those recognized as "a true mitosis" by both pathologists ,those labelled as "a true mitosis" by only one of the first two readers and also the third pathologist, and those annotated as "probably a mitosis" by all readers or the majority of them. After color unmixing, the mitoses were segmented from H channel. Shape-based features along with intensity-based and textural features were extracted from H-channel, blue ratio channel and five different color spaces. Holistic features describing each image were also considered. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to identify significantly different features. Multiple comparisons were done using the rank-based version of Tukey-Kramer test. The results indicated that there are local and global features which differ significantly among different groups. In addition, variations between mitoses in different groups were captured in the features from HSL and LCH color space more than other ones.

  1. Genetic control of mitotic crossing over in yeast. 2. Influence of UV irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zakharov, I.A.; Marfin, S.V.; Koval'tsova, S.V.; Kasinova, G.V.

    1982-01-01

    UV-induced crossing-over and general mitotic segregation of the following strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts were studied: a wild-type diploid, diploids homozygous with respect to the radiosensitivity of rad 2, rad 15, rad 54, xrs 4, rad 2 rad 54, rad 15 rad 54. Wild-type diploids rad 2 and rad 15 have a high frequency of the induced mitotic crossing-over. Diploids rad 15, rad 54 can not cause UV-induced mitotic crossing-over. Reddish-pink and reddish-pink-white colonies ratio (the first appear if the crossing-over occurs during the first after the irradiation division, the second - during the second division) is 4.8:1 for the wild type, 1.6:1 for rad 2, and 1.1:1 for rad 15. Nonreciprocal mitotic segregation of high frequency was observed for the wild type rad 2, rad 15, xrs 4, and diploids rad 54, rad 2 rad 54, rad 15 rad 54 had a lower frequency. We suppose that after UV-irradiation there exist at least three types of repair in yeast diploid cells: excision repair, prereplication recombinating repair after the excision of dimers, and post-replication recombinating repair. Rad 2 and rad 15 mutations blow the first and second types, rad 54 mutation partially block the second and third parths. It seems that xrs 4 mutation does not block the recombinating capability but somehow changes the process of recombination in such a way that much nonreciprocal products recorded as seqregants are produced [ru

  2. Changes in Ect2 Localization Couple Actomyosin-Dependent Cell Shape Changes to Mitotic Progression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthews, Helen K.; Delabre, Ulysse; Rohn, Jennifer L.; Guck, Jochen; Kunda, Patricia; Baum, Buzz

    2012-01-01

    Summary As they enter mitosis, animal cells undergo profound actin-dependent changes in shape to become round. Here we identify the Cdk1 substrate, Ect2, as a central regulator of mitotic rounding, thus uncovering a link between the cell-cycle machinery that drives mitotic entry and its accompanying actin remodeling. Ect2 is a RhoGEF that plays a well-established role in formation of the actomyosin contractile ring at mitotic exit, through the local activation of RhoA. We find that Ect2 first becomes active in prophase, when it is exported from the nucleus into the cytoplasm, activating RhoA to induce the formation of a mechanically stiff and rounded metaphase cortex. Then, at anaphase, binding to RacGAP1 at the spindle midzone repositions Ect2 to induce local actomyosin ring formation. Ect2 localization therefore defines the stage-specific changes in actin cortex organization critical for accurate cell division. PMID:22898780

  3. Drug-induced premature chromosome condensation (PCC) protocols: cytogenetic approaches in mitotic chromosome and interphase chromatin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gotoh, Eisuke

    2015-01-01

    Chromosome analysis is a fundamental technique which is used in wide areas of cytogenetic study including karyotyping species, hereditary diseases diagnosis, or chromosome biology study. Chromosomes are usually prepared from mitotic cells arrested by colcemid block protocol. However, obtaining mitotic chromosomes is often hampered under several circumstances. As a result, cytogenetic analysis will be sometimes difficult or even impossible in such cases. Premature chromosome condensation (PCC) (see Note 1) is an alternative method that has proved to be a unique and useful way in chromosome analysis. Former, PCC has been achieved following cell fusion method (cell-fusion PCC) mediated either by fusogenic viruses (e.g., Sendai virus) or cell fusion chemicals (e.g., polyethylene glycol), but the cell fusion PCC has several drawbacks. The novel drug-induced PCC using protein phosphatase inhibitors was introduced about 20 years ago. This method is much simpler and easier even than the conventional mitotic chromosome preparation protocol use with colcemid block and furthermore obtained PCC index (equivalent to mitotic index for metaphase chromosome) is usually much higher than colcemid block method. Moreover, this method allows the interphase chromatin to be condensed to visualize like mitotic chromosomes. Therefore drug-induced PCC has opened the way for chromosome analysis not only in metaphase chromosomes but also in interphase chromatin. The drug-induced PCC has thus proven the usefulness in cytogenetics and other cell biology fields. For this second edition version, updated modifications/changes are supplemented in Subheadings 2, 3, and 4, and a new section describing the application of PCC in chromosome science fields is added with citation of updated references.

  4. Influence of the circadian rhythm in cell division on radiation-induced mitotic delay in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rubin, N.A.

    1980-01-01

    All mitotically active normal tissues in mammals investigated to date demonstrate a circadian rhythm in cell division. The murine corneal epithelium is a practical and advantageous tissue model for studying this phenomenon. In animals synchronized to a light-dark (LD) schedule, one sees predictably reproducible occurrences of peaks and troughs in the mitotic index (MI) within each 24-hour (h) period. One of the harmful effects of ionizing radiation on dividing cells is mitotic delay, reported to be a G 2 block in cells approaching mitosis. Affected cells are not killed but are inhibited from entering mitosis and are delayed for a span of time reported to be dose and cell cycle dependent. In the classical description of mitotic delay, MI of irradiated cells begins to drop in relation to the control, which is plotted as a straight line, uniform throughout the experiment. After the damage is repaired, delayed cells can enter mitosis along with other cells in the pool unaffected by the radiation, resulting in a MI higher than control levels. The span of delay and the occurrence of recovery are assumed to be constant for a given dose and tissue under similar experimental conditions. First described in asynchronously-dividing tissue culture cells, this concept is also extrapolated to the in vivo situation

  5. SON is a spliceosome-associated factor required for mitotic progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huen, Michael S Y; Sy, Shirley M H; Leung, Ka Man; Ching, Yick-Pang; Tipoe, George L; Man, Cornelia; Dong, Shuo; Chen, Junjie

    2010-07-01

    The eukaryotic RNA splicing machinery is dedicated to the daunting task of excising intronic sequences on the many nascent RNA transcripts in a cell, and in doing so facilitates proper translation of its transcriptome. Notably, emerging evidence suggests that RNA splicing may also play direct roles in maintaining genome stability. Here we report the identification of the RNA/DNA-binding protein SON as a component of spliceosome that plays pleiotropic roles during mitotic progression. We found that SON is essential for cell proliferation, and that its inactivation triggers a MAD2-dependent mitotic delay. Moreover, SON deficiency is accompanied by defective chromosome congression, compromised chromosome segregation and cytokinesis, which in turn contributes to cellular aneuploidy and cell death. In summary, our study uncovers a specific link between SON and mitosis, and highlights the potential of RNA processing as additional regulatory mechanisms that govern cell proliferation and division. © 2010 Landes Bioscience

  6. A Novel Antagonist of the Immune Checkpoint Protein Adenosine A2a Receptor Restores Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Activity in the Context of the Tumor Microenvironment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melanie Mediavilla-Varela

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Therapeutic strategies targeting immune checkpoint proteins have led to significant responses in patients with various tumor types. The success of these studies has led to the development of various antibodies/inhibitors for the different checkpoint proteins involved in immune evasion of the tumor. Adenosine present in high concentrations in the tumor microenvironment activates the immune checkpoint adenosine A2a receptor (A2aR, leading to the suppression of antitumor responses. Inhibition of this checkpoint has the potential to enhance antitumor T-cell responsiveness. METHODS: We developed a novel A2aR antagonist (PBF-509 and tested its antitumor response in vitro, in a mouse model, and in non-small cell lung cancer patient samples. RESULTS: Our studies showed that PBF-509 is highly specific to the A2aR as well as inhibitory of A2aR function in an in vitro model. In a mouse model, we found that lung metastasis was decreased after treatment with PBF-509 compared with its control. Furthermore, freshly resected tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from lung cancer patients showed increased A2aR expression in CD4+ cells and variable expression in CD8+ cells. Ex vivo studies showed an increased responsiveness of human tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes when PBF-509 was combined with anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1. CONCLUSIONS: Our studies demonstrate that inhibition of the A2aR using the novel inhibitor PBF-509 could lead to novel immunotherapeutic strategies in non-small cell lung cancer.

  7. Cloud object store for checkpoints of high performance computing applications using decoupling middleware

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bent, John M.; Faibish, Sorin; Grider, Gary

    2016-04-19

    Cloud object storage is enabled for checkpoints of high performance computing applications using a middleware process. A plurality of files, such as checkpoint files, generated by a plurality of processes in a parallel computing system are stored by obtaining said plurality of files from said parallel computing system; converting said plurality of files to objects using a log structured file system middleware process; and providing said objects for storage in a cloud object storage system. The plurality of processes may run, for example, on a plurality of compute nodes. The log structured file system middleware process may be embodied, for example, as a Parallel Log-Structured File System (PLFS). The log structured file system middleware process optionally executes on a burst buffer node.

  8. Mammalian neurogenesis requires Treacle-Plk1 for precise control of spindle orientation, mitotic progression, and maintenance of neural progenitor cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daisuke Sakai

    Full Text Available The cerebral cortex is a specialized region of the brain that processes cognitive, motor, somatosensory, auditory, and visual functions. Its characteristic architecture and size is dependent upon the number of neurons generated during embryogenesis and has been postulated to be governed by symmetric versus asymmetric cell divisions, which mediate the balance between progenitor cell maintenance and neuron differentiation, respectively. The mechanistic importance of spindle orientation remains controversial, hence there is considerable interest in understanding how neural progenitor cell mitosis is controlled during neurogenesis. We discovered that Treacle, which is encoded by the Tcof1 gene, is a novel centrosome- and kinetochore-associated protein that is critical for spindle fidelity and mitotic progression. Tcof1/Treacle loss-of-function disrupts spindle orientation and cell cycle progression, which perturbs the maintenance, proliferation, and localization of neural progenitors during cortical neurogenesis. Consistent with this, Tcof1(+/- mice exhibit reduced brain size as a consequence of defects in neural progenitor maintenance. We determined that Treacle elicits its effect via a direct interaction with Polo-like kinase1 (Plk1, and furthermore we discovered novel in vivo roles for Plk1 in governing mitotic progression and spindle orientation in the developing mammalian cortex. Increased asymmetric cell division, however, did not promote increased neuronal differentiation. Collectively our research has therefore identified Treacle and Plk1 as novel in vivo regulators of spindle fidelity, mitotic progression, and proliferation in the maintenance and localization of neural progenitor cells. Together, Treacle and Plk1 are critically required for proper cortical neurogenesis, which has important implications in the regulation of mammalian brain size and the pathogenesis of congenital neurodevelopmental disorders such as microcephaly.

  9. The participation of elevated levels of cyclic GMP in the recovery from radiation-induced mitotic delay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daniel, J.W.; Oleinick, N.L.

    1984-01-01

    The levels of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP have been measured in Physarum plasmodia before and after treatment with gamma-radiation, 2 mM caffeine, or combinations of the two agents compared to the length of the radiation-induced mitotic delay. Caffeine alone produces a rapid transient elevation of cyclic AMP and a slower delayed elevation of cyclic GMP. Irradiation elicits an immediate transient increase in cyclic AMP and a later cyclic GMP increase which accompanies or precedes the delayed mitosis. A composite pattern is produced by combinations of radiation and caffeine, a distinctive feature of which is an elevated level of cyclic GMP near the time of the radiation-delayed and caffeine-promoted mitosis. With pretreatment by caffeine, the least radiation-induced mitotic delay occurs when plasmodia are irradiated during the caffeine-elicited increase in cyclic GMP. The plasmodium becomes refractory to the reduction of mitotic delay by caffeine at approximately the time it becomes refractory to the further elevation of cyclic GMP by caffeine. The data support a role for cyclic AMP in the onset of and for cyclic GMP in the recovery from mitotic delay induced by ionizing radiation. (author)

  10. Cdc20 control of cell fate during prolonged mitotic arrest

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nilsson, Jakob

    2011-01-01

    The fate of cells arrested in mitosis by antimitotic compounds is complex but is influenced by competition between pathways promoting cell death and pathways promoting mitotic exit. As components of both of these pathways are regulated by Cdc20-dependent degradation, I hypothesize that variations...

  11. A Novel Time-Dependent CENP-E Inhibitor with Potent Antitumor Activity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akihiro Ohashi

    Full Text Available Centromere-associated protein E (CENP-E regulates both chromosome congression and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC during mitosis. The loss of CENP-E function causes chromosome misalignment, leading to SAC activation and apoptosis during prolonged mitotic arrest. Here, we describe the biological and antiproliferative activities of a novel small-molecule inhibitor of CENP-E, Compound-A (Cmpd-A. Cmpd-A inhibits the ATPase activity of the CENP-E motor domain, acting as a time-dependent inhibitor with an ATP-competitive-like behavior. Cmpd-A causes chromosome misalignment on the metaphase plate, leading to prolonged mitotic arrest. Treatment with Cmpd-A induces antiproliferation in multiple cancer cell lines. Furthermore, Cmpd-A exhibits antitumor activity in a nude mouse xenograft model, and this antitumor activity is accompanied by the elevation of phosphohistone H3 levels in tumors. These findings demonstrate the potency of the CENP-E inhibitor Cmpd-A and its potential as an anticancer therapeutic agent.

  12. Atomic structure of the APC/C and its mechanism of protein ubiquitination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jing; McLaughlin, Stephen H.; Barford, David

    2015-01-01

    The anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) is a multimeric RING E3 ubiquitin ligase that controls chromosome segregation and mitotic exit. Its regulation by coactivator subunits, phosphorylation, the mitotic checkpoint complex, and interphase inhibitor Emi1 ensures the correct order and timing of distinct cell cycle transitions. Here, we used cryo-electron microscopy to determine atomic structures of APC/C-coactivator complexes with either Emi1 or a UbcH10-ubiquitin conjugate. These structures define the architecture of all APC/C subunits, the position of the catalytic module, and explain how Emi1 mediates inhibition of the two E2s UbcH10 and Ube2S. Definition of Cdh1 interactions with the APC/C indicates how they are antagonized by Cdh1 phosphorylation. The structure of the APC/C with UbcH10-ubiquitin reveals insights into the initiating ubiquitination reaction. Our results provide a quantitative framework for the design of experiments to further investigate APC/C functions in vivo. PMID:26083744

  13. Effects of polyamines and polyamine biosynthetic inhibitors on mitotic activity of Allium cepa root tips.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unal, Meral; Palavan-Unsal, Narcin; Tufekci, M A

    2008-03-01

    The genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of exogenous polyamines (PAs), putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd), spermine (Spm) and PA biosynthetic inhibitors, alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), cyclohexilamine (CHA), methylglioxal bis-(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG) were investigated in the root meristems of Allium cepa L. The reduction of mitotic index and the induction of chromosomal aberrations such as bridges, stickiness, c-mitotic anaphases, micronuclei, endoredupliction by PAs and PA biosynthetic inhibitors were observed and these were used as evidence of genotoxicity and cytotoxicity.

  14. Centromere replication timing determines different forms of genomic instability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae checkpoint mutants during replication stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Wenyi; Bachant, Jeff; Collingwood, David; Raghuraman, M K; Brewer, Bonita J

    2009-12-01

    Yeast replication checkpoint mutants lose viability following transient exposure to hydroxyurea, a replication-impeding drug. In an effort to understand the basis for this lethality, we discovered that different events are responsible for inviability in checkpoint-deficient cells harboring mutations in the mec1 and rad53 genes. By monitoring genomewide replication dynamics of cells exposed to hydroxyurea, we show that cells with a checkpoint deficient allele of RAD53, rad53K227A, fail to duplicate centromeres. Following removal of the drug, however, rad53K227A cells recover substantial DNA replication, including replication through centromeres. Despite this recovery, the rad53K227A mutant fails to achieve biorientation of sister centromeres during recovery from hydroxyurea, leading to secondary activation of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), aneuploidy, and lethal chromosome segregation errors. We demonstrate that cell lethality from this segregation defect could be partially remedied by reinforcing bipolar attachment. In contrast, cells with the mec1-1 sml1-1 mutations suffer from severely impaired replication resumption upon removal of hydroxyurea. mec1-1 sml1-1 cells can, however, duplicate at least some of their centromeres and achieve bipolar attachment, leading to abortive segregation and fragmentation of incompletely replicated chromosomes. Our results highlight the importance of replicating yeast centromeres early and reveal different mechanisms of cell death due to differences in replication fork progression.

  15. Down-regulation of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle genes blocks progression through the first mitotic division in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, Mohammad M; Rosu, Simona; Joseph-Strauss, Daphna; Cohen-Fix, Orna

    2014-02-18

    The cell cycle is a highly regulated process that enables the accurate transmission of chromosomes to daughter cells. Here we uncover a previously unknown link between the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and cell cycle progression in the Caenorhabditis elegans early embryo. We found that down-regulation of TCA cycle components, including citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase, and aconitase, resulted in a one-cell stage arrest before entry into mitosis: pronuclear meeting occurred normally, but nuclear envelope breakdown, centrosome separation, and chromosome condensation did not take place. Mitotic entry is controlled by the cyclin B-cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) complex, and the inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdk1 must be removed in order for the complex to be active. We found that following down-regulation of the TCA cycle, cyclin B levels were normal but CDK-1 remained inhibitory-phosphorylated in one-cell stage-arrested embryos, indicative of a G2-like arrest. Moreover, this was not due to an indirect effect caused by checkpoint activation by DNA damage or replication defects. These observations suggest that CDK-1 activation in the C. elegans one-cell embryo is sensitive to the metabolic state of the cell, and that down-regulation of the TCA cycle prevents the removal of CDK-1 inhibitory phosphorylation. The TCA cycle was previously shown to be necessary for the development of the early embryo in mammals, but the molecular processes affected were not known. Our study demonstrates a link between the TCA cycle and a specific cell cycle transition in the one-cell stage embryo.

  16. Unique cytologic features of thyroiditis caused by immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for malignant melanoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trevor E. Angell

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Blockade of immune checkpoint molecules to reverse cancer-induced immune suppression can improve anti-tumor immune responses in cancer patients. Monoclonal antibodies targeting two such molecules, Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA-4 have shown clinical benefit in the treatment of advanced malignancies, including metastatic melanoma. Adverse effects of these immune checkpoint inhibitors include immune-related adverse events (irAE, of which one of the most common is autoimmune thyroiditis. Though thyroiditis is increasingly recognized, there are no reports of the pathological findings that occur in immunotherapy-induced thyroiditis. We present a case of immunotherapy-induced thyroiditis demonstrating its unique cytopathologic features. A 51-year-old woman with metastatic melanoma was found to have a suppressed TSH and elevated free thyroxine concentration 14 days after starting treatment with nivolumab (PD-1 antagonist plus ipilimumab (CTLA-4 antagonist therapy. A thyroid biopsy was performed based on ultrasound findings and cytopathology revealed unique features including abundant clusters of necrotic cells, lymphocytes and CD163-positive histiocytes. This case reports cytopathologic features found in immune checkpoint inhibitor related thyroiditis. These appear to be unique findings and may help inform future research regarding the pathophysiology and mechanisms of this condition.

  17. Kalanchoe tubiflora extract inhibits cell proliferation by affecting the mitotic apparatus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsieh, Yi-Jen; Yang, Ming-Yeh; Leu, Yann-Lii; Chen, Chinpiao; Wan, Chin-Fung; Chang, Meng-Ya; Chang, Chih-Jui

    2012-09-10

    Kalanchoe tubiflora (KT) is a succulent plant native to Madagascar, and is commonly used as a medicinal agent in Southern Brazil. The underlying mechanisms of tumor suppression are largely unexplored. Cell viability and wound-healing were analyzed by MTT assay and scratch assay respectively. Cell cycle profiles were analyzed by FACS. Mitotic defects were analyzed by indirect immunofluoresence images. An n-Butanol-soluble fraction of KT (KT-NB) was able to inhibit cell proliferation. After a 48 h treatment with 6.75 μg/ml of KT, the cell viability was less than 50% of controls, and was further reduced to less than 10% at higher concentrations. KT-NB also induced an accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle as well as an increased level of cells in the subG1 phase. Instead of disrupting the microtubule network of interphase cells, KT-NB reduced cell viability by inducing multipolar spindles and defects in chromosome alignment. KT-NB inhibits cell proliferation and reduces cell viability by two mechanisms that are exclusively involved with cell division: first by inducing multipolarity; second by disrupting chromosome alignment during metaphase. KT-NB reduced cell viability by exclusively affecting formation of the proper structure of the mitotic apparatus. This is the main idea of the new generation of anti-mitotic agents. All together, KT-NB has sufficient potential to warrant further investigation as a potential new anticancer agent candidate.

  18. A Comprehensive Review of US FDA-Approved Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Urothelial Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fu-Shun Hsu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Few effective treatment options are available for patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC after unsuccessful first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. To date, immune checkpoint inhibitors are novel therapeutic agents for UC treatment. From May 2016 to May 2017, five anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies received accelerated or regular approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC. The present comprehensive review presents the background information of these five US FDA-approved anticancer agents to provide a basic but concise understanding of these agents for advanced studies. We summarize their immune checkpoint mechanisms, clinical efficacy, recommended usage protocols, adverse events, and the limitations of the PD-L1 biomarker assays.

  19. Central Tolerance Blockade to Augment Checkpoint Immunotherapy in Melanoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-01

    expressed at higher levels in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) than in cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTECs), addition of anti-RANKL antibody...relative Aire expression by quantitative RT-PCR in cultured thymic tissue . 12-15 90% Subtask 3. Culture human thymus sections with OPG-Fc or vehicle...PCR in cultured thymic tissue . 15-18 90% ACURO approval 13-14 100% Major Task 1. Effect of concurrent anti-RANKL and checkpoint inhibitor

  20. Exclusion of NFAT5 from mitotic chromatin resets its nucleo-cytoplasmic distribution in interphase.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anaïs Estrada-Gelonch

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The transcription factor NFAT5 is a major inducer of osmoprotective genes and is required to maintain the proliferative capacity of cells exposed to hypertonic stress. In response to hypertonicity, NFAT5 translocates to the nucleus, binds to regulatory regions of osmoprotective genes and activates their transcription. Besides stimulus-specific regulatory mechanisms, the activity of transcription factors in cycling cells is also regulated by the passage through mitosis, when most transcriptional processes are downregulated. It was not known whether mitosis could be a point of control for NFAT5. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using confocal microscopy we observed that NFAT5 was excluded from chromatin during mitosis in both isotonic and hypertonic conditions. Analysis of NFAT5 deletions showed that exclusion was mediated by the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD. NFAT5 mutants lacking this domain showed constitutive binding to mitotic chromatin independent of tonicity, which caused them to localize in the nucleus and remain bound to chromatin in the subsequent interphase without hypertonic stimulation. We analyzed the contribution of the CTD, DNA binding, and nuclear import and export signals to the subcellular localization of this factor. Our results indicated that cytoplasmic localization of NFAT5 in isotonic conditions required both the exclusion from mitotic DNA and active nuclear export in interphase. Finally, we identified several regions within the CTD of NFAT5, some of them overlapping with transactivation domains, which were separately capable of causing its exclusion from mitotic chromatin. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results reveal a multipart mechanism regulating the subcellular localization of NFAT5. The transactivating module of NFAT5 switches its function from an stimulus-specific activator of transcription in interphase to an stimulus-independent repressor of binding to DNA in mitosis. This mechanism, together with export

  1. Flow cytometric analysis of mitotic cycle perturbation by chemical carcinogens in cultured epithelial cells. [Effects of benzo(a)pyrene-diol-epoxide on mitotic cycle of cultural mouse liver epithelial cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pearlman, Andrew Leonard [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    1978-08-01

    A system for kinetic analysis of mitotic cycle perturbation by various agents was developed and applied to the study of the mitotic cycle effects and dependency of the chemical carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene-diolepoxide, DE, upon a mouse lever epithelial cell line, NMuLi. The study suggests that the targets of DE action are not confined to DNA alone but may include cytoplasmic structures as well. DE was found to affect cells located in virtually every phase of the mitotic cycle, with cells that were actively synthesizing DNA showing the strongest response. However, the resulting perturbations were not confined to S-phase alone. DE slowed traversal through S-phase by about 40% regardless of the cycle phase of the cells exposed to it, and slowed traversal through G2M by about 50%. When added to G1 cells, DE delayed recruitment of apparently quiescent (G0) cells by 2 hours, and reduced the synchrony of the cohort of cells recruited into active proliferation. The kinetic analysis system consists of four elements: tissue culture methods for propagating and harvesting cell populations; an elutriation centrifugation system for bulk synchronization of cells in various phases of the mitotic cycle; a flow cytometer (FCM), coupled with appropriate staining protocols, to enable rapid analysis of the DNA distribution of any given cell population; and data reduction and analysis methods for extracting information from the DNA histograms produced by the FCM. The elements of the system are discussed. A mathematical analysis of DNA histograms obtained by FCM is presented. The analysis leads to the detailed implementation of a new modeling approach. The new modeling approach is applied to the estimation of cell cycle kinetic parameters from time series of DNA histograms, and methods for the reduction and interpretation of such series are suggested.

  2. Late A-bomb effects on proliferation and mitotic inhibition of T- and B-lymphocytes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Kazuo; Yoshimoto, Yasuhiko; Sasagawa, Sumiko; Sakatani, Tatsuichiro; Macchi, M; Fujikura, Toshio; Pirofsky, B; Hamada, Tadao

    1984-11-01

    In order to investigate late effects of ionization radiation and aging on T- and B-lymphocytes, mitotic ability of T- and B-lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of 266 A-bomb survivors was examined by determining the incorporation of (/sup 3/H)-thymidine. Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) were used as inducers. Furthermore, mitotic inhibition of lymphocytes induced by a lymphatic inhibitor which was in part prepared from ulex seed extracts (USE) was examined. A decreased reaction of peripheral lymphocytes to PHA was seen in men exposed to 100-199 rad; a decreased reaction to PWM was seen in women exposed to more than 200 rad. According to the age group at examination, these decreased reactions were remarkable in men aged 60 years or younger and women aged 60 years or older. Among men less than 60-year-old exposed to 100-199 rad, PWM-induced mitosis of lymphocytes tended to be inhibited remarkably by USE. These results suggest the involvement of late A-bomb effects in mitotic regulation of T- and B-lymphocytes of aged A-bomb survivors.

  3. Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus C-terminal LANA concentrates at pericentromeric and peri-telomeric regions of a subset of mitotic chromosomes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelley-Clarke, Brenna; Ballestas, Mary E.; Komatsu, Takashi; Kaye, Kenneth M.

    2007-01-01

    The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) tethers KSHV terminal repeat (TR) DNA to mitotic chromosomes to efficiently segregate episomes to progeny nuclei. LANA contains N- and C-terminal chromosome binding regions. We now show that C-terminal LANA preferentially concentrates to paired dots at pericentromeric and peri-telomeric regions of a subset of mitotic chromosomes through residues 996-1139. Deletions within C-terminal LANA abolished both self-association and chromosome binding, consistent with a requirement for self-association to bind chromosomes. A deletion abolishing TR DNA binding did not affect chromosome targeting, indicating LANA's localization is not due to binding its recognition sequence in chromosomal DNA. LANA distributed similarly on human and non-human mitotic chromosomes. These results are consistent with C-terminal LANA interacting with a cell factor that concentrates at pericentromeric and peri-telomeric regions of mitotic chromosomes

  4. Relative cataractogenic effects of X rays, fission-spectrum neutrons, and 56Fe particles: A comparison with mitotic effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riley, E.F.; Lindgren, A.L.; Andersen, A.L.; Miller, R.C.; Ainsworth, E.J.

    1991-01-01

    The eyes of Sprague-Dawley rats were irradiated with doses of 2.5-10 Gy 250-kVp X rays, 1.25-2.25 Gy fission-spectrum neutrons (approximately 0.85 MeV), or 0.1-2.0 Gy 600-MeV/A 56Fe particles. Lens opacifications were evaluated for 51-61 weeks following X and neutron irradiations and for 87 weeks following X and 56Fe-particle irradiations. Average stage of opacification was determined relative to time after irradiation, and the time required for 50% of the irradiated lenses to achieve various stages (T50) was determined as a function of radiation dose. Data from two experiments were combined in dose-effect curves as T50 experimental values taken as percentages of the respective T50 control values (T50-% control). Simple exponential curves best describe dose responsiveness for both high-LET radiations. For X rays, a shallow dose-effect relationship (shoulder) up to 4.5 Gy was followed at higher doses by a steeper exponential dose-effect relationship. As a consequence, RBE values for the high-LET radiations are dose dependent. Dose-effect curves for cataracts were compared to those for mitotic abnormalities observed when quiescent lens epithelial cells were stimulated mechanically to proliferate at various intervals after irradiation. Neutrons were about 1.6-1.8 times more effective than 56Fe particles for inducing both cataracts and mitotic abnormalities. For stage 1 and 2 cataracts, the X-ray Dq was 10-fold greater and the D0 was similar to those for mitotic abnormalities initially expressed after irradiation

  5. Mitotic Transcriptional Activation: Clearance of Actively Engaged Pol II via Transcriptional Elongation Control in Mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Kaiwei; Woodfin, Ashley R; Slaughter, Brian D; Unruh, Jay R; Box, Andrew C; Rickels, Ryan A; Gao, Xin; Haug, Jeffrey S; Jaspersen, Sue L; Shilatifard, Ali

    2015-11-05

    Although it is established that some general transcription factors are inactivated at mitosis, many details of mitotic transcription inhibition (MTI) and its underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. We have identified mitotic transcriptional activation (MTA) as a key regulatory step to control transcription in mitosis for genes with transcriptionally engaged RNA polymerase II (Pol II) to activate and transcribe until the end of the gene to clear Pol II from mitotic chromatin, followed by global impairment of transcription reinitiation through MTI. Global nascent RNA sequencing and RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization demonstrate the existence of transcriptionally engaged Pol II in early mitosis. Both genetic and chemical inhibition of P-TEFb in mitosis lead to delays in the progression of cell division. Together, our study reveals a mechanism for MTA and MTI whereby transcriptionally engaged Pol II can progress into productive elongation and finish transcription to allow proper cellular division. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Cell-cycle variation in the induction of lethality and mitotic recombination after treatment with UV and nitrous acid in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davies, P.J.; Tippins, R.S.; Parry, J.M.

    1978-01-01

    Exponentially growing yeast cultures separated into discrete periods of the cell cycle by zonal rotor centrifugation show cyclic variation in both UV and nitrous acid induced cell lethality, mitotic gene conversion and mitotic crossing-over. Maximum cell survival after UV treatment was observed in the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle at a time when UV induction of both types of mitotic recombination was at a minumum. In contrast, cell inactivation by the chemical mutagen nitrous acid showed a single discrete period of sensitivity which occurred in S phase cells which are undergoing DNA synthesis. Mitotic gene conversion ahd mitotic crossing-over were induced by nitrous acid in cells at all stages of the cell cycle with a peak of induction of both events occurring at the time of maximum cell lethality. The lack of correlation observed between maximum cell survival and the maximum induction of mitotic intragenic recombination suggest that other DNA-repair mechanisms besides DNA-recombination repair are involved in the recovery of inactivated yeast cells during the cell cycle. (Auth.)

  7. Grp/DChk1 is required for G(2)-M checkpoint activation in Drosophila S2 cells, whereas Dmnk/DChk2 is dispensable

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vries, HI; Uyetake, L; Lemstra, W; Brunsting, JF; Su, TT; Kampinga, HH; Sibon, OCM

    2005-01-01

    Cell-cycle checkpoints are signal-transduction pathways required to maintain genomic stability in dividing cells. Previously, it was reported that two kinases essential for checkpoint signalling, Chk1 and Chk2 are structurally conserved. In contrast to yeast, Xenopus and mammals, the Chk1- and

  8. In vitro autoradiographic studies for determination of mitotic index and labelling index in biopsies of the human oral mucosa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Etzbach, T.

    1980-01-01

    In order to find the most favourable method of incubation for in-vitro autoradiographies of biopsies of human oral mucosa, tissue biopsies were taken from oral mucosa transplants of 10 patients (7 females, 3 males) and either fixed or incubated at once. The author then investigated the mitotic index of the non-incubated tissue specimens, the mitotic index of the tissue specimens incubated in atmospheric conditions (A), and the mitotic index of the tissue specimens incubated under pressure (B). Simultaneously, autoradiographs of the incubated tissue specimens were prepared in order to determine their labelling indices. The mitotic indices of the non-incubated tissue specimen were found to differ significantly from those of the A-incubated tissue specimens. A similar difference was found between the mitotic indices of the A- and B-incubated tissue biopsies. Further, the labelling indices of A autoradiographs differed significantly from the labelling indices of B autoradiographs. The findings suggest that incubation with an excess oxygen pressure of 2 bar is the method of choice for in-vitro studies of human oral mucosa as the cells retain their specific activity and cell processes will continue unhindered. Further, the findings can be transferred to in-vivo conditions with a reasonable error rate. (orig./MG) [de

  9. Insulin growth factors regulate the mitotic cycle in cultured rat sympathetic neuroblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DiCicco-Bloom, E.; Black, I.B.

    1988-01-01

    While neuronal mitosis is uniquely restricted to early development, the underlying regulation remains to be defined. The authors have now developed a dissociated, embryonic sympathetic neuron culture system that uses fully defined medium in which cells enter the mitotic cycle. The cultured cells expressed two neuronal traits, tyrosine hydroxylase and the neuron-specific 160-kDa neurofilament subunit protein, but were devoid of glial fibrillary acidic protein, a marker for non-myelin-forming Schwann cells in ganglia. Approximately one-third of the tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells synthesized DNA in culture, specifically incorporating [ 3 H]thymidine into their nuclei. They used this system to define factors regulating the mitotic cycle in sympathetic neuroblasts. Members of the insulin family of growth factors, including insulin and insulin-like growth factors I and II, regulated DNA synthesis in the presumptive neuroblasts. Insulin more than doubled the proportion of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells entering the mitotic cycle, as indicated by autoradiography of [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation into nuclei. Scintillation spectrometry was an even more sensitive index of DNA synthesis. In contrast, the trophic protein nerve growth factor exhibited no mitogenic effect, suggesting that the mitogenic action of insulin growth factors is highly specific. The observations are discussed in the context of the detection of insulin growth factors and receptors in the developing brain

  10. The impact of aviation checkpoint queues on optimizing security screening effectiveness

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Adrian J., E-mail: ajlee@citeri.or [Central Illinois Technology and Education Research Institute, 2312 Connie Drive, Springfield, IL 62704-8722 (United States); Jacobson, Sheldon H., E-mail: shj@illinois.ed [Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 201 N. Goodwin Ave. M/C 258, Urbana, IL 61801-2302 (United States)

    2011-08-15

    Passenger screening at aviation security checkpoints is a critical component in protecting airports and aircraft from terrorist threats. Recent developments in screening device technology have increased the ability to detect these threats; however, the average amount of time it takes to screen a passenger still remains a concern. This paper models the queueing process for a multi-level airport checkpoint security system, where multiple security classes are formed through subsets of specialized screening devices. An optimal static assignment policy is obtained which minimizes the steady-state expected amount of time a passenger spends in the security system. Then, an optimal dynamic assignment policy is obtained through a transient analysis that balances the expected number of true alarms with the expected amount of time a passenger spends in the security system. Performance of a two-class system is compared to that of a selective security system containing primary and secondary levels of screening. The key contribution is that the resulting optimal assignment policies increase security and passenger throughput by efficiently and effectively utilizing available screening resources.

  11. The impact of aviation checkpoint queues on optimizing security screening effectiveness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Adrian J.; Jacobson, Sheldon H.

    2011-01-01

    Passenger screening at aviation security checkpoints is a critical component in protecting airports and aircraft from terrorist threats. Recent developments in screening device technology have increased the ability to detect these threats; however, the average amount of time it takes to screen a passenger still remains a concern. This paper models the queueing process for a multi-level airport checkpoint security system, where multiple security classes are formed through subsets of specialized screening devices. An optimal static assignment policy is obtained which minimizes the steady-state expected amount of time a passenger spends in the security system. Then, an optimal dynamic assignment policy is obtained through a transient analysis that balances the expected number of true alarms with the expected amount of time a passenger spends in the security system. Performance of a two-class system is compared to that of a selective security system containing primary and secondary levels of screening. The key contribution is that the resulting optimal assignment policies increase security and passenger throughput by efficiently and effectively utilizing available screening resources.

  12. AUTOMATED DETECTION OF MITOTIC FIGURES IN BREAST CANCER HISTOPATHOLOGY IMAGES USING GABOR FEATURES AND DEEP NEURAL NETWORKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maqlin Paramanandam

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The count of mitotic figures in Breast cancer histopathology slides is the most significant independent prognostic factor enabling determination of the proliferative activity of the tumor. In spite of the strict protocols followed, the mitotic counting activity suffers from subjectivity and considerable amount of observer variability despite being a laborious task. Interest in automated detection of mitotic figures has been rekindled with the advent of Whole Slide Scanners. Subsequently mitotic detection grand challenge contests have been held in recent years and several research methodologies developed by their participants. This paper proposes an efficient mitotic detection methodology for Hematoxylin and Eosin stained Breast cancer Histopathology Images using Gabor features and a Deep Belief Network- Deep Neural Network architecture (DBN-DNN. The proposed method has been evaluated on breast histopathology images from the publicly available dataset from MITOS contest held at the ICPR 2012 conference. It contains 226 mitoses annotated on 35 HPFs by several pathologists and 15 testing HPFs, yielding an F-measure of 0.74. In addition the said methodology was also tested on 3 slides from the MITOSIS- ATYPIA grand challenge held at the ICPR 2014 conference, an extension of MITOS containing 749 mitoses annotated on 1200 HPFs, by pathologists worldwide. This study has employed 3 slides (294 HPFs from the MITOS-ATYPIA training dataset in its evaluation and the results showed F-measures 0.65, 0.72and 0.74 for each slide. The proposed method is fast and computationally simple yet its accuracy and specificity is comparable to the best winning methods of the aforementioned grand challenges

  13. Inhibition of the Ras-ERK pathway in mitotic COS7 cells is due to the inability of EGFR/Raf to transduce EGF signaling to downstream proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Huaiping; Zhang, Tianying; Yi, Yongqing; Ma, Yue

    2016-06-01

    Although previous studies have shown that Ras-ERK signaling in mitosis is closed due to the inhibition of signal transduction, the events involved in the molecular mechanisms are still unclear. In the present study, we investigated the Ras-ERK signaling pathway in mitotic COS7 cells. The results demonstrated that treatment with epidermal growth factor (EGF) failed to increase the endocytosis of EGF-EGFR (EGF receptor) complexes in mitotic COS7 cells, although a large amount of endosomes were found in asynchronous COS7 cells. Clathrin expression levels in mitotic COS7 cells were inhibited whereas caveolin expression levels in mitotic COS7 cells were almost unaffected. Y1068 and Y1086 residues of EGFR in the mitotic COS7 cells were activated. However, Grb2 and Shc in the mitotic COS7 cells did not bind to activated EGFR. Ras activity was inhibited in the mitotic COS7 cells whereas its downstream protein, Raf, was obviously phosphorylated by EGF in mitosis. Treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) also increased the phosphorylation levels of Raf in the mitotic COS7 cells. Nevertheless, Raf phosphorylation in mitosis was significantly inhibited by AG1478. Lastly, activation of EGF-mediated MEK and ERK in the mitotic COS7 cells was obviously inhibited. In summary, our results suggest that the Ras-ERK pathway is inhibited in mitotic COS7 cells which may be the dual result of the difficulty in the transduction of EGF signaling by EGFR or Raf to downstream proteins.

  14. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A New Opportunity in the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gloria Mittica

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC is the leading cause of death for gynecological cancer. The standard treatment for advanced stage is the combination of optimal debulking surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. Nevertheless, recurrence is frequent (around 70% and prognosis is globally poor. New therapeutic agents are needed to improve survival. Since EOC is strongly immunogenic, immune checkpoint inhibitors are under evaluation for their capacity to contrast the “turn off” signals expressed by the tumor to escape the immune system and usually responsible for self-tolerance maintenance. This article reviews the literature on anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4, anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, and anti-PD-L2 antibodies in EOC and highlights their possible lines of development. Further studies are needed to better define the prognostic role of the immune checkpoint inhibitors, to identify predictors of response and the optimal clinical setting in EOC.

  15. Kalanchoe tubiflora extract inhibits cell proliferation by affecting the mitotic apparatus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsieh Yi-Jen

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Kalanchoe tubiflora (KT is a succulent plant native to Madagascar, and is commonly used as a medicinal agent in Southern Brazil. The underlying mechanisms of tumor suppression are largely unexplored. Methods Cell viability and wound-healing were analyzed by MTT assay and scratch assay respectively. Cell cycle profiles were analyzed by FACS. Mitotic defects were analyzed by indirect immunofluoresence images. Results An n-Butanol-soluble fraction of KT (KT-NB was able to inhibit cell proliferation. After a 48 h treatment with 6.75 μg/ml of KT, the cell viability was less than 50% of controls, and was further reduced to less than 10% at higher concentrations. KT-NB also induced an accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle as well as an increased level of cells in the subG1 phase. Instead of disrupting the microtubule network of interphase cells, KT-NB reduced cell viability by inducing multipolar spindles and defects in chromosome alignment. KT-NB inhibits cell proliferation and reduces cell viability by two mechanisms that are exclusively involved with cell division: first by inducing multipolarity; second by disrupting chromosome alignment during metaphase. Conclusion KT-NB reduced cell viability by exclusively affecting formation of the proper structure of the mitotic apparatus. This is the main idea of the new generation of anti-mitotic agents. All together, KT-NB has sufficient potential to warrant further investigation as a potential new anticancer agent candidate.

  16. The tumor suppressor homolog in fission yeast, myh1{sup +}, displays a strong interaction with the checkpoint gene rad1{sup +}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jansson, Kristina; Warringer, Jonas; Farewell, Anne [Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Lundberg Laboratory, Goeteborg University, P.O. Box 462, Goeteborg SE-405 30 (Sweden); Park, Han-Oh [Bioneer Corporation, 49-3, Munpyeong-dong, Daedeok-gu, Daejon 306-220 (Korea, Republic of); Hoe, Kwang-Lae; Kim, Dong-Uk [Functional Genomics Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Yusong, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Hayles, Jacqueline [Cell Cycle Laboratory, Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute, 44 Lincoln' s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PX (United Kingdom); Sunnerhagen, Per [Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Lundberg Laboratory, Goeteborg University, P.O. Box 462, Goeteborg SE-405 30 (Sweden)], E-mail: per.sunnerhagen@cmb.gu.se

    2008-09-26

    The DNA glycosylase MutY is strongly conserved in evolution, and homologs are found in most eukaryotes and prokaryotes examined. This protein is implicated in repair of oxidative DNA damage, in particular adenine mispaired opposite 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine. Previous investigations in Escherichia coli, fission yeast, and mammalian cells show an association of mutations in MutY homologs with a mutator phenotype and carcinogenesis. Eukaryotic MutY homologs physically associate with several proteins with a role in replication, DNA repair, and checkpoint signaling, specifically the trimeric 9-1-1 complex. In a genetic investigation of the fission yeast MutY homolog, myh1{sup +}, we show that the myh1 mutation confers a moderately increased UV sensitivity alone and in combination with mutations in several DNA repair genes. The myh1 rad1, and to a lesser degree myh1 rad9, double mutants display a synthetic interaction resulting in enhanced sensitivity to DNA damaging agents and hydroxyurea. UV irradiation of myh1 rad1 double mutants results in severe chromosome segregation defects and visible DNA fragmentation, and a failure to activate the checkpoint. Additionally, myh1 rad1 double mutants exhibit morphological defects in the absence of DNA damaging agents. We also found a moderate suppression of the slow growth and UV sensitivity of rhp51 mutants by the myh1 mutation. Our results implicate fission yeast Myh1 in repair of a wider range of DNA damage than previously thought, and functionally link it to the checkpoint pathway.

  17. Avelumab: combining immune checkpoint inhibition and antibody-dependent cytotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, Gerhard; Rath, Barbara

    2017-04-01

    Immune checkpoint inhibition holds great promise for selected tumors. The human monoclonal antibody (mAB) avelumab is directed to programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and is supposed to inhibit the immunosuppressive PD-L1/PD-1 interaction and, furthermore, effect antibody-dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC) lysis of tumor cells. Areas covered: This article presents an overview of the current means to activate the antitumor immune defense by targeting PD-1 or PD-L1 with mABs and their possible role in ADCC-mediated tumor cell elimination. Expert opinion: Avelumab contains a Fc region which can bind cognate receptors on immune effector cells and induce ADCC-mediated tumor cell lysis, in contrast to other mABs directed to PD-1/PD-L1 which lack the ability to trigger ADCC due to belonging to the IgG4 subclass or possessing a mutated Fc region. Preclinical and clinical data indicate that avelumab can be safely administered to cancer patients with a toxicity profile comparable to other mABs and without lysis of PD-L1-positive activated immune cells. This antibody yielded durable responses in a phase II trial in advanced Merkel cell carcinoma patients. Tumor cell lysis by avelumab prevents cells from resorting to alternative checkpoints as shown by targeting PD-1 and the upregulation of TIM-3.

  18. Incorporation of thymidine into onion root meristematic cell nuclei in presence of hydroxyurea and its role in recovery of mitotic activity

    OpenAIRE

    H. Habdas

    2015-01-01

    Hydroxyurea treatment of onion roots induced mitotic block which was released by transfer of bulbs to water, and also to some extent by addition of cold or 3H-thymidine to hydroxyurea solutions. In presence of hydroxyurea there was noted very intense incorporation of 3H-thymidine into cell nuclei, giving labelling index of 40-70%. However, all the mitotic figures appearing in presence of hydroxyurea and 3H-thymidine were unlabelled. On the other hand, labelled mitotic figures were obtained wh...

  19. Delayed cell death associated with mitotic catastrophe in γ-irradiated stem-like glioma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Firat, Elke; Gaedicke, Simone; Tsurumi, Chizuko; Esser, Norbert; Weyerbrock, Astrid; Niedermann, Gabriele

    2011-01-01

    Stem-like tumor cells are regarded as highly resistant to ionizing radiation (IR). Previous studies have focused on apoptosis early after irradiation, and the apoptosis resistance observed has been attributed to reduced DNA damage or enhanced DNA repair compared to non-stem tumor cells. Here, early and late radioresponse of patient-derived stem-like glioma cells (SLGCs) and differentiated cells directly derived from them were examined for cell death mode and the influence of stem cell-specific growth factors. Primary SLGCs were propagated in serum-free medium with the stem-cell mitogens epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2). Differentiation was induced by serum-containing medium without EGF and FGF. Radiation sensitivity was evaluated by assessing proliferation, clonogenic survival, apoptosis, and mitotic catastrophe. DNA damage-associated γH2AX as well as p53 and p21 expression were determined by Western blots. SLGCs failed to apoptose in the first 4 days after irradiation even at high single doses up to 10 Gy, but we observed substantial cell death later than 4 days postirradiation in 3 of 6 SLGC lines treated with 5 or 10 Gy. This delayed cell death was observed in 3 of the 4 SLGC lines with nonfunctional p53, was associated with mitotic catastrophe and occurred via apoptosis. The early apoptosis resistance of the SLGCs was associated with lower γH2AX compared to differentiated cells, but we found that the stem-cell culture cytokines EGF plus FGF-2 strongly reduce γH2AX levels. Nonetheless, in two p53-deficient SLGC lines examined γIR-induced apoptosis even correlated with EGF/FGF-induced proliferation and mitotic catastrophe. In a line containing CD133-positive and -negative stem-like cells, the CD133-positive cells proliferated faster and underwent more γIR-induced mitotic catastrophe. Our results suggest the importance of delayed apoptosis, associated mitotic catastrophe, and cellular proliferation for γIR-induced death of

  20. Transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-dependent checkpoint in the survival of dendritic cells promotes immune homeostasis and function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yanyan; Huang, Gonghua; Vogel, Peter; Neale, Geoffrey; Reizis, Boris; Chi, Hongbo

    2012-02-07

    Homeostatic control of dendritic cell (DC) survival is crucial for adaptive immunity, but the molecular mechanism is not well defined. Moreover, how DCs influence immune homeostasis under steady state remains unclear. Combining DC-specific and -inducible deletion systems, we report that transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is an essential regulator of DC survival and immune system homeostasis and function. Deficiency of TAK1 in CD11c(+) cells induced markedly elevated apoptosis, leading to the depletion of DC populations, especially the CD8(+) and CD103(+) DC subsets in lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues, respectively. TAK1 also contributed to DC development by promoting the generation of DC precursors. Prosurvival signals from Toll-like receptors, CD40 and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK) are integrated by TAK1 in DCs, which in turn mediated activation of downstream NF-κB and AKT-Foxo pathways and established a gene-expression program. TAK1 deficiency in DCs caused a myeloid proliferative disorder characterized by expansion of neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes, disrupted T-cell homeostasis, and prevented effective T-cell priming and generation of regulatory T cells. Moreover, TAK1 signaling in DCs was required to prevent myeloid proliferation even in the absence of lymphocytes, indicating a previously unappreciated regulatory mechanism of DC-mediated control of myeloid cell-dependent inflammation. Therefore, TAK1 orchestrates a prosurvival checkpoint in DCs that affects the homeostasis and function of the immune system.