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Phosphoregulation and depolymerization-driven movement of the Dam1 complex do not require ring formation

Nature Cell Biology volume 10, pages 407–414 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

During mitosis, kinetochores form persistent attachments to microtubule tips and undergo corrective detachment in response to phosphorylation by Ipl1 (Aurora B) kinase1. The Dam1 complex is required to establish and maintain bi-oriented attachment to microtubule tips in vivo, and it contains multiple sites phosphorylated by Ipl1 (Refs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Moreover, a number of kinetochore-like functions can be reconstituted in vitro with pure Dam1 complex11,12,13,14. These functions are believed to derive from the ability of the complex to self-assemble into rings12,13,15,16,17. Here we show that rings are not necessary for dynamic microtubule attachment, Ipl1-dependent modulation of microtubule affinity or the ability of Dam1 to move processively with disassembling microtubule tips. Using two fluorescence-based assays, we found that the complex exhibited a high affinity for microtubules (Kd of approximately 6 nM) that was reduced by phosphorylation at Ser 20, a single Ipl1 target residue in Dam1. Moreover, individual complexes underwent one-dimensional diffusion along microtubules and detached 2.5-fold more frequently after phosphorylation by Ipl1. Particles consisting of one to four Dam1 complexes — too few to surround a microtubule — were captured and carried by disassembling tips. Thus, even a small number of binding elements could provide a dynamic, phosphoregulated microtubule attachment and thereby facilitate accurate chromosome segregation.

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Figure 1: Purification of the GFP-tagged Dam1 Complex.
Figure 2: Phosphorylation of Dam1 Ser 20 by Ipl1 decreases microtubule affinity of the Dam1 complex.
Figure 3: Ipl1 phosphorylation speeds lattice diffusion and decreases the residence time of the Dam1 complex on microtubules.
Figure 4: Single Dam1 complexes are sufficient to form a dynamic microtubule attachment.
Figure 5: Rings are not required for processive disassembly-driven movement of the Dam1 complex.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. J. Miranda and S. C. Harrison (Harvard Medical School) for providing the expression plasmid for the Dam1 complex and M. Wagenbach for providing MCAK–GFP. We also thank A. Franck, A. Powers, S. Biggins and J. Stumpff for helpful scientific discussion. This work was supported by an NSF IGERT traineeship to J.C., Searle Scholar Award 06-L-111 (to C. L. A.), Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering No. 2006-30521 (to C. L. A.), and by grants R01GM40506, R01GM79373 and R01GM69429 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (to T. N. D., C. L. A. and L. W., respectively)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 USA.,

    Daniel R. Gestaut, Beth Graczyk, Per O. Widlund, Alex Zelter & Trisha N. Davis

  2. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 USA.,

    Jeremy Cooper, Linda Wordeman & Charles L. Asbury

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Contributions

D. R. G., B. G., L. W., C. L. A. and T. N. D. planned the experiments; D. R. G., B. G., J. C., P. O. W., A. Z. and T. N. D. performed the experimental work; D. R. G., B. G., C. L. A. and T. N. D. performed the data analysis; D. R. G., C. L. A. and T. N. D. prepared the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Trisha N. Davis.

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Gestaut, D., Graczyk, B., Cooper, J. et al. Phosphoregulation and depolymerization-driven movement of the Dam1 complex do not require ring formation. Nat Cell Biol 10, 407–414 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb1702

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