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Developmental defects observed in hypomorphic anaphase-promoting complex mutants are linked to cell cycle
Diane C Shakes1, Penny L Sadler, Jill M Schumacher
1Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23187, USA. dcshak@wm.edu
Development (Cambridge, England)
|March 7, 2003
Summary
Reducing anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C) activity in C. elegans causes cell cycle delays and developmental defects. Dosage-specific mutants reveal correlations between cell cycle progression errors and specific developmental abnormalities.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C) is crucial for cell cycle progression.
- APC/C mutants in C. elegans show defects in germline, vulva, and male tail development, with oocytes arresting in meiosis I.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the consequences of reduced, rather than absent, APC/C activity.
- To correlate specific cell cycle defects with developmental abnormalities.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of mat-1/cdc-27 mutants at semi-permissive temperatures in C. elegans.
- Examination of embryonic and larval development, including meiosis and mitosis.
Main Results:
- Hypomorphic APC/C mutants showed delayed meiosis I, aberrant chromosome separation, and skipped meiosis II.
- Embryos with severe APC/C defects exhibited abnormal meiotic exit, failed eggshell formation, and disrupted early mitotic asymmetry.
- Larval development displayed M-phase delays linked to male tail morphogenesis defects.
Conclusions:
- Dosage-specific APC/C mutants are valuable for dissecting the functions of ubiquitously acting proteins.
- Specific cell cycle progression errors are directly correlated with distinct developmental defects.