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Examination of Mitotic and Meiotic Fission Yeast Nuclear Dynamics by Fluorescence Live-cell Microscopy
Published on: June 24, 2019
Mitochondrial positioning in fission yeast is driven by association with dynamic microtubules and mitotic spindle
Michael P Yaffe1, Nico Stuurman, Ronald D Vale
1Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences 0347, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Abstract:
Microtubules mediate mitochondrial distribution in the yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and many higher eukaryotic cells. In higher eukaryotes, kinesin motor proteins have been shown to transport mitochondria along microtubules, but the nature of the mitochondria-microtubule interactions in S. pombe has not been explored. By time lapse, total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, or spinning-disk confocal microscopy, mitochondria appeared to be both tethered to ends and bound laterally along the sides of microtubules. Mitochondrial tubules extended and retracted when attached to the tips of elongating or shortening microtubules, respectively, but translocation along established microtubules was never observed. Mitochondria that were not associated with microtubules were largely immobile until they were "captured" by a growing microtubule. In mitotic cells, a portion of the mitochondria was tethered to the spindle-pole bodies and moved to the cellular ends during spindle elongation. This association may be important for organelle inheritance during cell division. Thus, in contrast to kinesin-mediated transport used by higher eukaryotes, mitochondrial motility and distribution in fission yeast are driven largely by microtubule polymerization and the elongation of the mitotic spindle.
Insights
In fission yeast, mitochondria move with microtubule growth, unlike higher eukaryotes that use kinesin motors. This microtubule polymerization drives mitochondrial distribution and inheritance during cell division.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Microscopy
Background:
- Microtubules are crucial for mitochondrial distribution in yeast and higher eukaryotes.
- Kinesin motor proteins facilitate mitochondrial transport along microtubules in higher eukaryotes.
- Mitochondrial-microtubule interactions in yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) remain largely uncharacterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms of mitochondrial-microtubule interactions in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
- To understand how mitochondria are distributed and move within fission yeast cells.
- To compare mitochondrial motility in yeast with that in higher eukaryotes.
Main Methods:
- Time-lapse microscopy
- Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM)
- Spinning-disk confocal microscopy
Main Results:
- Mitochondria were observed tethered to microtubule ends and laterally along their sides.
- Mitochondrial tubules extended/retracted with microtubule polymerization/depolymerization.
- No translocation along established microtubules was observed; motility depended on microtubule growth.
- Mitochondria not associated with microtubules were immobile until captured by growing microtubules.
- During mitosis, mitochondria tethered to spindle-pole bodies moved with spindle elongation.
Conclusions:
- Mitochondrial motility and distribution in fission yeast are primarily driven by microtubule polymerization and spindle elongation.
- This mechanism contrasts with the kinesin-mediated transport observed in higher eukaryotes.
- Microtubule-dependent mitochondrial movement is likely important for organelle inheritance during cell division in S. pombe.
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