SIN-Dependent Dissociation of the SAD Kinase Cdr2 from the Cell Cortex Resets the Division Plane

Proper division plane positioning is crucial for faithful chromosome segregation but also influences cell size, position, or fate [1]. In fission yeast, medial division is controlled through negative signaling by the cell tips during interphase and positive signaling by the centrally placed nucleus at mitotic entry [2-4]: the cell geometry network (CGN), controlled by the inhibitory cortical gradient of the DYRK kinase Pom1 emanating from the cell tips, first promotes the medial localization of cytokinetic ring precursors organized by the SAD kinase Cdr2 to pre-define the division plane [5-8]; then, massive nuclear export of the anillin-like protein Mid1 at mitosis entry confirms or readjusts the division plane according to nuclear position and triggers the assembly of a medial contractile ring [5, 9-11]. Strikingly, the Hippo-like septation initiation network (SIN) induces Cdr2 dissociation from cytokinetic precursors at this stage [12-14]. We show here that SIN-dependent phosphorylation of Cdr2 promotes its interaction with the 14-3-3 protein Rad24 that sequesters it in the cytoplasm during cell division. If this interaction is compromised, cytokinetic precursors are asymmetrically distributed in the cortex of newborn cells, leading to asymmetrical division if nuclear signaling is abolished. We conclude that, through this new function, the SIN resets the division plane in newborn cells to ensure medial division.