Kinesin-7 CENP-E regulates cell division, gastrulation and organogenesis in development

Kinesin-7 CENP-E motor protein is essential for chromosome alignment and kinetochore-microtubule attachment in cell division. Human CENP-E has recently identified to be linked with the microcephalic primordial dwarfism syndromes associated with a smaller head, brain malformations and a prominent nose. However, the roles of CENP-E in embryonic development remain largely unknown. In this study, we find that zebrafish CENP-E inhibition results in defects in early zygote cleavage, including asymmetric cell division, cell cycle arrest and the developmental abnormalities. We also demonstrate that CENP-E ablation in cultured cells leads to chromosome misalignment, spindle abnormalities and interruptions of the cell cycle. These observations suggest that CENP-E plays a key role in early cell division and cell cycle progression. Furthermore, we also find that CENP-E inhibition results in the defects in the epiboly, the developmental arrest, the smaller head and the abnormal embryo during zebrafish embryogenesis. Our data demonstrate new functions of CENP-E in development and provide insights into its essential roles in organogenesis.