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Spatiotemporal Analysis of Cytokinetic Events in Fission Yeast
11:19

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Cytokinetic Events in Fission Yeast

Published on: February 20, 2017

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Oligomerization and exocyst coupling underlie Spa2-mediated focusing of polarized growth in fission yeast

Liping Ren1, Alaina H Willet1, Kathleen L Gould1

  • 1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.

Journal of Cell Science
|September 11, 2025
PubMed

Insights

The scaffold protein Spa2 helps fungi grow in a specific direction by controlling where cell components are delivered. This study clarifies Spa2

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Mycology
  • Molecular and developmental biology

Background:

  • Polarized cell growth in fungi relies on targeted exocytosis to specific cortical domains.
  • The conserved scaffold protein Spa2 localizes to polarized growth sites and is crucial for fungal morphogenesis.
  • Spa2's function in Schizosaccharomyces pombe morphogenesis has remained unclear, indicating a gap in understanding its conserved role.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively dissect the targeting mechanisms, interactome, and function of Spa2 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
  • To clarify the conserved role of Spa2 in fungal polarized growth.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of Spa2 targeting mechanisms and interactome in S. pombe.
  • Investigated Spa2 localization dependence on the exocyst and cytoskeleton.
  • Assessed the role of Spa2 oligomerization and Ypt2 delivery in constraining the growth zone.

Main Results:

  • All conserved domains of Spa2 contribute to its localization at polarized growth sites.
  • Spa2 localization is exocyst-dependent and largely cytoskeleton-independent.
  • Oligomerized Spa2 at cell tips constrains the growth zone, partly by delivering the Ypt2 Rab GTPase-activating protein.

Conclusions:

  • Spa2 plays a conserved role in sharpening the spatial focus of polarized growth in fungi.
  • Despite species-specific protein network variations, Spa2's fundamental function in spatial growth control is conserved.
Keywords:
Exocyst complexFission yeastGTPaseGyp3Polarized growthRabGAPSpa2Ypt2/Sec4

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