Fission yeast Slp1: an effector of the Mad2-dependent spindle checkpoint

Mad2 is a component of the spindle checkpoint, which delays the onset of anaphase until all chromosomes are attached to the spindle. Mad2 formed a complex with Slp1, a WD (tryptophan-aspartic acid)-repeat protein essential for the onset of anaphase. When the physical interaction between the two proteins was disrupted, the spindle checkpoint was no longer functional. Post-anaphase events such as chromosome decondensation and the next round of DNA replication were not delayed even when the spindle assembly was incomplete. This relief of dependence appears to be a result of deregulation of ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis mediated by the anaphase-promoting complex.