Rough Deal and Zw10 are required for the metaphase checkpoint in Drosophila

• Published in: Nature cell biology Vol. 2; no. 12; pp. 939 - 943
• Main Authors: Karess, Roger E, Basto, Renata, Gomes, Rui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01-12-2000
• Subjects: Animals; bub1 gene; Cell Cycle Proteins; Cell division; Chromosomes; Colchicine - pharmacology; Cyclin B - pharmacology; Drosophila; Drosophila - cytology; Drosophila - genetics; Drosophila - physiology; Drosophila Proteins; Genes, Insect; Genetic aspects; Insect Proteins - genetics; Insect Proteins - physiology; Insects; Kinases; Kinetochores; Kinetochores - physiology; Life Sciences; Metaphase - drug effects; Metaphase - genetics; Metaphase - physiology; Mutation; Neurons - cytology; Neurons - drug effects; Phenotype; Physiological aspects; Proteins; Rough Deal (Rod) gene; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Surveillance; Yeasts; Zeste-White 10 (Zw10) gene
• ISSN: 1465-7392; 1476-4679; 1476-4679
• DOI: 10.1038/35046592

The metaphase-anaphase transition during mitosis is carefully regulated
in order to assure high-fidelity transmission of genetic information to the
daughter cells. A surveillance mechanism known as the metaphase checkpoint
(or spindle-assembly checkpoint) monitors the attachment of kinetochores to
the spindle microtubules, and inhibits anaphase onset until all chromosomes
have achieved a proper bipolar orientation on the spindle. Defects in this
checkpoint lead to premature anaphase onset, and consequently to greatly increased
rates of aneuploidy. Here we show that the Drosophila kinetochore components
Rough deal (Rod) and Zeste-White 10 (Zw10) are required for the proper functioning
of the metaphase checkpoint in flies. Drosophila cells lacking either
ROD or Zw10 exhibit a phenotype that is similar to that of bub1 mutants
- they do not arrest in metaphase in response to spindle damage, but
instead separate sister chromatids, degrade cyclin B and exit mitosis. These
are the first checkpoint components to be identified that do not have obvious
homologues in budding yeast.