Cytokinesis in bloodstream stage Trypanosoma brucei requires a family of katanins and spastin

Benz, C., Clucas, C. , Mottram, J.C. and Hammarton, T.C. (2012) Cytokinesis in bloodstream stage Trypanosoma brucei requires a family of katanins and spastin. PLoS ONE, 7(1), e30367. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030367) (PMID:22279588) (PMCID:PMC3261199)

Abstract

Microtubule severing enzymes regulate microtubule dynamics in a wide range of organisms and are implicated in important cell cycle processes such as mitotic spindle assembly and disassembly, chromosome movement and cytokinesis. Here we explore the function of several microtubule severing enzyme homologues, the katanins (KAT80, KAT60a, KAT60b and KAT60c), spastin (SPA) and fidgetin (FID) in the bloodstream stage of the African trypanosome parasite, Trypanosoma brucei. The trypanosome cytoskeleton is microtubule based and remains assembled throughout the cell cycle, necessitating its remodelling during cytokinesis. Using RNA interference to deplete individual proteins, we show that the trypanosome katanin and spastin homologues are non-redundant and essential for bloodstream form proliferation. Further, cell cycle analysis revealed that these proteins play essential but discrete roles in cytokinesis. The KAT60 proteins each appear to be important during the early stages of cytokinesis, while downregulation of KAT80 specifically inhibited furrow ingression and SPA depletion prevented completion of abscission. In contrast, RNA interference of FID did not result in any discernible effects. We propose that the stable microtubule cytoskeleton of T. brucei necessitates the coordinated action of a family of katanins and spastin to bring about the cytoskeletal remodelling necessary to complete cell division

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: O'Connell, Dr Caroline and Hammarton, Dr Tansy and Mottram, Professor Jeremy
• Authors: Benz, C., Clucas, C., Mottram, J.C., and Hammarton, T.C.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: PLoS ONE
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• ISSN (Online): 1932-6203
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2012 Benz et al.
• First Published: First published in PLoS ONE 2012 7(1): e30367
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher