• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.694-700
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• 2005

Defects in the mitotic spindle or in the attachment of chromosomes to the spindle are believed to release an activated form of spindle checkpoint complex that inhibits APC-dependent ubiquitination and subsequently arrests the cell cycle at metaphase. When the spindle assembly is disrupted, the fission yeast mitotic arrest deficient (mad) mutants fail to arrest and rapidly lose viability. To enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms for the pathway of checkpoint function, the functional characterizations of Mad 1 p from Schizosaccharomyces pombe involved in this process have been carried out. Yeast two-hybrid and various deletion analyses of S. pombe Mad1 p reveal that the C terminus of Mad1p is critical for the binding of Mad2p and maintenance of Mad 1 p-Mad2p interaction. In addition, it was found. that the Mad1p region (residues 206-356) is essential for Mad1p-other checkpoint components. Mad1p truncating this region is sufficient to bind Mad2p but abolishes the checkpoint function, indicating that the checkpoint function is necessary for interaction of Mad 1 p-other checkpoint components. The possible functions of S. pombe Mad1p at the cell cycle checkpoint are discussed.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.126-132
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• 2014

As a tumor suppressor homologue during mitosis, Chk2 is involved in replication checkpoints, DNA repair, and cell cycle arrest, although its functions during mouse oocyte meiosis and early embryo development remain uncertain. We investigated the functions of Chk2 during mouse oocyte maturation and early embryo development. Chk2 exhibited a dynamic localization pattern; Chk2 expression was restricted to germinal vesicles at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage, was associated with centromeres at pro-metaphase I (Pro-MI), and localized to spindle poles at metaphase I (MI). Disrupting Chk2 activity resulted in cell cycle progression defects. First, inhibitor-treated oocytes were arrested at the GV stage and failed to undergo germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD); this could be rescued after Chk2 inhibition release. Second, Chk2 inhibition after oocyte GVBD caused MI arrest. Third, the first cleavage of early embryo development was disrupted by Chk2 inhibition. Additionally, in inhibitor-treated oocytes, checkpoint protein Bub3 expression was consistently localized at centromeres at the MI stage, which indicated that the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) was activated. Moreover, disrupting Chk2 activity in oocytes caused severe chromosome misalignments and spindle disruption. In inhibitor-treated oocytes, centrosome protein ${\gamma}$-tubulin and Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) were dissociated from spindle poles. These results indicated that Chk2 regulated cell cycle progression and spindle assembly during mouse oocyte maturation and early embryo development.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.161-166
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• 2022

Mitosis is a process in which a replicated genome is distributed to two daughter cells, and it is necessary for cell survival and organismal development. During mitosis, the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) ensures faithful chromosome segregation by monitoring the kinetochore attachment to the mitotic spindle. Although the SAC mechanism has been extensively studied over the last 30 years, the mechanism by which a single unattached kinetochore activates the SAC remains unclear. The key components of the SAC are Mad1, Mad2, Mad3 (BubR1 in higher eukaryotes), Bub1, Bub3, and Cdc20, which are all required for SAC activation. An essential step for SAC activation is the formation of the Mad2 - Cdc20 complex in the unattached kinetochore, which is kinetically disfavored. Although the mechanism by which Mad2 and Cdc20 are recruited to unattached kinetochores is well-known, it is not clear how they form a complex. Recently, a key mechanism for the formation of the Mad2 - Cdc20 complex has been identified, which is catalyzed by an unattached kinetochore. This supports the evidence that a single unattached kinetochore can activate the SAC signaling. Herein, we discuss the known key mechanism for SAC activation, review the recent studies on SAC, and conclude how their discoveries improved the understanding of mitosis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.340-349
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• 2023

Mad2B (Mad2L2), the human homolog of the yeast Rev7 protein, is a regulatory subunit of DNA polymerase ζ that shares sequence similarity with the mitotic checkpoint protein Mad2A. Previous studies on Mad2B have concluded that it is a mitotic checkpoint protein that functions by inhibiting the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C). Here, we demonstrate that Mad2B is activated in response to cisplatin-induced DNA damage. Mad2B co-localizes at nuclear foci with DNA damage markers, such as proliferating cell nuclear antigen and gamma histone H2AX (γ-H2AX), following cisplatin-induced DNA damage. However, unlike Mad2A, the binding of Mad2B to Cdc20 does not inhibit the activity of APC/C in vitro. In contrast to Mad2A, Mad2B does not localize to kinetochores or binds to Cdc20 in spindle assembly checkpoint-activated cells. Loss of the Mad2B protein leads to damaged nuclei following cisplatin-induced DNA damage. Mad2B/Rev7 depletion causes the accumulation of damaged nuclei, thereby accelerating apoptosis in human cancer cells in response to cisplatin-induced DNA damage. Therefore, our results suggest that Mad2B may be a critical modulator of DNA damage response.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.162-172
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• 2002

Schizosaccharomyces pombe is suited for the study of cytokinesis as it divides by forming a septum in the middle of the cell at the end of mitosis. To enhance our understanding of the cytokinesis, we have carried out a genetic screen for temperature-sensitive S. pombe mutants that show defects in septum formation and cell division. Here we present the isolation and characterization of a new temperature-sensitive mutant, sun1(septum uncontrolled), which undergoes uncontrolled septation during cell division cycle at restrictive temperature $(37^{\circ}C)$. In sun1 mutant, actin ring and septum are positioned at random locations and angles, and nuclear division cycle continues. These observations suggest that the sun] gene product is required for the proper placement of the actin ring as well as precise septation. The sun] mutant is monogenic recessive mutation unlinked to previously known various cdc genes of S. pombe. In a screen for $sunl^+$ gene to complement the sun] mutant, we have cloned a gene, $susl^+$(suppressor of sun1 mutant), that encodes a protein of 689 amino acids. The predicted amino acid sequence of $susl^+$ gene is similar to the human hMadlp and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mad1p, a component of the spindle checkpoint in eukaryotic cells. The null mutant of $susl^+$ gene grows normally at various temperatures and has the increased sensitivity to anti-microtubule drug, while $susl^+$ mutant shows no sensitivity to microtubule destabilizing drugs. The putative S. pombe Sus1p directly interacts with S. pombe Mad2p in yeast two-hybrid assays. These data suggest that the newly isolated susr gene encodes S. pombe Mad1p and suppresses sun] mutant defective in controlled septation in a cell division cycle.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.713-718
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• 2014

Alteration in chromosome numbers and structures instigate and foster massive genetic instability. As Boveri has seen a hundred years ago (Boveri, 1914; 2008), aneuploidy is hall-mark of many cancers. However, whether aneuploidy is the cause or the result of cancer is still at debate. The molecular mechanism behind aneuploidy includes the chromosome mis-segregation in mitosis by the compromise of spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). SAC is an elaborate network of proteins, which monitor that all chromosomes are bipolarly attached with the spindles. Therefore, the weakening of the SAC is the major reason for chromosome number instability, while complete compromise of SAC results in detrimental death, exemplified in natural abortion in embryonic stage. Here, I will review on the recent progress on the understanding of chromosome missegregation and cancer, based on the comparison of different mouse models of BubR1, the core component of SAC.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.65-71
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• 2014

Cell cycle process is regulated by a number of protein kinases and among them, serine/threonine kinases carry phosphate group from ATP to substrates. The most important three kinase families are Cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk), Polo-like kinase (Plk), and Aurora kinase. Polo-like kinase family consists of 5 members (Plk1-Plk5) and they are involved in multiple functions in eukaryotic cell division. It regulates a variety of aspects such as, centrosome maturation, checkpoint recovery, spindle assembly, cytokinesis, apoptosis and many other features. Recently, it has been reported that Plks are related to tumor development and over-expressed in many kinds of tumor cells. When injected the anti-Plk antibody into human cells, the cells show aneuploidy, and if inhibit Plks, most of the mitotic cell division does not proceed properly. For that reasons, many inhibitors of Plk have been recently emerged as new target for remedy of the cancer therapeutic research. In this paper, we reviewed briefly the characteristics of Plk families and how Plks work in regulating cell cycles and cancer formation, and the possibilities of Plks as target for cancer therapy.