An evolutionary perspective on the relationship between kinetochore size and CENP-E dependence for chromosome alignment

Almeida, Ana C.; Rocha, Hélder; Raas, Maximilian W. D.; Witte, Hanh; Sommer, Ralf J.; Snel, Berend; Kops, Geert J. P. L.; Gassmann, Reto; Maiato, Helder

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/30167

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Authors

Almeida, Ana C.

Rocha, Hélder

Raas, Maximilian W. D.

Witte, Hanh

Sommer, Ralf J.

Abstract(s)

Chromosome alignment during mitosis can occur as a consequence of bi-orientation or is assisted by the CENP-E (kinesin-7) motor at kinetochores. We previously found that Indian muntjac chromosomes with larger kinetochores bi-orient more efficiently and are biased to align in a CENP-E-independent manner, suggesting that CENP-E dependence for chromosome alignment negatively correlates with kinetochore size. Here, we used targeted phylogenetic profiling of CENP-E in monocentric (localized centromeres) and holocentric (centromeres spanning the entire chromosome length) clades to test this hypothesis at an evolutionary scale. We found that, despite being present in common ancestors, CENP-E was lost more frequently in taxa with holocentric chromosomes, such as Hemiptera and Nematoda. Functional experiments in two nematodes with holocentric chromosomes in which a CENP-E ortholog is absent (Caenorhabditis elegans) or present (Pristionchus pacificus) revealed that targeted expression of human CENP-E to C. elegans kinetochores partially rescued chromosome alignment defects associated with attenuated polar-ejection forces, whereas CENP-E inactivation in P. pacificus had no detrimental effects on mitosis and viability. These data showcase the dispensability of CENP-E for mitotic chromosome alignment in species with larger kinetochores.

Keywords

Kinetochore CENP-E Kinesin Chromosome Holocentric Mitosis

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/30167

Citation

Almeida, A. C., Rocha, H., Raas, M. W. D., Witte, H., Sommer, R. J., Snel, B., Kops, G. J. P. L., Gassmann, R., & Maiato, H. (2024). An evolutionary perspective on the relationship between kinetochore size and CENP-E dependence for chromosome alignment. Journal of Cell Science, 137(24), jcs263466. https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.263466