Septin proteins form hetero-oligomers that associate with membranes of specific curvatures, but the mechanism is unknown. In this issue, Cannon et al. (2019.
https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201807211) ...identify a single amphipathic helix that is necessary and sufficient for membrane curvature sensing by septins.
Septins are GTP-binding proteins that form ordered, rod-like multimeric complexes and polymerize into filaments, but how such supramolecular structure is related to septin function was unclear. In ...Saccharomyces cerevisiae, four septins form an apolar hetero-octamer (Cdc11-Cdc12-Cdc3-Cdc10-Cdc10-Cdc3-Cdc12-Cdc11) that associates end-to-end to form filaments. We show that septin filament assembly displays previously unanticipated plasticity. Cells lacking Cdc10 or Cdc11 are able to divide because the now-exposed subunits (Cdc3 or Cdc12, respectively) retain an ability to homodimerize via their so-called G interface, thereby allowing for filament assembly. In such cdc10Δ and cdc11Δ cells, the remaining septins, like wild-type complexes, localize to the cortex at the bud neck and compartmentalize nonseptin factors, consistent with a diffusion barrier composed of continuous filaments in intimate contact with the plasma membrane. Conversely, Cdc10 or Cdc11 mutants that cannot self-associate, but “cap” Cdc3 or Cdc12, respectively, prevent filament formation, block cortical localization, and kill cells.
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► In vitro septin filament formation can occur with one septin missing ► Septin homodimerization required for viability in cells lacking a different septin ► Septin localization and barrier function maintained in cells lacking one septin ► Blocking septin filament assembly disrupts localization and causes cell lethality
Mutations and deletions in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA), as well as instability of the nuclear genome, are involved in multiple human diseases. Here, we report that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ...loss of mtDNA leads to nuclear genome instability, through a process of cell-cycle arrest and selection we define as a cellular crisis. This crisis is not mediated by the absence of respiration, but instead correlates with a reduction in the mitochondrial membrane potential. Analysis of cells undergoing this crisis identified a defect in iron-sulfur cluster (ISC) biogenesis, which requires normal mitochondrial function. We found that downregulation of nonmitochondrial ISC protein biogenesis was sufficient to cause increased genomic instability in cells with intact mitochondrial function. These results suggest mitochondrial dysfunction stimulates nuclear genome instability by inhibiting the production of ISC-containing protein(s), which are required for maintenance of nuclear genome integrity.
For a video summary of this article, see the PaperFlick file available with the online Supplemental Data.
Septins are a unique family of GTPases, which were discovered 50 years ago as essential genes for the asymmetric cell shape and division of budding yeast. Septins assemble into filamentous nonpolar ...polymers, which associate with distinct membrane macrodomains and subpopulations of actin filaments and microtubules. While structurally a cytoskeleton-like element, septins function predominantly as spatial regulators of protein localization and interactions. Septin scaffolds and barriers have provided a long-standing paradigm for the generation and maintenance of asymmetry in cell membranes. Septins also promote asymmetry by regulating the spatial organization of the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton, and biasing the directionality of membrane traffic. In this 50th anniversary perspective, we highlight how septins have conserved and adapted their roles as effectors of membrane and cytoplasmic asymmetry across fungi and animals. We conclude by outlining principles of septin function as a module of symmetry breaking, which alongside the monomeric small GTPases provides a core mechanism for the biogenesis of molecular asymmetry and cell polarity.
During division, certain cellular contents can be distributed unequally; daughter cells with different fates have different needs. Septins are proteins that participate in the establishment and ...maintenance of asymmetry during cell morphogenesis, thereby contributing to the unequal partitioning of cellular contents during division. The septins themselves provide a paradigm for studying how elaborate multi-component structures are assembled, dynamically modified, and segregated through each cell division cycle and during development. Here we review our current understanding of the supramolecular organization of septins, the function of septins in cellular compartmentalization, and the mechanisms that control assembly, dynamics, and inheritance of higher-order septin structures, with particular emphasis on recent findings made in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).
Septins are conserved guanosine triphosphate-binding cytoskeletal proteins involved in membrane remodeling. In budding yeast, five mitotic septins (Cdc3, Cdc10, Cdc11, Cdc12, and Shs1), which are ...essential for cytokinesis, transition during bud growth from a patch to a collar, which splits into two rings in cytokinesis and is disassembled before the next cell cycle. Cdc3, Cdc10, Cdc11, and Cdc12 form an apolar octameric rod with Cdc11 at each tip, which polymerizes into straight paired filaments. We show that Shs1 substitutes for Cdc11, resulting in octameric rods that do not polymerize into filaments but associate laterally, forming curved bundles that close into rings. In vivo, half of shs1Δ mutant cells exhibit incomplete collars and disrupted neck filaments. Importantly, different phosphomimetic mutations in Shs1 can either prevent ring formation or promote formation of a gauzelike meshwork. These results show that a single alternative terminal subunit is sufficient to confer a distinctive higher-order septin ultrastructure that can be further regulated by phosphorylation.
Single crystals of the van der Waals layered ferrielectric material CuInP2S6 spontaneously phase separate when synthesized with Cu deficiency. Here we identify a route to form and tune intralayer ...heterostructures between the corresponding ferrielectric (CuInP2S6) and paraelectric (In4/3P2S6) phases through control of chemical phase separation. We conclusively demonstrate that Cu-deficient Cu1–x In1+x/3P2S6 forms a single phase at high temperature. We also identify the mechanism by which the phase separation proceeds upon cooling. Above 500 K both Cu+ and In3+ become mobile, while P2S6 4– anions maintain their structure. We therefore propose that this transition can be understood as eutectic melting on the cation sublattice. Such a model suggests that the transition temperature for the melting process is relatively low because it requires only a partial reorganization of the crystal lattice. As a result, varying the cooling rate through the phase transition controls the lateral extent of chemical domains over several decades in size. At the fastest cooling rate, the dimensional confinement of the ferrielectric CuInP2S6 phase to nanoscale dimensions suppresses ferrielectric ordering due to the intrinsic ferroelectric size effect. Intralayer heterostructures can be formed, destroyed, and re-formed by thermal cycling, thus enabling the possibility of finely tuned ferroic structures that can potentially be optimized for specific device architectures.
Septins are GTP-binding proteins that assemble into hetero-oligomers. They can interact with each other end-to-end to form filaments, making them the fourth element of the cytoskeleton. To update the ...current knowledge on the ever-increasing implications of these fascinating proteins in cellular functions, a hundred expert scientists from across the globe gathered from 12 to 15 October 2021 in Berlin for the first hybrid-format (on site and virtual) EMBO workshop Molecular and Cell Biology of Septins.
Septins are a conserved family of GTP-binding proteins that assemble into symmetric linear heterooligomeric complexes, which in turn are able to polymerize into apolar filaments and higher-order ...structures. In budding yeast (
Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and other eukaryotes, proper septin organization is essential for processes that involve membrane remodeling, such as the execution of cytokinesis. In yeast, four septin subunits form a Cdc11–Cdc12–Cdc3–Cdc10–Cdc10–Cdc3–Cdc12–Cdc11 heterooctameric rod that polymerizes into filaments thought to form a collar around the bud neck in close contact with the inner surface of the plasma membrane. To explore septin–membrane interactions, we examined the effect of lipid monolayers on septin organization at the ultrastructural level using electron microscopy. Using this methodology, we have acquired new insights into the potential effect of septin–membrane interactions on filament assembly and, more specifically, on the role of phosphoinositides. Our studies demonstrate that budding yeast septins interact specifically with phosphatidylinositol-4,5-
bisphosphate (PIP2) and indicate that the N terminus of Cdc10 makes a major contribution to the interaction of septin filaments with PIP2. Furthermore, we found that the presence of PIP2 promotes filament polymerization and organization on monolayers, even under conditions that prevent filament formation in solution or for mutants that prevent filament formation in solution. In the extreme case of septin complexes lacking the normally terminal subunit Cdc11 or the normally central Cdc10 doublet, the combination of the PIP2-containing monolayer and nucleotide permitted filament formation
in vitro via atypical Cdc12–Cdc12 and Cdc3–Cdc3 interactions, respectively.
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► PIP2-containing lipid monolayers promote a novel organization of septin filaments not observed in solution. ► PIP2-containing lipid monolayers dramatically enhance the formation of filaments, even for septin complexes lacking one of the septin proteins. ► The N terminus of Cdc10 is important for interaction with PIP2. ► Our
in vitro studies strongly suggest that the PIP2 present at the bud neck is important for septin organization
in situ.
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