Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.
Subscribe

Logo for

J. Cell Sci. 117 (20): 4705-4715

Research Article

Novel small GTPase subfamily capable of associating with tubulin is required for chromosome segregation

Takuro Okai, Yasuhiro Araki, Minoru Tada, Toshiyuki Tateno, Kenji Kontani, and Toshiaki Katada*

Department of Physiological Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: katada{at}mol.f.u-tokyo.ac.jp)

Accepted for publication 3 June 2004.

Abstract: The small GTPase superfamily, which includes the Ras, Rho/Rac, Rab, Arf and Ran subfamilies, serves as a signal transducer to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation, actin cytoskeleton, membrane trafficking, and nuclear transport. Here, we identify novel GTPases (human Gie1 and Gie2) that form a distinct subfamily of the small GTPases in terms of their sequences and intracellular function. Gie stands for `novel GTPase indispensable for equal segregation of chromosomes', and this subfamily is conserved in multicellular organisms. Expression of dominant-negative Gie mutants in mammalian cells or knockdown of Gie transcripts using RNA interference in Drosophila S2 cells induced abnormal morphology in the chromosome segregation. Gie protein has ability to bind to tubulin and localizes with microtubules on the spindle mid-zone in late mitosis. Furthermore, overexpression of Gie mutants that lack putative effector domains but have tubulin-binding ability induced micronucleus formation. Thus, this is the first report showing that a small GTPase subfamily capable of associating with microtubules might be involved in chromosome segregation.

Key Words: Chromosome segregation • Mitosis • Small GTPase • Tubulin

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Arl13b regulates endocytic recycling traffic.
D. C. Barral, S. Garg, C. Casalou, G. F. M. Watts, J. L. Sandoval, J. S. Ramalho, V. W. Hsu, and M. B. Brenner (2012)
PNAS 109, 21354-21359
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Vitrification at the pre-antral stage transiently alters inner mitochondrial membrane potential but proteome of in vitro grown and matured mouse oocytes appears unaffected.
M. Demant, T. Trapphoff, T. Frohlich, G. J. Arnold, and U. Eichenlaub-Ritter (2012)
Hum. Reprod. 27, 1096-1111
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Classification of Subcellular Location by Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Native and Density-shifted Lysosomes.
M. C. Della Valle, D. E. Sleat, H. Zheng, D. F. Moore, M. Jadot, and P. Lobel (2011)
Mol. Cell. Proteomics 10, M110.006403
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The Arf-like GTPase Arl8 Mediates Delivery of Endocytosed Macromolecules to Lysosomes in Caenorhabditis elegans.
I. Nakae, T. Fujino, T. Kobayashi, A. Sasaki, Y. Kikko, M. Fukuyama, K. Gengyo-Ando, S. Mitani, K. Kontani, and T. Katada (2010)
Mol. Biol. Cell 21, 2434-2442
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
ELMOD2 Is an Arl2 GTPase-activating Protein That Also Acts on Arfs.
J. B. Bowzard, D. Cheng, J. Peng, and R. A. Kahn (2007)
J. Biol. Chem. 282, 17568-17580
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Arl2 and Arl3 Regulate Different Microtubule-dependent Processes.
C. Zhou, L. Cunningham, A. I. Marcus, Y. Li, and R. A. Kahn (2006)
Mol. Biol. Cell 17, 2476-2487
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
An N-terminally acetylated Arf-like GTPase is localised to lysosomes and affects their motility.
I. Hofmann and S. Munro (2006)
J. Cell Sci. 119, 1494-1503
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »

To Advertise     Find Products

Science Signaling. ISSN 1937-9145 (online), 1945-0877 (print). Pre-2008: Science's STKE. ISSN 1525-8882