Incomplete cytokinesis and induction of apoptosis by overexpression of the mammalian polo-like kinase, Plk3.

The polo-like kinases (Plks) are a family of conserved serine/threonine kinases that play a critical role in the normal progression of cells through mitosis. The Plk3 serine/threonine kinase is a mammalian member of this family. Overexpression of Plk3 in mammalian cells suppresses proliferation and inhibits colony formation. Subsequent analysis demonstrated that overexpression of Plk3 induces chromatin condensation and apoptosis. This phenotype could not be inhibited by coexpression of Bcl-2 and was partially dependent on the COOH-terminal domain of Plk3 but not on the catalytic activity of Plk3. Analysis of EGFP-Plk3 subcellular localization revealed that Plk3 localizes to the cellular cortex and to the cell midbody during exit from mitosis and is consistent with a role in cytokinesis. These data suggest that overexpression or ectopic suppression of Plk3 interferes with cellular proliferation by impeding cytokinesis.

MAPK mediates RAS-induced chromosome instability.

The generation of micronuclei is a reflection of DNA damage, defective mitosis, and loss of genetic material. The involvement of the MAPK pathway in mediating v-ras-induced micronuclei in NIH 3T3 cells was examined by inhibiting MAPK activation. Conversely, the MAPK pathway was constitutively activated by infecting cells with a v-mos retrovirus. Micronucleus formation was inhibited by the MAPK kinase inhibitors PD98059 and U0126, but not by wortmannin, an inhibitor of the Ras/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway. Transduction of cells with v-mos resulted in an increase in micronucleus formation, also consistent with the involvement of the MAPK pathway. Staining with the anti-centromeric CREST antibody revealed that instability induced by constitutive activation of MAPK is due predominantly to aberrant mitotic segregation, since most of the micronuclei were CREST-positive, reflective of lost chromosomes. A significant fraction of the micronuclei were CREST-negative, reflective of lost acentric chromosome fragments. Some of the instability observed was due to mitotic events, consistent with the increased formation of bi-nucleated cells, which result from perturbations of the mitotic spindle and failure to undergo cytokinesis. This chromosome instability, therefore, is a consequence of mitotic aberrations, mediated by the MAPK pathway, including centrosome amplification and formation of mitotic chromosome bridges.

The complete primary structure of mouse 20S proteasomes.

The proteasome is a large multicatalytic proteinase that plays a role in the generation of peptides for presentation by major histocompatibility complex class I molecules. The 20S proteolytic core of mammalian proteasomes is assembled from a group of 17 protein subunits that generate a distinctive pattern of spots upon two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The genes for most of these subunits have been cloned from humans and rats. We isolated cDNA clones for the mouse orthologues of ten of the subunits [PSMA1 (C2), PSMA2 (C3), PSMA3 (C8), PSMA4 (C9), PSMA5 (ZETA), PSMA6 (IOTA), PSMA7 (C6-I), PSMB2 (C7-I), PSMB3 (C10-II), and PSMB5 (X)] to complete the cloning of all of the mouse subunits. Using antisera raised against these subunits or their orthologues, we verified the identity of these proteins by two-dimensional NEPHGE-PAGE.