Modulation of mitotic progression and cell cycle checkpoints by phosphorylation-dependent protein-protein interactions

Alteration of mitotic gene function has recently been discovered to play a key role in tumor formation and cancer progression through the induction of chromosomal aberrations and genomic instability. Polo-like-kinase-1 is a critical mitotic regulator, overexpressed in human tumors, that functions in mitotic entry after cellular stress, centrosome maturation, mitotic spindle control, and cytokinesis, which are all disregulated in cancer cells. To study the role of Polo-like kinases we took advantage of the recent discovery that the polo-box domain of Polo-like kinases is a phosphorylation-dependent binding module that regulates targeting of Polo-like kinases to their substrates. To identify the interactors of Polo-box domains we developed and performed a mitotic-specific yeast two hybrid and a pulldown mass spectrometry screen. This yielded a large number of specific interactors known to be involved in a vast variety of mitotic processes including those previously described to be involved in tumor progression. We demonstrate that Polo-like kinase regulation of cytokinesis-specific guanine-nucleotide exchange factors for the small G-protein Rho is necessary for proper actomyosin ring contraction and cytokinesis. Additionally we demonstrate that Polo-like-kinase-1 directly regulates the activity of the Rho-effector-kinase ROCK2, and thus Polo-like kinases modulate Rho signaling both upstream and downstream of Rho during cytokinesis. In addition to Polo-box domains we also worked on two other phosphorylation-dependent binding domains involved in cell cycle checkpoints that become disregulated in cancer cells, tandem BRCT domains and WW domains.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Biology.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Lowery, Drew M

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Michael B. Yaffe.

• Biology.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/40953

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/40953