Stress-activated MAPK signalling controls fission yeast actomyosin ring integrity by modulating formin For3 levels

Cytokinesis, which enables the physical separation of daughter cells once mitosis has been completed, is executed in fungal and animal cells by a contractile actin- and myosin-based ring (CAR). In the fission yeastSchizosaccharomyces pombethe formin For3 nucleates actin cables and also co-operates for CAR assembly during cytokinesis. Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs) regulate essential adaptive responses in eukaryotic organisms to environmental changes. We show that the Stress Activated Protein Kinase pathway (SAPK) and its effector, MAPK Sty1, downregulates CAR assembly inS. pombe when its integrity becomes compromised during cytoskeletal damage and stress by reducing For3 levels. Accurate control of For3 levels by the SAPK pathway may thus represent a novel regulatory mechanism of cytokinesis outcome in response to environmental cues. Conversely, SAPK signalling favours CAR assembly and integrity in its close relativeS. japonicus,revealing a remarkable evolutionary divergence of this response within the fission yeast clade.
Source: eLife - Category: Biomedical Science Tags: Cell Biology Microbiology and Infectious Disease Source Type: research