APC15 mediates CDC20 autoubiquitylation by APC/C(MCC) and disassembly of the mitotic checkpoint complex.

The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) bound to CDC20 (APC/C(CDC20)) initiates anaphase by ubiquitylating B-type cyclins and securin. During chromosome bi-orientation, CDC20 assembles with MAD2, BUBR1 and BUB3 into a mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) that inhibits substrate recruitment to the APC/C. APC/C activation depends on MCC disassembly, which was proposed to require CDC20 autoubiquitylation.

Insights into anaphase promoting complex TPR subdomain assembly from a CDC26-APC6 structure.

The multisubunit anaphase promoting complex (APC) is an essential cell-cycle regulator. Although CDC26 is known to have a role in APC assembly, its molecular function has remained unclear. Biophysical, structural and genetic studies presented here reveal that CDC26 stabilizes the structure of APC6, a core TPR protein required for APC integrity.

Structural mechanisms underlying posttranslational modification by ubiquitin-like proteins.

Covalent attachment of ubiquitin-like proteins (Ubls) is a predominant mechanism for regulating protein function in eukaryotes. Several structurally related Ubls, such as ubiquitin, SUMO, NEDD8, and ISG15, modify a vast number of proteins, altering their functions in a variety of ways. Ubl modifications can affect the target's half-life, subcellular localization, enzymatic activity, or ability to interact with protein or DNA partners.

In vivo self-interaction of nodavirus RNA replicase protein a revealed by fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

Flock house virus (FHV) is the best-characterized member of the Nodaviridae, a family of small, positive-strand RNA viruses. Unlike most RNA viruses, FHV encodes only a single polypeptide, protein A, that is required for RNA replication. Protein A contains a C-proximal RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domain and localizes via an N-terminal transmembrane domain to the outer mitochondrial membrane, where FHV RNA replication takes place in association with invaginations referred to as spherules.

Dynamic sorting of nuclear components into distinct nucleolar caps during transcriptional inhibition.

Nucleolar segregation is observed under some physiological conditions of transcriptional arrest. This process can be mimicked by transcriptional arrest after actinomycin D treatment leading to the segregation of nucleolar components and the formation of unique structures termed nucleolar caps surrounding a central body. These nucleolar caps have been proposed to arise from the segregation of nucleolar components.

Viral and host determinants of RNA virus vector replication and expression.

Positive-strand RNA viruses have proven to be valuable vectors for delivery and expression of antigens for direct vaccination of animals and vaccine production in plants. However, optimal use of these viruses as vectors for vaccine and other purposes is limited by incomplete understanding of their replication pathways and associated constraints on inserted foreign genes. Further insights into RNA virus vector design and optimization are emerging from recent advances on the function of viral RNA replication factors, the nature of the viral RNA replication complex as a membrane-bounded compartment sequestering replication components from competing processes and host defenses, and identification of surprisingly diverse host genes contributing to many virus replication steps.

Detecting protein-protein interaction in live yeast by flow cytometry.

Background: The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the most commonly used organism for studying protein- protein interactions. In this report we demonstrate the use of flow cytometry in observing fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between cyan and yellow fluorescent fusion proteins (CFP and YFP, respectively) as a marker for protein interaction in live yeast cells. Probability binning is also employed to provide a statistical confirmation of our observations.

Engineered retargeting of viral RNA replication complexes to an alternative intracellular membrane.

Positive-strand RNA virus replication complexes are universally associated with intracellular membranes, although different viruses use membranes derived from diverse and sometimes multiple organelles. We investigated whether unique intracellular membranes are required for viral RNA replication complex formation and function in yeast by retargeting protein A, the Flock House virus (FHV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Protein A, the only viral protein required for FHV RNA replication, targets and anchors replication complexes to outer mitochondrial membranes in part via an N-proximal sequence that contains a transmembrane domain.

PSF and p54nrb bind a conserved stem in U5 snRNA.

PTB-associated splicing factor (PSF) has been implicated in both early and late steps of pre-mRNA splicing, but its exact role in this process remains unclear. Here we show that PSF interacts with p54nrb, a highly related protein first identified based on cross-reactivity to antibodies against the yeast second-step splicing factor Prpl8. We performed RNA-binding experiments to determine the preferred RNA-binding sequences for PSF and p54nrb, both individually and in combination.