Elevated basal AMP-activated protein kinase activity sensitizes colorectal cancer cells to growth inhibition by metformin.

Expression and activity of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) 1 catalytic subunit of the heterotrimeric kinase significantly correlates with poor outcome for colorectal cancer patients. Hence there is considerable interest in uncovering signalling vulnerabilities arising from this oncogenic elevation of AMPK1 signalling. We have therefore attenuated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) control of AMPK1 to generate a mutant colorectal cancer in which AMPK1 signalling is elevated because AMPK1 serine 347 cannot be phosphorylated by mTORC1.

Highly Synchronous Mitotic Progression in Schizosaccharomyces pombe Upon Relief of Transient Cdc2-asM17 Inhibition.

Synchronized progression of a cell population through the cell division cycle supports the biochemical and functional dissection of cell cycle controls and execution. The concerted behaviour of the population reflects the attributes of each cell within that population. The reversible imposition of a block to cell cycle progression at the G2-M boundary through transient inactivation of the Cdk1-Cyclin B activating phosphatase, Cdc25, with the temperature sensitive cdc25-22 mutant, has been widely used to study fission yeast mitosis and DNA replication.

A TOR (target of rapamycin) and nutritional phosphoproteome of fission yeast reveals novel targets in networks conserved in humans.

Fluctuations in TOR, AMPK and MAP-kinase signalling maintain cellular homeostasis and coordinate growth and division with environmental context. We have applied quantitative, SILAC mass spectrometry to map TOR and nutrient-controlled signalling in the fission yeast . Phosphorylation levels at more than 1000 sites were altered following nitrogen stress or Torin1 inhibition of the TORC1 and TORC2 networks that comprise TOR signalling.

Release from cell cycle arrest with Cdk4/6 inhibitors generates highly synchronized cell cycle progression in human cell culture.

Each approach used to synchronize cell cycle progression of human cell lines presents a unique set of challenges. Induction synchrony with agents that transiently block progression through key cell cycle stages are popular, but change stoichiometries of cell cycle regulators, invoke compensatory changes in growth rate and, for DNA replication inhibitors, damage DNA. The production, replacement or manipulation of a target molecule must be exceptionally rapid if the interpretation of phenotypes in the cycle under study is to remain independent of impacts upon progression through the preceding cycle.

Import of extracellular ATP in yeast and man modulates AMPK and TORC1 signalling.

AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) and target of rapamycin (TOR) signalling coordinate cell growth, proliferation, metabolism and cell survival with the nutrient environment of cells. The poor vasculature and nutritional stress experienced by cells in solid tumours raises the question: how do they assimilate sufficient nutrients to survive? Here, we show that human and fission yeast cells import ATP and AMP from their external environment to regulate AMPK and TOR signalling. Exposure of fission yeast () and human cells to external AMP impeded cell growth; however, in yeast this restraining impact required AMPK.

Dialogue between centrosomal entrance and exit scaffold pathways regulates mitotic commitment.

The fission yeast scaffold molecule Sid4 anchors the septum initiation network to the spindle pole body (SPB, centrosome equivalent) to control mitotic exit events. A second SPB-associated scaffold, Cut12, promotes SPB-associated Cdk1-cyclin B to drive mitotic commitment. Signals emanating from each scaffold have been assumed to operate independently to promote two distinct outcomes.

Elementary Protein Analysis in .

Biochemical monitoring and interrogation of protein function is a critical component of most fission yeast studies. In particular, its small proteome size, high conservation of core molecular cell biology, and genetic malleability make an excellent model organism in which to use mass spectrometry to conduct proteome-wide approaches. Here we discuss issues encountered during the analysis of fission yeast protein preparations.

Large-Scale Immunoprecipitation from Fission Yeast Cell Extracts.

We outline immunoprecipitation (IP) procedures to isolate the large quantities of a molecule of interest that are required to identify posttranslational modifications (PTMs) in subsequent targeted mass spectrometry analysis. In situ denaturation by trichloroacetic acid precipitation inhibits the activities of modifying enzymes that could alter the PTM profile to preserve the PTMs on a target of interest throughout the precipitation step. In contrast, isolation of the same molecule with the nondenaturing variation on this IP procedure can maintain associations with partner molecules whose PTMs can also be mapped, albeit with the caveat that modifications could have occurred during the extended IP period.

Small-Scale Immunoprecipitation from Fission Yeast Cell Extracts.

We describe procedures for the immunoprecipitation (IP) of a molecule of interest from cell extracts under native or denaturing conditions. The methods are equally effective with antibodies that directly recognize the molecule of interest and those that recognize a generic peptide "epitope tag" that has been fused to sequences encoding the gene of interest. The diverse chemistry of intermolecular interactions and enzymatic activities means that a range of different buffer conditions must be assessed empirically to identify optimal conditions for the study of a specific target/complex in a particular assay.

Preparation of Protein Extracts from Schizosaccharomyces pombe Using Trichloroacetic Acid Precipitation.

Schizosaccharomyces pombe is an attractive model organism with which to study core principles of conserved molecular cell biology processes. The ability to monitor protein behavior following separation by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) underpins much of this activity. Here we describe a robust protocol for the preparation of protein samples for analysis by SDS-PAGE.

Analysis of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Cell Cycle.

Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells are rod shaped, and they grow by tip elongation. Growth ceases during mitosis and cell division; therefore, the length of a septated cell is a direct measure of the timing of mitotic commitment, and the length of a wild-type cell is an indicator of its position in the cell cycle. A large number of documented stage-specific changes can be used as landmarks to characterize cell cycle progression under specific experimental conditions.

Synchronizing Progression of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Cells from G2 through Repeated Rounds of Mitosis and S Phase with cdc25-22 Arrest Release.

Transient inactivation of the cdc25(+) gene product by manipulation of the culture temperature for cdc25-22 cells is the most commonly exploited approach to mitotic synchronization in fission yeast. Because Cdc25 removes the inhibitory phosphate placed on Cdk1 by Wee1, inactivation of Cdc25 arrests cells at the G2/M boundary. Incubation at the restrictive temperature of 36°C for just over one generation time forces all cells in the culture to accumulate at the G2/M boundary.

Synchronizing Progression of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Cells from Prophase through Mitosis and into S Phase with nda3-KM311 Arrest Release.

Here, we describe how the rapid reversibility of the nda3-KM311 cold-sensitive β-tubulin mutation was optimized by Mitsuhiro Yanagida's laboratory to synchronize mitotic progression in an entire cell population. The inability to form microtubules following the loss of β-tubulin function at 20°C triggers the spindle assembly checkpoint, which arrests mitotic progression. Restoration of β-tubulin function by rewarming to 30°C (or higher) releases the arrest, generating a highly synchronous progression through mitosis.

Fixed-Cell Imaging of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

The acknowledged genetic malleability of fission yeast has been matched by impressive cytology to drive major advances in our understanding of basic molecular cell biological processes. In many of the more recent studies, traditional approaches of fixation followed by processing to accommodate classical staining procedures have been superseded by live-cell imaging approaches that monitor the distribution of fusion proteins between a molecule of interest and a fluorescent protein. Although such live-cell imaging is uniquely informative for many questions, fixed-cell imaging remains the better option for others and is an important-sometimes critical-complement to the analysis of fluorescent fusion proteins by live-cell imaging.

Immunofluorescence Microscopy of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Using Chemical Fixation.

Establishing the subcellular distribution of molecules of interest and the dynamics of their spatial control underpins all areas of cell and developmental biology. Although the ability to monitor the distribution of fluorescent fusion proteins has revolutionized cell and developmental biology, indirect immunofluorescence microscopy of fixed samples remains an essential complement to this approach. Immunofluorescence is often a more appropriate approach for the study of subcellular architecture.

Cell Cycle Synchronization of Schizosaccharomyces pombe by Lactose Gradient Centrifugation to Isolate Small Cells.

Size selection of small cells from an asynchronous Schizosaccharomyces pombe culture offers a simple way to generate cultures in which progression through the mitotic cell division cycle is synchronized throughout the population. Here, we describe how density centrifugation of cells from asynchronous cultures through lactose gradients selects small G2 cells to generate synchronized cultures as large as 500 mL. The ease and simplicity of this approach makes it an accessible and attractive method for generating synchronous cultures.

Cell Cycle Synchronization of Schizosaccharomyces pombe by Centrifugal Elutriation of Small Cells.

Division of Schizosaccharomyces pombe by medial fission produces identically sized daughter cells that grow by tip extension until their own division is prompted by reaching the same critical size for division as the parental cell. The fidelity of this size control in the absence of perturbation means that cells of the same size are at the same point in the cell cycle. Size selection of small cells from an asynchronous culture by centrifugal elutriation permits generation of synchronous cultures large enough for biochemical analysis.

Staining Fission Yeast Filamentous Actin with Fluorescent Phalloidin Conjugates.

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe filamentous (F)-actin cytoskeleton drives cell growth, morphogenesis, endocytosis, and cytokinesis. The protocol described here reveals the distribution of F-actin in fixed cells through the use of fluorescently conjugated phalloidin. Simultaneous staining of cell wall landmarks (with calcofluor) and chromatin (with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, or DAPI) makes this rapid staining procedure highly effective for staging cell cycle progression, monitoring morphogenetic abnormalities, and assessing the impact of environmental and genetic changes on the integrity of the F-actin cytoskeleton.

Chromatin and Cell Wall Staining of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Fission yeasts grow by tip extension, maintaining a constant width until they reach a critical size threshold and divide. Division by medial fission-which gives these yeast their name-generates a new end that arises from the site of cytokinesis. The old end, which was produced during the previous cell cycle, initiates progression of the new cell cycle, and in G2, the new end is activated in a process termed new-end takeoff (NETO).

The centrosome and its duplication cycle.

The centrosome was discovered in the late 19th century when mitosis was first described. Long recognized as a key organelle of the spindle pole, its core component, the centriole, was realized more than 50 or so years later also to comprise the basal body of the cilium. Here, we chart the more recent acquisition of a molecular understanding of centrosome structure and function.

A PP1-PP2A phosphatase relay controls mitotic progression.

The widespread reorganization of cellular architecture in mitosis is achieved through extensive protein phosphorylation, driven by the coordinated activation of a mitotic kinase network and repression of counteracting phosphatases. Phosphatase activity must subsequently be restored to promote mitotic exit. Although Cdc14 phosphatase drives this reversal in budding yeast, protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activities have each been independently linked to mitotic exit control in other eukaryotes.

Nic1 inactivation enables stable isotope labeling with 13C615N4-arginine in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Stable Isotope Labeling by Amino Acids (SILAC) is a commonly used method in quantitative proteomics. Because of compatibility with trypsin digestion, arginine and lysine are the most widely used amino acids for SILAC labeling. We observed that Schizosaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast) cannot be labeled with a specific form of arginine, (13)C(6) (15)N(4)-arginine (Arg-10), which limits the exploitation of SILAC technology in this model organism.

Extending the Schizosaccharomyces pombe molecular genetic toolbox.

Targeted alteration of the genome lies at the heart of the exploitation of S. pombe as a model system. The rate of analysis is often determined by the efficiency with which a target locus can be manipulated.

Spatial control of mitotic commitment in fission yeast.

The activation of the Cdk1 (cyclin-dependent kinase 1)-cyclin B complex to promote commitment to mitosis is controlled by the phosphorylation status of the Cdk1 catalytic subunit. Cdk1 phosphorylation by Wee1 kinases blocks activation until Cdc25 (cell division cycle 25) phosphatases remove this phosphate to drive division. Feedback inhibition of Wee1 and promotion of Cdc25 activities by the newly activated Cdk1-cyclin B complexes ensure that the transition from interphase to mitosis is a rapid and complete bi-stable switch.

Mutation of a conserved residue enhances the sensitivity of analogue-sensitised kinases to generate a novel approach to the study of mitosis in fission yeast.

The chemical genetic strategy in which mutational enlargement of the ATP-binding site sensitises of a protein kinase to bulky ATP analogues has proved to be an elegant tool for the generation of conditional analogue-sensitive kinase alleles in a variety of model organisms. Here, we describe a novel substitution mutation in the kinase domain that can enhance the sensitivity of analogue-sensitive kinases. Substitution of a methionine residue to phenylalanine in the +2 position after HRDLKxxN motif of the subdomain VIb within the kinase domain markedly increased the sensitivities of the analogue-sensitive kinases to ATP analogues in three out of five S.