A Novel Kinesin, Arabidopsis Thaliana Centromere Associated Protein E2, is Necessary for the Progression of Mitosis and Meiosis

Author

Kristophe J. Diaz, University of Massachusetts BostonFollow

Date of Award

6-1-2014

Document Type

Campus Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Biology/Molecular, Cellular, and Organismal Biology

First Advisor

Adán Colón-Carmona

Second Advisor

Kenneth C. Kleene

Third Advisor

Alexey Veraksa

Abstract

In mitosis, when chromosome attachment errors are detected, a surveillance mechanism called the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) delays the transition from metaphase to anaphase. When all chromosomes are accurately anchored to spindle microtubules and have migrated to the cell equator, the checkpoint is released and mitosis proceeds. Centromere-associated protein-E (CENP-E) is a motor protein from the kinesin-7 family thought to be an important contributor of the SAC. In plants, most mitotic and meiotic SAC components and processes are unknown.

Using a reverse genetics approach, I present cytological evidence that ATCENPE2 is a conserved gene of the plant mitotic checkpoint and is an important regulator of meiosis. I show that an insertion mutation, atcenpe2-1, prevents the normal alignment of chromosomes, causing a delay in mitosis. Aneuploidy is also observed in some cells, indicating an altered checkpoint function. Significantly, the atcenpe2-1 mutant shows problems in chromosome segregation during meiosis, causing gamete malformation. Together, these data describe the novel role of a previously uncharacterized kinesin in plant mitosis and meiosis. Furthermore, this study offers an important tool to study the consequences of aneuploidy at a cellular and organismal level.

Comments

Free and open access to this Campus Access Dissertation is made available to the UMass Boston community by ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. Those not on campus and those without a UMass Boston campus username and password may gain access to this dissertation through resources like Proquest Dissertations & Theses Global or through Interlibrary Loan. If you have a UMass Boston campus username and password and would like to download this work from off-campus, click on the "Off-Campus UMass Boston Users" link above.

Recommended Citation

Diaz, Kristophe J., "A Novel Kinesin, Arabidopsis Thaliana Centromere Associated Protein E2, is Necessary for the Progression of Mitosis and Meiosis" (2014). Graduate Doctoral Dissertations. 171.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/doctoral_dissertations/171