Nuclear migration in budding yeasts: position before division

Abstract

Positioning the nucleus to a specific cellular location is a prerequisite for high-fidelity transmission of the genetic material to daughter cells. The cellular location of the nucleus just before its division is variable in budding yeast species which rely on a variety of mechanisms for nuclear division. Dynamic growth and shrinkage kinetics of microtubules (MTs) and forces exerted by the MT plus- and minus-end-directed motor proteins empower nuclear movement. Even though the overall process of nuclear migration is largely conserved across budding yeasts, in-depth molecular analyses of newly emerging model budding yeasts began to reveal striking differences from the paradigms that have been established based on the studies performed in the well-characterized budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we highlight the molecular players involved in differential nuclear migration in diverse budding yeasts.

Keywords: Ascomycete; Basidiomycete; Dynein; Microtubules; Nuclear division.