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Review
. 2021 Nov 30;10(12):3359.
doi: 10.3390/cells10123359.

Coupling DNA Replication and Spindle Function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Dimitris Liakopoulos  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Coupling DNA Replication and Spindle Function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Dimitris Liakopoulos. Cells. .

Abstract

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA replication and spindle assembly can overlap. Therefore, signaling mechanisms modulate spindle dynamics in order to ensure correct timing of chromosome segregation relative to genome duplication, especially when replication is incomplete or the DNA becomes damaged. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms that coordinate DNA replication and spindle dynamics, as well as on the role of spindle-dependent forces in DNA repair. Understanding the coupling between genome duplication and spindle function in yeast cells can provide important insights into similar processes operating in other eukaryotic organisms, including humans.

Keywords: S-phase checkpoint; cell cycle; replication; spindle; yeast.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
In yeast cells (only the nucleus and the spindle are depicted here), spindle formation occurs after bulk DNA replication has been completed (unperturbed cell cycle, a–c), but can occur in parallel to DNA replication upon replication stress (replication stress, a–c). The S-phase checkpoint prevents anaphase spindle elongation by inhibiting spindle-associated factors, like kinesin-5 Cin8 and Ase1/PRC1 (replication stress a–c), and by stabilizing cohesion once cohesion has been established (c,d). These mechanisms do not operate in checkpoint mutants under replication stress, and cells elongate their spindle before completion of bulk genome duplication, performing catastrophic mitosis (d). Nuclear membrane, SPBs and MTs in grey, chromosomes in light blue, nuclear membrane not shown at anaphase.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A simplified scheme depicting the main molecular pathways that control spindle dynamics in response to activation of the S-phase checkpoint.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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