Adams et al., 1998, Genes Dev. 12(10): 1483--1494

Adams et al., 1998, Genes Dev. 12(10): 1483--1494
FlyBase Identifier	FBrf0102640
FlyBase URL	http://flybase.org/reports/FBrf0102640.html
Publication Type	paper
Publication Year	1998
PubMed ID	9585508
PubMed URL	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9585508

Title

pavarotti encodes a kinesin-like protein required to organize the central spindle and contractile ring for cytokinesis.

Abstract

Mutations in the Drosophila gene pavarotti result in the formation of abnormally large cells in the embryonic nervous system. In mitotic cycle 16, cells of pav mutant embryos undergo normal anaphase but then develop an abnormal telophase spindle and fail to undertake cytokinesis. We show that the septin Peanut, actin, and the actin-associated protein Anillin, do not become correctly localized in pav mutants. pav encodes a kinesin-like protein, PAV-KLP, related to the mammalian MKLP-1. In cellularized embryos, the protein is localized to centrosomes early in mitosis, and to the midbody region of the spindle in late anaphase and telophase. We show that Polo kinase associates with PAV-KLP with which it shows an overlapping pattern of subcellular localization during the mitotic cycle and this distribution is disrupted in pav mutants. We suggest that PAV-KLP is required both to establish the structure of the telophase spindle to provide a framework for the assembly of the contractile ring, and to mobilize mitotic regulator proteins.

Genes from Reference

Gene(s)	Dmel\Khc, Dmel\w