Septins are a class of GTP-binding proteins conserved throughout many eukaryotes. Individual septin subunits associate with one another and assemble into heterogenic complexes that form filaments and higher-order structures in vivo. The mechanisms underlying the assembly and maintenance of higher-order structures in
cells remain poorly understood. Septins in several organisms have been shown to be phosphorylated, although precisely how
septin phosphorylation may be contributing to the formation of high-order septin structures is unknown. Four of the five septins expressed in the filamentous fungus, Ashbya gossypii, are phosphorylated, and we demonstrate here the diverse roles of these phosphorylation sites in septin ring formation and septin dynamics, as well as cell morphology and viability. Intriguingly, the alteration of specific sites in Cdc3p and Cdc11p leads to a complete loss of higher-order septin structures, implicating septin.
Relevant Topics in Medical Sciences
