On December 23, 2019, the Fangwei Wang Lab at Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, published online a research article in Journal of Cell Biology entitled Centromere-localized Aurora B kinase is required forthe fidelity of chromosome segregation.
Aurora B kinase plays an essential role in chromosome bi-orientation, which is a prerequisite for equal segregation ofchromosomes during mitosis. However, it remains largely unclear whether centromere-localized Aurora B is required forfaithful chromosome segregation. Here we show that histone H3 Thr-3 phosphorylation (H3pT3) and H2A Thr-120phosphorylation (H2ApT120) can independently recruit Aurora B. Disrupting H3pT3-mediated localization of Aurora B at theinner centromere impedes the decline in H2ApT120 during metaphase and causes H2ApT120-dependent accumulation of AuroraB at the kinetochore-proximal centromere. Consequently, silencing of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is delayed,whereas the fidelity of chromosome segregation is negligibly affected. Further eliminating an H2ApT120-dependent pool ofAurora B restores proper timing for SAC silencing but increases chromosome missegregation. Our data indicate that H2ApT120-mediated localization of Aurora B compensates for the loss of an H3pT3-dependent pool of Aurora B to correct improperkinetochore–microtubule attachments. This study provides important insights into how centromeric Aurora B regulates SACand kinetochore attachment to microtubules to ensure error-free chromosome segregation.
Graduate student Cai Liang and Zhenlei Zhang are the co-first author of this study, and Professor Fangwei Wang is the corresponding author. This work was supported by grants from National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a Royal Society Newton Advanced Fellowship, the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in China.
Figure. Model for the role of H3pT3- and H2ApT120-dependent localization of Aurora B at centromeres in regulating kinetochore function and chromosome segregation.
Linkage to the paper：https://rupress.org/jcb/article/219/2/e201907092/133535/Centromere-localized-Aurora-B-kinase-is-required?searchresult=1
