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Diffusion barriers and the dumbbell shape of the anaphase nucleus promote nuclear compartmentalization and asymmetric protein inheritance during closed mitosis in yeast., During vegetative growth, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells divide asymmetrically: the mother cell buds to produce a smaller daughter cell. This daughter asymmetrically inherits the transcription factor Ace2, which activates daughter-specific transcriptional programs. In this paper, we investigate when and how this asymmetry is established and maintained. We show that Ace2 asymmetry is initiated in the elongated, but undivided, anaphase nucleus. At this stage, the nucleoplasm was highly compartmentalized; little exchange was observed for nucleoplasmic proteins between mother and bud. Using photobleaching and in silico modeling, we show that diffusion barriers compartmentalize the nuclear membranes. In contrast, the behavior of proteins in the nucleoplasm is well explained by the dumbbell shape of the anaphase nucleus. This compartmentalization of the nucleoplasm promoted Ace2 asymmetry in anaphase nuclei. Thus, our data indicate that yeast cells use the process of closed mitosis and the morphological constraints associated with it to asymmetrically segregate nucleoplasmic components.

The Kar9 pathway promotes nuclear fusion during mating and spindle alignment during metaphase in budding yeast. How Kar9 supports the different outcome of these two divergent processes is an open question. Here, we show that three sites in the C-terminal disordered domain of Kar9 mediate tight Kar9 interaction with the C-terminal dimerization domain of Bim1 (EB1 orthologue). Site1 and Site2 contain SxIP motifs; however, Site3 defines a novel type of EB1-binding site. Whereas Site2 and Site3 mediate Kar9 recruitment to microtubule tips, nuclear movement, and karyogamy, only Site2 functions in spindle positioning during metaphase. Site1 in turn plays an inhibitory role during mating. Additionally, the Kar9-Bim1 complex is involved in microtubule-independent activities during mating. Together, our data reveal how multiple and partially redundant EB1-binding sites provide a microtubule-associated protein with the means to modulate its biochemical properties to promote different molecular processes during cell proliferation and differentiation., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 27 (23), ISSN:1939-4586, ISSN:1059-1524