Targeting Polo-like kinase in space and time during C. elegans meiosis

Abstract

A central player in meiotic chromosome dynamics is the conserved Polo-like kinase (PLK) family. PLKs are dynamically localized to distinct structures during meiotic prophase and phosphorylate a diverse group of substrates to control homolog pairing, synapsis, and meiotic recombination. In a recent study, we uncovered the mechanisms that control the targeting of a meiosis-specific PLK-2 in C. elegans. In early meiotic prophase, PLK-2 localizes to special chromosome regions known as pairing centers and drives homolog pairing and synapsis. PLK-2 then relocates to the synaptonemal complex (SC) after crossover designation and mediates chromosome remodeling required for homolog separation. What controls this intricate targeting of PLK-2 in space and time? We discuss recent findings and remaining questions for the future.

Centriole elimination during Caenorhabditis elegans oogenesis initiates with loss of the central tube protein SAS‐1

“…Given that Polo‐mediated PCM removal triggers oogenesis centriole elimination in the fly (Pimenta‐Marques et al , 2016), we investigated whether Polo‐like kinases and the PCM operate similarly in the worm. Apart from the Plk4‐related kinase ZYG‐1, there are three Polo‐like kinases in C. elegans : PLK‐1, which is essential and closest to Polo, exerting analogous functions during centrosome maturation and embryonic cell division (Chase et al , 2000); PLK‐2, which is not essential and functions in meiotic chromosome organization (Brandt & Kim, 2021); PLK‐3, which is most divergent and non‐essential, with no ascribed function. Previous immunostaining established that, in the gonad, PLK‐1 and PLK‐2 localize at centrosomes exclusively in the mitotic zone (Harper et al , 2011).…”

Centriole elimination duringC. elegansoogenesis initiates with loss of the central tube protein SAS-1

“…Given that Polo-mediated PCM removal triggers oogenesis centriole elimination in the fly (Pimenta-Marques et al, 2016), we investigated whether Polo-like kinases and the PCM operate similarly in the worm. There are three Polo-like kinases in C. elegans: PLK-1, which is essential and closest to Polo, exerting analogous functions during centrosome maturation and embryonic cell division (Chase et al, 2000); PLK-2, which is not essential and functions in meiotic chromosome organization (Brandt and Kim, 2021); the more divergent and nonessential PLK-3, which has no ascribed function. Previous immunostaining established that PLK-1 and PLK-2 in the gonad localize at centrosomes exclusively in the mitotic zone (Harper et al, 2011).…”