What determines cell size?

Marshall, Wallace F.; Young, Kevin; Swaffer, Matthew P.; Wood, Elizabeth; Nurse, Paul; Kimura, Asako; Frankel, Joseph; Wallingford, John B.; Walbot, Virginia; Qu, Xian; Roeder, Adrienne

doi:10.1186/1741-7007-10-101

Cited by 223 publications

(216 citation statements)

References 202 publications

(253 reference statements)

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“…Size scaling is a fascinating topic in biology that bears significant implications in evolution, and has been addressed and reviewed in many seminal works, e.g., Marshall et al (45). In this work, we leverage our previously established spatiotemporal model framework for SAC silencing to deduce functional requirements for sizing of the mitotic spindle.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spindle Size Scaling Contributes to Robust Silencing of Mitotic Spindle Assembly Checkpoint

Chen

Liu

2016

Biophysical Journal

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Chromosome segregation during mitosis hinges on proper assembly of the microtubule spindle that establishes bipolar attachment to each chromosome. Experiments demonstrate allometry of mitotic spindles and a universal scaling relationship between spindle size and cell size across metazoans, which indicates a conserved principle of spindle assembly at play during evolution. However, the nature of this principle is currently unknown. Researchers have focused on deriving the mechanistic underpinning of the size scaling from the mechanical aspects of the spindle assembly process. In this work we take a different standpoint and ask: What is the size scaling for? We address this question from the functional perspectives of spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). SAC is the critical surveillance mechanism that prevents premature chromosome segregation in the presence of unattached or misattached chromosomes. The SAC signal gets silenced after and only after the last chromosome-spindle attachment in mitosis. We previously established a model that explains the robustness of SAC silencing based on spindle-mediated spatiotemporal regulation of SAC proteins. Here, we refine the previous model, and find that robust and timely SAC silencing entails proper size scaling of mitotic spindle. This finding provides, to our knowledge, a novel, function-oriented angle toward understanding the observed spindle allometry, and the universal scaling relationship between spindle size and cell size in metazoans. In a broad sense, the functional requirement of robust SAC silencing could have helped shape the spindle assembly mechanism in evolution.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spindle Size Scaling Contributes to Robust Silencing of Mitotic Spindle Assembly Checkpoint

Chen

Liu

2016

Biophysical Journal

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“…The absolute size at which division occurs varies greatly in different cell types, 6 and within a cell type it usually varies proportional to ploidy and is often changed by the nutritional status and growth rate of the cells. [7][8][9][10] Despite the importance of cell size for regulating cell cycle progression, the mechanisms by which cells determine their size have remained unclear. Recently our group and another 11,12 have proposed a mechanism for the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe involving a gradient of a postulated sensor protein, Pom1, which extends from the tips of the rodshaped cylindrical cell, reducing in level at the middle of the cell.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pom1 and cell size homeostasis in fission yeast

2013

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“…Young, 2007). Selective pressure, such as nutrient limitation, elicits a decrease in cell size as a result of an increase in cell division (Marshall et al, 2012;Young, 2007). Small cells have a high surface to volume ratio, which allows for optimal influx of nutrients and efflux of wastes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A requirement for cell elongation protein RodZ and cell division proteins FtsN and DedD to maintain the small rod morphology of <i>Escherichia coli</i> at growth temperatures near 8°C

Porter

Frederick

Johnson

et al. 2016

J. Gen. Appl. Microbiol.

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As similarly observed in nutrient-poor media at 37∞C, Escherichia coli forms small rods in nutrient-rich media at temperatures near 8∞C, the minimum temperature of growth. A study was initiated to identify proteins required to facilitate the small rod morphology at low temperature. E. coli contains three nonessential SPOR domain proteins (DamX, RlpA, and DedD) that have been demonstrated to bind to the septal ring. In contrast to the normal growth and small rod morphology of damX and rlpA null mutants at 10∞C, the dedD null mutant exhibited reduced growth and formed filamentous cells. The presence of plasmid-encoded DedD restored growth and small rods. Plasmid-encoded FtsN, an essential SPOR domain protein that functions to stabilize the septal ring and to initiate septation, in the dedD null mutant resulted in increased growth and the formation of shorter chained cells. However, plasmid-encoded DedD failed to restore growth and cell division of cells lacking FtsN at 10∞C. In contrast to cell division protein DedD, RodZ is a cell elongation protein particularly required for growth at 30∞C. However, the rodZ null mutant grew similarly as the wild type strain and produced cocci in LB broth at 10∞C. Moreover at 10∞C, the concerted deletion of dedD and rodZ resulted in severe inhibition of growth accompanied with the formation of swollen prolate ellipsoids due to a block in septal ring assembly and cell elongation. The data indicate the cellular requirement of both FtsN and DedD for septation as well as RodZ for cell elongation to maintain the small rod morphology at temperatures near 8∞C.In comparison to the growth and small rods of the wild type in M9-glucose minimal media at 37∞C, the dedD null mutant grew at the same rate and produced elongated cells while the rodZ null mutant grew at a slightly slower rate and produced cocci. The data indicate that DedD and RodZ are also required to maintain the small rod morphology in nutrient-poor media, but there is a higher cellular requirement of DedD for growth and cell division in nutrient-rich media at low temperature.

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What determines cell size?

Cited by 223 publications

References 202 publications

Spindle Size Scaling Contributes to Robust Silencing of Mitotic Spindle Assembly Checkpoint

Spindle Size Scaling Contributes to Robust Silencing of Mitotic Spindle Assembly Checkpoint

Pom1 and cell size homeostasis in fission yeast

A requirement for cell elongation protein RodZ and cell division proteins FtsN and DedD to maintain the small rod morphology of <i>Escherichia coli</i> at growth temperatures near 8°C

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