A conserved KASH domain protein associates with telomeres, SUN1, and dynactin during mammalian meiosis

J Cell Biol. 2012 Jul 23;198(2):165-72. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201204085.

Abstract

In yeasts and worms, KASH (Klarsicht/ANC-1/Syne/homology) domain and SUN (Sad-1/UNC-84) domain nuclear envelope (NE) proteins play a crucial role in meiotic chromosome movement and homologue pairing. However, although the vertebrate SUN domain protein SUN1 is involved in these processes, its partner has remained identified. Based on subcellular localization screening in mouse spermatocytes, we identified a novel germ cell-specific protein, KASH5, that localized exclusively at telomeres from the leptotene to diplotene stages in both spermatocytes and oocytes. KASH5 possesses hitherto unknown KASH-related sequences that directly interacted with SUN1 and mediated telomere localization. Thus, KASH5 is a mammalian meiosis-specific KASH domain protein. We show that meiotic chromosome movement depended on microtubules and that KASH5 interacted with the microtubule-associated dynein-dynactin complex. These results suggest that KASH5 connects the telomere-associated SUN1 protein to the cytoplasmic force-generating mechanism involved in meiotic chromosome movement. Our study strongly suggests that the meiotic homologue-pairing mechanism mediated by the SUN-KASH NE bridge is highly conserved among eukaryotes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins
  • Dynactin Complex
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Meiosis*
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Spermatocytes / metabolism
  • Telomere / metabolism*
  • Testis / metabolism

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins
  • Dynactin Complex
  • KASH5 protein, human
  • KASH5 protein, mouse
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • SUN1 protein, human
  • SUN1 protein, mouse