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First published online 14 September 2005
doi: 10.1242/dev.02028

Development 132, 4509-4520 (2005)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2005
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Maternal expression of the checkpoint protein BubR1 is required for synchrony of syncytial nuclear divisions and polar body arrest in Drosophila melanogaster

Daniel Pérez-Mongiovi1,*, Nicolas Malmanche1,*, Hassan Bousbaa1,2 and Claudio Sunkel1,3,{dagger}

1 Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 823, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
2 Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde-Norte, Grupo de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Rua Central de Gandra 1317, 4580 Gandra PRD, Portugal
3 ICBAS, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4000 Porto, Portugal

{dagger} Author for correspondence (e-mail: cesunkel{at}ibmc.up.pt)

Accepted 5 August 2005

The spindle checkpoint is a surveillance mechanism that regulates the metaphase-anaphase transition during somatic cell division through inhibition of the APC/C ensuring proper chromosome segregation. We show that the conserved spindle checkpoint protein BubR1 is required during early embryonic development. BubR1 is maternally provided and localises to kinetochores from prophase to metaphase during syncytial divisions similarly to somatic cells. To determine BubR1 function during embryogenesis, we generated a new hypomorphic semi-viable female sterile allele. Mutant females lay eggs containing undetectable levels of BubR1 show early developmental arrest, abnormal syncytial nuclear divisions, defects in chromosome congression, premature sister chromatids separation, irregular chromosome distribution and asynchronous divisions. Nuclei in BubR1 mutant embryos do not arrest in response to spindle damage suggesting that BubR1 performs a checkpoint function during syncytial divisions. Furthermore, we find that in wild-type embryos BubR1 localises to the kinetochores of condensed polar body chromosomes. This localisation is functional because in mutant embryos, polar body chromatin undergoes cycles of condensation-decondensation with additional rounds of DNA replication. Our results suggest that BubR1 is required for normal synchrony and progression of syncytial nuclei through mitosis and to maintain the mitotic arrest of the polar body chromosomes after completion of meiosis.

Key words: BubR1, Mitosis, Checkpoint, Embryogenesis, Polar body, Drosophila




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