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Alp7-Mto1 and Alp14 synergize to promote interphase microtubule regrowth from the nuclear envelope
Wenyue Liu 1,2,3, Fan Zheng 1,2,3, YucaiWang4, and Chuanhai Fu 1,2,3,*
1 Division of Molecular and Cell Biophysics, Hefei National Science Center for Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
2 Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
3 Anhui Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics and Chemical Biology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
4 School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
*Correspondence to:Chuanhai Fu, E-mail: chuanhai@ustc.edu.cn
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 11, Issue 11, November 2019, 944-955,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjz038
Keyword: microtubule, microtubule nucleation, nuclear envelope, microtubule-associated protein, fission yeast
Microtubules grow not only from the centrosome but also from various noncentrosomal microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs), including the nuclear envelope (NE) and pre-existing microtubules. The evolutionarily conserved proteins Mto1/CDK5RAP2 and Alp14/TOG/XMAP215 have been shown to be involved in promoting microtubule nucleation. However, it has remained elusive as to how the microtubule nucleation promoting factors are specified to various noncentrosomal MTOCs, particularly the NE, and how these proteins coordinate to organize microtubule assembly. Here, we demonstrate that in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, efficient interphase microtubule growth from the NE requires Alp7/TACC, Alp14/TOG/XMAP215, and Mto1/CDK5RAP2. The absence of Alp7, Alp14, or Mto1 compromises microtubule regrowth on the NE in cells undergoing microtubule repolymerization. We further demonstrate that Alp7 and Mto1 interdependently localize to the NE in cells without microtubules and that Alp14 localizes to the NE in an Alp7 and Mto1-dependent manner. Tethering Mto1 to the NE in cells lacking Alp7 partially restores microtubule number and the efficiency of microtubule generation from the NE. Hence, our study delineates that Alp7, Alp14, and Mto1 work in concert to regulate interphase microtubule regrowth on the NE.