Publications [#228654] of Daniel P. Kiehart

Papers Published

1. Karess, RE; Chang, XJ; Edwards, KA; Kulkarni, S; Aguilera, I; Kiehart, DP, The regulatory light chain of nonmuscle myosin is encoded by spaghetti-squash, a gene required for cytokinesis in Drosophila., Cell, vol. 65 no. 7 (June, 1991), pp. 1177-1189, ISSN 0092-8674 [1905980], [doi]
   (last updated on 2026/01/17)

   Abstract:
   Two independent approaches to understanding the molecular mechanism of cytokinesis have converged on the gene spaghetti-squash (sqh). A genetic screen for mitotic mutants identified sqh1, a mutation that disrupts cytokinesis, which was then cloned by transposon tagging. Independently, the gene that encodes the regulatory light chain of the biochemically defined nonmuscle myosin (MRLC-C) was also cloned. We show here that sqh encodes MRLC-C and that in sqh1 mutants, the level of stable light chain transcript is greatly reduced. Reversion by transposon excision or transformation with a wild-type copy of the sqh transcription unit rescues cytokinesis failure and other defects in sqh1. Vertebrate homologs of MRLC-C are phosphorylatable and regulate myosin activity in vitro. These studies provide genetic proof that MRLC-C is required for cytokinesis, suggest a role for the protein in regulating contractile ring function, and establish a genetic system to evaluate its function.

   Keywords:
   Alleles • Amino Acid Sequence • Animals • Base Sequence • Blotting, Northern • Blotting, Southern • Cell Division* • Chromosome Mapping • Cloning, Molecular • Drosophila melanogaster • Gene Expression • Genes • Mitosis • Molecular Sequence Data • Mutation • Myosins • Nucleic Acid Hybridization • Phenotype • RNA, Messenger • Restriction Mapping • Transcription, Genetic • genetics • genetics* • physiology