Bfa1p and Bub2p are spindle checkpoint proteins that likely have GTPase activation activity and are associated with the budding yeast spindle pole body (SPB). Here, we show that Bfa1p and Bub2p bind the Ras-like GTPase Tem1p, a component of the mitotic exit network, to the cytoplasmic face of the SPB that enters the bud, whereas the GDP/GTP exchange factor Lte1p is associated with the cortex of the bud. Migration of the SPB into the bud probably allows activation of Tem1p through Lte1p, thereby linking nuclear migration with mitotic exit. Since components of the Bub2p checkpoint are conserved in other organisms, we propose that the position of the SPB or mammalian centrosome controls the timing of mitotic exit.

The budding yeast mitotic exit network (MEN) is a signal transduction cascade that controls exit from mitosis by facilitating the release of the cell cycle phosphatase Cdc14 from the nucleolus. The G protein Tem1 regulates MEN activity. The Tem1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Lte1 associates with the cortex of the bud and activates the MEN upon the formation of an anaphase spindle. Thus, the cell cortex has an important but ill-de®ned role in MEN regulation. Here, we describe a network of conserved cortical cell polarity proteins that have key roles in mitotic exit. The Rho-like GTPase Cdc42, its GEF Cdc24 and its effector Cla4 [a member of the p21-activated kinases (PAKs)] control the initial binding and activation of Lte1 to the bud cortex. Moreover, Cdc24, Cdc42 and Ste20, another PAK, probably function parallel to Lte1 in facilitating mitotic exit. Finally, the cell polarity proteins Kel1 and Kel2 are present in complexes with both Lte1 and Tem1, and negatively regulate mitotic exit.

The small guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding proteins of the Rho family are implicated in various cell functions, including establishment and maintenance of cell polarity. Activity of Rho guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) is not only regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors and GTPase-activating proteins but also by guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitors (GDIs). These proteins have the ability to extract Rho proteins from membranes and keep them in an inactive cytosolic complex. Here, we show that Rdi1, the sole Rho GDI of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, contributes to pseudohyphal growth and mitotic exit. Rdi1 interacts only with Cdc42, Rho1, and Rho4, and it regulates these Rho GTPases by distinct mechanisms. Binding between Rdi1 and Cdc42 as well as Rho1 is modulated by the Cdc42 effector and p21-activated kinase Cla4. After membrane extraction mediated by Rdi1, Rho4 is degraded by a novel mechanism, which includes the glycogen synthase kinase 3␤ homologue Ygk3, vacuolar proteases, and the proteasome. Together, these results indicate that Rdi1 uses distinct modes of regulation for different Rho GTPases. INTRODUCTIONSmall guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) of the Rho family control fundamental processes of cell biology common to all eukaryotes, such as morphogenesis, polarity, movement, and cell division (Jaffe and Hall, 2005). In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which encodes six Rho GTPases (Cdc42 and Rho1 to Rho5), these proteins play a pivotal role in the establishment of cell polarity (Park and Bi, 2007). Budding yeast cells undergo polarized growth during various phases of their life cycle, including budding during vegetative growth, mating between haploid cells of opposite mating types, and filamentous growth upon nutrient limitation. Although Cdc42 and Rho1 are well characterized, little is known about the other Rho proteins. Membrane association of Rho-type GTPases is essential for their function, and it depends on a C-terminal prenyl moiety and an adjacent polybasic region. Cdc42 localizes to internal membranes and the entire plasma membrane, where it clusters at sites of polarized growth, including the tips of mating projections, incipient bud sites, the tips and sides of growing buds, and the bud neck region of large-budded cells (Ziman et al., 1993;Richman et al., 2002). In addition to membranebound Cdc42, a cytoplasmic pool has been found (Ziman et al., 1993). Similar to Cdc42, Rho1 has been shown to localize at sites of polarized growth .Like other regulatory GTPases, they act as molecular switches, cycling between an active guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-bound state and an inactive guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-bound state. This activity is highly regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). The exchange of GDP to GTP, and thus the activation of Cdc42, is catalyzed by GEFs. In the active GTP-bound state, Rho GTPases perform their regulatory function through a conformation-specific interaction with effector proteins. G...

We have used whole-exome sequencing in ten individuals from four unrelated pedigrees to identify biallelic missense mutations in the nuclear-encoded mitochondrial inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPA2) that are associated with mitochondrial disease. These individuals show a range of severity, indicating that PPA2 mutations may cause a spectrum of mitochondrial disease phenotypes. Severe symptoms include seizures, lactic acidosis, cardiac arrhythmia, and death within days of birth. In the index family, presentation was milder and manifested as cardiac fibrosis and an exquisite sensitivity to alcohol, leading to sudden arrhythmic cardiac death in the second decade of life. Comparison of normal and mutant PPA2-containing mitochondria from fibroblasts showed that the activity of inorganic pyrophosphatase was significantly reduced in affected individuals. Recombinant PPA2 enzymes modeling hypomorphic missense mutations had decreased activity that correlated with disease severity. These findings confirm the pathogenicity of PPA2 mutations and suggest that PPA2 is a cardiomyopathy-associated protein, which has a greater physiological importance in mitochondrial function than previously recognized.