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Rho-kinase/ROCK is involved in cytokinesis through the phosphorylation of myosin light chain and not ezrin/radixin/moesin proteins at the cleavage furrow

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Abstract

The small GTPase Rho and one of its targets, Rho-kinase (also termed ROK or ROCK), are implicated in various cellular functions including stress fiber formation, smooth muscle contraction, tumor cell invasion and cell motility. We have previously reported that Rho-kinase accumulates at the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis in several cultured cells. Here, using Rho-kinase inhibitors, Y-27632 and HA1077, we found that Rho-kinase is responsible for the phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain at Ser19 in the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis. On the other hand, phosphorylation of ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins at the cleavage furrow was enhanced by the addition of the above Rho-kinase inhibitors. Treatment with Y-27632 strongly enhanced the accumulation of Rho-kinase but not RhoA and citron kinase at the cleavage furrow. Furthermore, the furrow ingression in cytokinesis was significantly prolonged in the presence of Y-27632. These results suggest that Rho-kinase is involved in the progression of cytokinesis through the phosphorylation of several proteins including myosin light chain at the cleavage furrow.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Drs S Yonemura, Sa Tsukita and Sh Tsukita for providing us with anti-CP-ERMs mAb (297S). H Kosako thanks Dr M Nakafuku for encouragement and support. This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan, Japan Society of the Promotion of Science Research for the Future and a grant from Bristol-Myers-Squibb.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Biochemistry, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, 464-8681, Japan

    Hidetaka Kosako & Masaki Inagaki

  2. Department of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Hidetaka Kosako

  3. Department of Pathology, Mie University School of Medicine, 514-8507, Tsu, Japan

    Toshimichi Yoshida

  4. Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, NJ 08855, New Jersey, USA

    Fumio Matsumura

  5. Department of Pharmacology, Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto, 606-8315, Japan

    Toshimasa Ishizaki & Shuh Narumiya

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  1. Hidetaka Kosako
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  2. Toshimichi Yoshida
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  3. Fumio Matsumura
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  4. Toshimasa Ishizaki
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  5. Shuh Narumiya
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Kosako, H., Yoshida, T., Matsumura, F. et al. Rho-kinase/ROCK is involved in cytokinesis through the phosphorylation of myosin light chain and not ezrin/radixin/moesin proteins at the cleavage furrow. Oncogene 19, 6059–6064 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1203987

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1203987

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