In yeast, microtubules are dynamic filaments necessary for spindle and nucleus positioning, as well as for proper chromosome
segregation. We identify a function for the yeast gene
BER1 (Benomyl REsistant 1) in microtubule stability.
BER1 belongs to an evolutionary conserved gene family whose founding member Sensitivity to Red light Reduced is involved in red-light
perception and circadian rhythms in Arabidopsis. Here, we present data showing that the
ber1Δ mutant is affected in microtubule stability, particularly in presence of microtubule-depolymerising drugs. The pattern of
synthetic lethal interactions obtained with the
ber1Δ mutant suggests that Ber1 may function in N-terminal protein acetylation. Our work thus suggests that microtubule stability
might be regulated through this post-translational modification on yet-to-be determined proteins.
Keywords Microtubule - Kinetochore - Spindle checkpoint - Yeast - Protein N-acetylation - SRR1
Communicated by J. Hasek.