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  • The EMBO Journal (2008) 27, 1852 - 1862
  • doi:10.1038/emboj.2008.118

Published online: 12 June 2008

A B-Myb complex containing clathrin and filamin is required for mitotic spindle function

Tomohiro Yamauchi1,2,a, Takefumi Ishidao1,a, Teruaki Nomura1, Toshie Shinagawa1, Yasunori Tanaka1, Shigenobu Yonemura3 and Shunsuke Ishii1,2

  1. Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, RIKEN Tsukuba Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
  2. Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
  3. Laboratory for Cellular Morphogenesis, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan

Correspondence to:

Shunsuke Ishii, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, RIKEN Tsukuba Institute, 3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan. Tel.: +81 29 836 9031; Fax: +81 29 836 9030; E-mail: sishii@rtc.riken.jp

aThese authors contributed equally to this work

Received 22 December 2007; Accepted 27 May 2008

B-Myb is one member of the vertebrate Myb family of transcription factors and is ubiquitously expressed. B-Myb activates transcription of a group of genes required for the G2/M cell cycle transition by forming the dREAM/Myb–MuvB-like complex, which was originally identified in Drosophila. Mutants of zebrafish B-myb and Drosophila myb exhibit defects in cell cycle progression and genome instability. Although the genome instability caused by a loss of B-Myb has been speculated to be due to abnormal cell cycle progression, the precise mechanism remains unknown. Here, we have purified a B-Myb complex containing clathrin and filamin (Myb–Clafi complex). This complex is required for normal localization of clathrin at the mitotic spindle, which was previously reported to stabilize kinetochore fibres. The Myb–Clafi complex is not tightly associated with the mitotic spindles, suggesting that this complex ferries clathrin to the mitotic spindles. Thus, identification of the Myb–Clafi complex reveals a previously unrecognized function of B-Myb that may contribute to its role in chromosome stability, possibly, tumour suppression.

  • Keywords:

    • B-Myb,
    • clathrin,
    • filamin,
    • genome instability,
    • mitotic spindle