Determination of division plane and organization of contractile ring in Tetrahymena

In the molecular mechanism of division plane determination and contractile ring formation, Tetrahymena 85kDa protein (p85) is localized to the presumptive division plane before the formation of the contractile ring. p85 directly interacts with Tetrahymena calmodulin (CaM) in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner, and p85 and CaM colocalize in the division furrow. A Ca²⁺/CaM inhibitor N-(6-Aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide HCI (W7) inhibits the direct interaction between p85 and Ca²⁺/CaM. W7 also inhibits the localization of p85 and CaM to the division plane, and the formation of the contractile ring and division furrow. In addition, p85 binds to G-actin in a Ca²⁺/CaM dependent manner, but does not bind F-actin. Tetrahymena profilin is localized to division furrow and binds Tetrahymena elongation factor-1α (EF-1α). EF-1α, which induces bundling of Tetrahymena F-actin, is also localized to the division furrow during cytokinesis. The evidence also indicates that Ca²⁺/CaM inhibits the F-actin-bundling activity of EF-1α, and that EF-1α and CaM colocalize in the division furrow. In this review, we propose that the Ca²⁺/CaM signal and its target protein p85 cooperatively regulate the determination of the division plane and the initiation of the contractile ring formation, and that profilin and a Ca²⁺/CaM-sensitive actin-bundling protein, EF-1α, play pivotal roles in regulating the organization of the contractile ring microfilaments.