CP250, a novel acidic coiled-coil protein of the Dictyostelium centrosome, affects growth, chemotaxis, and the nuclear envelope.

The Dictyostelium centrosome is a nucleus associated body consisting of a box-shaped core surrounded by the corona, an amorphous matrix functionally equivalent to the pericentriolar material of animal centrosomes which is responsible for the nucleation and anchoring of microtubules. Here we describe CP250 a component of the corona, an acidic coiled coil protein that is present at the centrosome throughout interphase while disappearing during prophase and reappearing at the end of late telophase. Amino acids 756-1148 of the 2110 amino acids are sufficient for centrosomal targeting and cell cycle-dependent centrosome association. Mutant cells lacking CP250 are smaller in size, growth on bacteria is delayed, chemotaxis is altered, and development is affected, which, in general, are defects observed in cytoskeletal mutants. Furthermore, loss of CP250 affected the nuclear envelope and led to reduced amounts and altered distribution of Sun-1, a conserved nuclear envelope protein that connects the centrosome to chromatin.