Oscillation of APC/C activity during cell cycle arrest promotes centrosome amplification

Abstract

Centrosome duplication is licensed by the disengagement, or ‘uncoupling’, of centrioles during late mitosis. However, arrest of cells in G2 can trigger premature centriole disengagement. Here, we show that premature disengagement results from untimely activation of the APC/C leading to securin degradation and release of active separase. APC/C activation during G2 arrest is dependent on Plk1-mediated degradation of the APC/C inhibitor, Emi1, but Plk1 also has a second APC/C-independent role in promoting disengagement. Importantly, APC/C and Plk1 activity also stimulate centriole disengagement in response to hydroxyurea or DNA damage-induced cell cycle arrest and this leads to centrosome amplification. However, the re-duplication of disengaged centrioles is dependent on Cdk2 activity and Cdk2 activation coincides with a subsequent inactivation of the APC/C and re-accumulation of cyclin A. Release from these arrests leads to mitotic entry but, due to the presence of disengaged and/or amplified centrosomes, formation of abnormal mitotic spindles that lead to chromosome missegregation. Thus, oscillation of APC/C activity during cell cycle arrest promotes both centrosome amplification and genome instability.