Ssu72 phosphatase deficiency leads to spindle crossing during the second meiotic division process.
Ssu72 is a component of the yeast cleavage/polyadenylation factor (CPF) complex, which catalyzes the dephosphorylation of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II at S5-P and S7-P. It has been shown that Ssu72 phosphatase is involved in regulating chromosome cohesion during mitosis. To further clarify whether Ssu72 phosphatase affects chromosome separation during meiotic division in  Schizosaccharomyces pombe , we utilized green fluorescent protein (GFP) to label centromeres and red fluorescent protein to label microtubule protein Atb2. The entire meiotic chromosome separation process of  ssu72∆  cells was observed in real-time under fluorescence microscope. It was found that two spindles of  ssu72∆  cells crossed during the metaphase and anaphase of the second meiotic division, and this spindle crossing led to a new type of spore defect distribution pattern. The results of this study can provide important reference significance for studying the roles of phosphatase Ssu72 in higher organisms.
Jing-Liang Y, Ling-Ling M, Yoshinori W