TY - JOUR TI - Splicing factors Sf3A2 and Prp31 have direct roles in mitotic chromosome segregation AU - Pellacani, Claudia AU - Bucciarelli, Elisabetta AU - Renda, Fioranna AU - Hayward, Daniel AU - Palena, Antonella AU - Chen, Jack AU - Bonaccorsi, Silvia AU - Wakefield, James G AU - Gatti, Maurizio AU - Somma, Maria Patrizia A2 - Pines, Jon A2 - Akhmanova, Anna VL - 7 PY - 2018 DA - 2018/11/26 SP - e40325 C1 - eLife 2018;7:e40325 DO - 10.7554/eLife.40325 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.40325 AB - Several studies have shown that RNAi-mediated depletion of splicing factors (SFs) results in mitotic abnormalities. However, it is currently unclear whether these abnormalities reflect defective splicing of specific pre-mRNAs or a direct role of the SFs in mitosis. Here, we show that two highly conserved SFs, Sf3A2 and Prp31, are required for chromosome segregation in both Drosophila and human cells. Injections of anti-Sf3A2 and anti-Prp31 antibodies into Drosophila embryos disrupt mitotic division within 1 min, arguing strongly against a splicing-related mitotic function of these factors. We demonstrate that both SFs bind spindle microtubules (MTs) and the Ndc80 complex, which in Sf3A2- and Prp31-depleted cells is not tightly associated with the kinetochores; in HeLa cells the Ndc80/HEC1-SF interaction is restricted to the M phase. These results indicate that Sf3A2 and Prp31 directly regulate interactions among kinetochores, spindle microtubules and the Ndc80 complex in both Drosophila and human cells. KW - Sf3A2 KW - Prp31 KW - Ndc80 KW - mitosis KW - Drosophila KW - HeLa cells JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -