Isolation and characterization of mutants supersensitive to the spindle poison, isopropyl N-3-chlorophenyl carbamate (CIPC) in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Mutants supersensitive to the spindle poison, Isopropyl N-3-chlorophenyl carbamate (CIPC) of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe were isolated and characterized genetically. Fourteen different recessive loci were assigned for the mutation (donated as cps1 to cps14) and two, cps1 and cps3, were mapped precisely on the chromosomes. Nine mutant strains were also supersensitive to phenothiazine derivatives, inhibitors of calcium-binding protein calmodulin. Four of nine strains were incapable of growing in the presence of 10 microM calcium ionophore A23187, at which the drug had no effect on cell growth in other strains. Fluorescence microscopy using the DAPI and Calcofluor staining methods showed two strains out of four to be defective in normal cell division; most stationary-phase cells of the cps6 mutant were seen to be bi- or tetra-nucleate, being partitioned with one or three septa, respectively. In the other mutant (cps8), enlarged cells were unequally partitioned with multisepta, and each compartment contained several daughter nuclei. The septa appeared aberrant in position within the cell, and situated diagonally but not vertically along the long cell axis.