Analysis of the contribution of phosphoinositides to medial septation in fission yeast highlights the importance of PI(4,5)P for medial contractile ring anchoring.

In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, loss of the plasma membrane PI4-kinase scaffold Efr3 leads to sliding of the cytokinetic ring (CR) away from the cell center during anaphase, implicating phosphoinositides (PIPs) in CR anchoring. However, whether other PIP regulators contribute to CR anchoring has not been investigated. Here we report that mutants of other PIP kinases and their regulators divide with off-center septa, similar to efr3∆. Using new biosensors for S. pombe PIPs, we confirm that these mutants have disrupted PIP composition. We extend a previous finding that a mutant known to decrease PI(3,5)P levels indirectly affects CR positioning by increasing vacuole size which disrupts nuclear position at the onset of mitosis. Indeed, we found that other mutants with increased vacuole size also disrupt medial division via this mechanism. Although elevated plasma membrane PI(4,5)P levels do not affect medial cytokinesis, mutants with decreased levels display CR sliding events indicating a specific role for PI(4,5)P in CR anchoring.