Spindle Microtubules
Spindle Microtubules - Related Videos
10:52
Reconstitution of Basic Mitotic Spindles in Spherical Emulsion Droplets
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Cited by 19 •
2016
The assembly and positioning of the mitotic spindle depend on the combined forces generated by microtubule dynamics, motor proteins and cross-linkers. Here we present our recently developed methods in which the geometrical confinement of spherical emulsion droplets is used for the bottom-up reconstitution of basic mitotic spindles.
08:31
Measurement of Microtubule Dynamics by Spinning Disk Microscopy in Monopolar Mitotic Spindles
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Cited by 1 •
2019
Here we present a robust and detailed method of microtubule dynamics analysis in cells synchronized in prometaphase using live-cell spinning disk confocal microscopy and MATLAB-based image processing.
12:20
Preparation of Segmented Microtubules to Study Motions Driven by the Disassembling Microtubule Ends
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Cited by 24 •
2014
Microtubules are inherently unstable polymers, and their switching between growth and shortening is stochastic and difficult to control. Here we describe protocols using segmented microtubules with photoablatable stabilizing caps. Depolymerization of segmented microtubules can be triggered with high temporal and spatial resolution, thereby assisting analysis of motions with the disassembling microtubule ends.
02:27
The Mitotic Spindle
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2021
The mitotic spindle—or spindle apparatus—is a eukaryotic, cytoskeletal structure made up of long protein fibers called microtubules. Formed during cell division, the spindle separates sister chromatids and moves them to opposite ends of a parental cell, where the now individual chromosomes are distributed to two daughter cell nuclei. The bipolar configuration of the mitotic spindle facilitates chromosomal segregation, preparing the cell for division. One mechanism that ensures bipolar mitotic...
02:50
Spindle Assembly
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2021
Spindle assembly occurs through three, often coexisting, pathways – the centrosome-mediated pathway, the chromatin-mediated pathway, and the microtubule-mediated pathway – collectively contributing to form a robust spindle apparatus. In most cells, centrosomes are the primary microtubule nucleation centers. In the centrosome-mediated pathway, the G2-prophase transition triggers centrosome maturation and increased microtubule nucleation. Progressive nucleation results in a microtubule array...
FAQs
Continuous cycles of tubulin addition and removal allow spindle microtubules to change length during division. These regulated changes help fibers search for and maintain functional contacts with chromosomes or with opposing spindle fibers. Once the spindle is organized, microtubule shortening and coordinated fiber behavior help move duplicated chromosomes toward separate daughter cells, supporting accurate genetic inheritance.
Kinetochore attachment connects spindle fibers directly to chromosomes, providing a physical route for chromosome movement. Other spindle microtubules interact with opposing fibers rather than attaching to kinetochores, so the two arrangements contribute differently to spindle organization and separation. Their coordinated activity aligns chromosomes and helps distribute genetic material to daughter cells.
Centrosomes and other microtubule-organizing centers provide sites from which spindle microtubules assemble. Their contribution helps establish the organized fiber system required for chromosome alignment and separation. Because spindle function depends on both assembly and regulated shortening, these organizing centers support the formation of a structure capable of coordinating chromosome movement during cell division.
Errors in spindle microtubule regulation can cause chromosomes to segregate inaccurately rather than being distributed correctly between daughter cells. This chromosome missegregation can produce aneuploidy, a condition involving an abnormal chromosome number. The connection between spindle errors and aneuploidy makes microtubule behavior important for understanding failures in genetic inheritance during cell division.
Regulated spindle microtubule dynamics coordinate chromosome movement in both mitosis and meiosis, although these are distinct forms of cell division. Studying their behavior in each context helps explain how cells organize and separate genetic material under different division programs. This biology is relevant to research on cell organization, development, and the accurate transmission of chromosomes.
Cancer research examines spindle microtubules because disrupting their function can interfere with the chromosome-separation process required for cell division. Such disruption may inhibit tumor cell proliferation, making microtubule function relevant to therapeutic development. At the same time, studying these fibers provides broader insight into how altered division and chromosome missegregation relate to cancer biology.