Microtubules play a central role in cell division and cell polarity in eukaryotic cells. Fission yeast represents a useful model system for studies of their regulation, since its cytoskeleton is highly organized and dynamic. Interphase fission yeast cells contain 2-5 longitudinal bundles of microtubules, and these grow from the cell centre to its ends, where they undergo catastrophe. Mercedes Pardo and Paul Nurse have now characterized Amo1, a nucleoporin-like protein whose overexpression causes microtubules to bundle on one side of the cell (see p. 1705). Amo1 localizes to the nuclear rim but does not overlap with nuclear pore complex components. The phenotype of amo1Δ cells indicates that Amo1 helps to regulate microtubule growth, cell-end termination and cell polarity. These observations, together with the localization of Amo1, suggest that the interplay between the nucleus and microtubules is important for the regulation of microtubule dynamics. However, Pardo and Nurse find...

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