... that a CPAP region outside the microtubule-interacting domains influences centriole number and length, which translates to spindle defects and reduced cell viability. Our work provides new insights into the molecular causes of primary microcephaly. * Author for correspondence ( priyankasingh@iitj.ac.in...

...Kehan Xu; Chunxue Wang; Kari Keinänen; Hong Li; Chunlin Cai ABSTRACT Swift and complete spindle disassembly in late mitosis is essential for cell survival, yet how it happens is largely unknown in mammalian cells. Here we used real-time live cell microscopy and biochemical assays to show...

...Xiaotian Wang; Claudia Baumann; Rabindranath De La Fuente; Maria M. Viveiros ABSTRACT Oocyte-specific knockdown of pericentrin (PCNT) in transgenic (Tg) mice disrupts acentriolar microtubule-organizing center (aMTOC) formation, leading to spindle instability and error-prone meiotic division. Here...

... aggregation of PLK1, which is highly phosphorylated, in the cytoplasm during mitosis. Importantly, a targeted RNAi screen revealed that depletion of CEP76 resulted in a similar phenotype. In addition, depletion of CEP76 caused defective spindle orientation and mitotic delay. Moreover, the formation of ectopic...

... events. In S. cerevisiae , Cdk1 phosphorylates securin (Pds1), which facilitates Pds1 binding and inhibits separase (Esp1). During anaphase, Esp1 cleaves the cohesin subunit Scc1 and promotes spindle elongation. Here, we show that PP2A Cdc55 directly dephosphorylates Pds1 both in vivo and in vitro . Pds1...

...Ana Loncar; Sergio A. Rincon; Manuel Lera Ramirez; Anne Paoletti; Phong T. Tran ABSTRACT To segregate the chromosomes faithfully during cell division, cells assemble a spindle that captures the kinetochores and pulls them towards opposite poles. Proper spindle function requires correct interplay...

...Federico Pelisch; Laura Bel Borja; Ellis G. Jaffray; Ronald T. Hay ABSTRACT Oocyte meiotic spindles in most species lack centrosomes and the mechanisms that underlie faithful chromosome segregation in acentrosomal meiotic spindles are not well understood. In C. elegans oocytes, spindle microtubules...

... transport, nuclear positioning, spindle migration and anchorage, polar body extrusion and accurate chromosome segregation in mammalian oocytes. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster, we summarize the many functions of the actin cytoskeleton in oocytes, with a focus on findings...

...Priya Amin; Sadhbh Soper Ní Chafraidh; Ioanna Leontiou; Kevin G. Hardwick ABSTRACT Chemically induced dimerisation (CID) uses small molecules to control specific protein–protein interactions. We employed CID dependent on the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) to reconstitute spindle checkpoint...

... approaches used in comparative biology studies. Chromosome segregation Comparative biology Evolution Mitosis Nuclear envelope Spindle The generality of cell biological mechanisms has become a go-to argument for researchers explaining the relevance of their work to funding bodies...

...Thibault Courtheoux; Alghassimou Diallo; Arun Prasath Damodaran; David Reboutier; Erwan Watrin; Claude Prigent ABSTRACT During the prometaphase stage of mitosis, the cell builds a bipolar spindle of microtubules that mechanically segregates sister chromatids between two daughter cells in anaphase...

...Thomas Müller-Reichert; Robert Kiewisz; Stefanie Redemann ABSTRACT The mitotic spindle is a complex three-dimensional (3D) apparatus that functions to ensure the faithful segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Our current understanding of spindle architecture is mainly based on a plethora...

...Floris Bosveld; Anna Ainslie; Yohanns Bellaïche ABSTRACT Centrosomes nucleate microtubules and are tightly coupled to the bipolar spindle to ensure genome integrity, cell division orientation and centrosome segregation. While the mechanisms of centrosome-dependent microtubule nucleation and bipolar...

...Claudia Baumann; Xiaotian Wang; Luhan Yang; Maria M. Viveiros ABSTRACT Mouse oocytes lack canonical centrosomes and instead contain unique acentriolar microtubule-organizing centers (aMTOCs). To test the function of these distinct aMTOCs in meiotic spindle formation, pericentrin (Pcnt...

... microtubule-based structures, the spindle and phragmoplast, divide the chromosomes and the cell with extraordinary accuracy. Using a live-cell system and fluorescently labeled spindles and chromosomes, we found that the process self- corrects as meiosis proceeds. Metaphase spindles frequently initiate...

...Ahmed Z. Balboula; Alexandra L. Nguyen; Amanda S. Gentilello; Suzanne M. Quartuccio; David Drutovic; Petr Solc; Karen Schindler ABSTRACT Meiotic oocytes lack classic centrosomes and, therefore, bipolar spindle assembly depends on clustering of acentriolar microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs...

...Philip Auckland; Andrew D. McAinsh ABSTRACT A universal feature of mitosis is that all chromosomes become aligned at the spindle equator – the halfway point between the two spindle poles – prior to anaphase onset. This migratory event is called congression, and is powered by centromere-bound...

... the phosphorylation of three serine residues (Ser232, Ser293 and Ser300) on PDHE1α. We found that PDK3-mediated phosphorylation of Ser293-PDHE1α results in disruption of meiotic spindle morphology and chromosome alignment and decreased total ATP levels, probably through inhibition of PDH activity. Unexpectedly, we...

...Nicholas R. Lim; Yvonne Y. C. Yeap; Teresa T. Zhao; Yan Y. Yip; Shu C. Wong; Dan Xu; Ching-Seng Ang; Nicholas A. Williamson; Zhiheng Xu; Marie A. Bogoyevitch; Dominic C. H. Ng ABSTRACT WD40-repeat protein 62 (WDR62) is a spindle pole protein required for normal cell division and neuroprogenitor...

...Maria Almonacid; Marie-Émilie Terret; Marie-Hélène Verlhac ABSTRACT Asymmetric divisions are essential in metazoan development, where they promote the emergence of cell lineages. The mitotic spindle has astral microtubules that contact the cortex, which act as a sensor of cell geometry...