title: Meiosis, mitosis and microtubule motors.
abstract: A framework for understanding the complex movements of mitosis and meiosis has been provided by the recent discovery of microtubule motor proteins, required for the proper distribution of chromosomes or the structural integrity of the mitotic or meiotic spindle. Although overall features of mitosis and meiosis are often assumed to be similar in mechanism, it is now clear that they differ in several important aspects. These include spindle structure and assembly, and timing of chromosome segregation to opposite poles. Here we review progress in the functional characterization of several newly identified microtubule motor proteins, emphasizing their possible roles in spindle structure and function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco 94143-0448.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Sawin
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Endow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005658:Fungi / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008540:Meiosis; D008868:Microtubule Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D008870:Microtubules / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008938:Mitosis; D008954:Models, Biological; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D008868:Microtubule Proteins