Microtubule dynamics in Xenopus egg extracts.
The organization and function of microtubules change dramatically during the cell cycle. At the onset of mitosis, a radial array of microtubules is broken down and reorganized into a bipolar spindle. This event requires changes in the dynamic behavior of individual microtubules. Through the use of Xenopus laevis egg extracts, a number of proteins affecting microtubule behavior have been identified. Recently, progress has also been made towards understanding how the activities of such microtubule-affecting proteins are regulated in a cell cycle-dependent manner. It is hoped that understanding how microtubule behavior is controlled during the cell cycle in vitro may illuminate the role of microtubule dynamics in various cellular processes.
Shirasu
M
M
Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Yonetani
A
A
Walczak
C E
CE
D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D008868:Microtubule Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000502:physiology; D014982:Xenopus laevis
D008868:Microtubule Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins