Spindle assembly: asters part their separate ways.
Cells have developed diverse ways to separate two microtubule asters to form a mitotic spindle. Here, I focus on two mechanisms used to position asters around chromosomes during mitosis: first, aster migration around the nuclear envelope and, second, aster attachment to a contractile cortex at the plasma membrane after the nuclear envelope has broken down. Although certain cell types use one mechanism predominantly, most rely on both to ensure proper spindle assembly.
Rosenblatt
Jody
J
MRC-Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK. jody.rosenblatt@ucl.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D002465:Cell Movement; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D018385:Centrosome / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila; D016547:Kinesins / Q000737:chemistry; D008938:Mitosis; D008954:Models, Biological; D008941:Spindle Apparatus
D016547:Kinesins