title: Meiotic spindle: sculpted by severing.
abstract: Katanin is a conserved AAA ATPase with the ability to sever microtubules, but its biological function in animal cells has been obscure. A recent study using electron tomography has found that katanin stimulates the production of microtubules in the meiotic spindles of Caenorhabditis elegans oocytes.
authors.affiliation: Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. Katharina_Ribbeck@hms.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ribbeck
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Mitchison
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000074201:Katanin; D008540:Meiosis / Q000502:physiology*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D000074201:Katanin