title: Can molecular cell biology explain chromosome motions?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mitotic chromosome motions have recently been correlated with electrostatic forces, but a lingering "molecular cell biology" paradigm persists, proposing binding and release proteins or molecular geometries for force generation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pole-facing kinetochore plates manifest positive charges and interact with negatively charged microtubule ends providing the motive force for poleward chromosome motions by classical electrostatics. This conceptual scheme explains dynamic tracking/coupling of kinetochores to microtubules and the simultaneous depolymerization of kinetochore microtubules as poleward force is generated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We question here why cells would prefer complex molecular mechanisms to move chromosomes when direct electrostatic interactions between known bound charge distributions can accomplish the same task much more simply.
authors: Department of Biology, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, 315 Penn St., Camden, NJ 08102, USA. dshain@camden.rutgers.edu
authors: Daniel H
authors: DH
authors: Shain
authors: L John
authors: LJ
authors: Gagliardi
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