title: And the dead shall rise: actin and myosin return to the spindle.
abstract: The spindle directs chromosome partitioning in eukaryotes and, for the last three decades, has been considered primarily a structure based on microtubules, microtubule motors, and other microtubule binding proteins. However, a surprisingly large body of both old and new studies suggests roles for actin filaments (F-actin) and myosins (F-actin-based motor proteins) in spindle assembly and function. Here we review these data and conclude that in several cases the evidence for the participation of F-actin and myosins in spindle function is very strong, and in the situations where it is less strong, there is nevertheless enough evidence to warrant further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA. sandquist@wisc.edu
authors.forename: Joshua C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sandquist
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Bement
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018386:Kinetochores / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008868:Microtubule Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009218:Myosins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000378:metabolism*; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D008868:Microtubule Proteins; D009218:Myosins