title: Reconstituting the kinetochore–microtubule interface: what, why, and how.
abstract: The kinetochore is the proteinaceous complex that governs the movement of duplicated chromosomes by interacting with spindle microtubules during mitosis and meiosis. Faithful chromosome segregation requires that kinetochores form robust load-bearing attachments to the tips of dynamic spindle microtubules, correct microtubule attachment errors, and delay the onset of anaphase until all chromosomes have made proper attachments. To understand how this macromolecular machine operates to segregate duplicated chromosomes with exquisite accuracy, it is critical to reconstitute and study kinetochore–microtubule interactions in vitro using defined components. Here, we review the current status of reconstitution as well as recent progress in understanding the microtubule-binding functions of kinetochores in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK. bungo.akiyoshi@path.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Bungo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Akiyoshi
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Biggins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D020090:Chromosome Segregation / Q000235:genetics*; D006657:Histones / Q000502:physiology; D018386:Kinetochores / Q000502:physiology*; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D008870:Microtubules / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D004718:Saccharomycetales / Q000235:genetics; D014461:Ultracentrifugation
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D006657:Histones; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; C492665:NDC-80 protein, C elegans; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases