title: Direct interaction between centralspindlin and PRC1 reinforces mechanical resilience of the central spindle.
abstract: During animal cell division, the central spindle, an anti-parallel microtubule bundle structure formed between segregating chromosomes during anaphase, cooperates with astral microtubules to position the cleavage furrow. Because the central spindle is the only structure linking the two halves of the mitotic spindle, it is under mechanical tension from dynein-generated cortical pulling forces, which determine spindle positioning and drive chromosome segregation through spindle elongation. The central spindle should be flexible enough for efficient chromosome segregation while maintaining its structural integrity for reliable cytokinesis. How the cell balances these potentially conflicting requirements is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the central spindle in C. elegans embryos has a resilient mechanism for recovery from perturbations by excess tension derived from cortical pulling forces. This mechanism involves the direct interaction of two different types of conserved microtubule bundlers that are crucial for central spindle formation, PRC1 and centralspindlin.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK.|Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
authors.forename: Kian-Yong
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
authors.forename: Behrooz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Esmaeili
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zealley
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mishima
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D048749:Cytokinesis; D016547:Kinesins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000502:physiology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
chemical_list: C513388:CYK-4 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; C495574:SPD-1 protein, C elegans; C114455:ZEN-4 protein, C elegans; D016547:Kinesins