Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Microinjection Techniques for Studying Mitosis in the Drosophila melanogaster Syncytial Embryo
09:25

Microinjection Techniques for Studying Mitosis in the Drosophila melanogaster Syncytial Embryo

Published on: September 15, 2009

BimC motor protein KLP61F cycles between mitotic spindles and fusomes in Drosophila germ cells

P G Wilson1

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. pgwilson@facstaff.wisc.edu

Current Biology : CB
|September 2, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Kinesin-like protein 61F (KLP61F) in Drosophila exhibits dual roles. It functions in spindle assembly during mitosis and independently organizes fusomes during interphase, suggesting a bifunctional nature in germ cells.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Kinesin-like protein 61F (KLP61F) is a BimC family kinesin essential for spindle assembly in Drosophila.
  • KLP61F is a homotetramer that cross-links spindle microtubules.
  • Previous studies suggested KLP61F functions during interphase in proliferating germ cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the function and localization of KLP61F in Drosophila germ cells.
  • To determine if KLP61F's function is exclusive to mitosis or involves interactions beyond microtubules.
  • To elucidate the role of KLP61F in fusome organization and its cell cycle-dependent localization.

Main Methods:

  • Immunofluorescence microscopy to visualize KLP61F localization in wild-type and mutant Drosophila germ cells.
  • Analysis of fusome-deficient mutants (hu-li tai shao).
  • Cytological analysis using antibodies against phosphorylated Eg5 peptide.

Main Results:

  • KLP61F cycles between mitotic spindles and interphase fusomes in Drosophila germ cells.
  • KLP61F exhibits microtubule-independent, detergent-resistant interactions with fusomes.
  • KLP61F is crucial for recruiting fusome material to spindle midbodies and for proper fusome organization.

Conclusions:

  • KLP61F is bifunctional in Drosophila germ cells, with microtubule-dependent roles in spindle assembly and microtubule-independent roles in fusome organization.
  • KLP61F's localization to fusomes is dependent on microtubule-independent interactions near telophase.
  • Phosphorylation may regulate the cell cycle-dependent cycling of KLP61F between spindles and fusomes.

More Related Videos

Studying Mitotic Checkpoint by Illustrating Dynamic Kinetochore Protein Behavior and Chromosome Motion in Living Drosophila Syncytial Embryos13:59

Studying Mitotic Checkpoint by Illustrating Dynamic Kinetochore Protein Behavior and Chromosome Motion in Living Drosophila Syncytial Embryos

Published on: June 14, 2012

Live Imaging of Drosophila Larval Neuroblasts09:50

Live Imaging of Drosophila Larval Neuroblasts

Published on: July 7, 2014

Related Concept Videos

Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins01:32

Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins

Eukaryotic cells have different motor proteins for transporting various cargo within the cell. These motor proteins differ based on the filament they associate with, the direction they move within the cell, and the type of cargo they transport. Motor proteins that associate with microtubules are known as microtubule-associated motor proteins. There are two families of microtubule-associated motor proteins —Kinesins and Dyneins. Both these proteins assist in the transport of cellular cargos...
M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis02:15

M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis

Checkpoints throughout the cell cycle serve as safeguards and gatekeepers, allowing the cell cycle to progress in favorable conditions and slow or halt it in problematic ones. This regulation is known as the cell cycle control system.
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...
The Mitotic Spindle02:27

The Mitotic Spindle

The mitotic spindle—or spindle apparatus—is a eukaryotic, cytoskeletal structure made up of long protein fibers called microtubules. Formed during cell division, the spindle separates sister chromatids and moves them to opposite ends of a parental cell, where the now individual chromosomes are distributed to two daughter cell nuclei.
The bipolar configuration of the mitotic spindle facilitates chromosomal segregation, preparing the cell for division. One mechanism that ensures bipolar mitotic...
Spindle Assembly02:50

Spindle Assembly

Spindle assembly occurs through three, often coexisting, pathways – the centrosome-mediated pathway, the chromatin-mediated pathway, and the microtubule-mediated pathway – collectively contributing to form a robust spindle apparatus.
In most cells, centrosomes are the primary microtubule nucleation centers. In the centrosome-mediated pathway, the G2-prophase transition triggers centrosome maturation and increased microtubule nucleation. Progressive nucleation results in a microtubule array...
Forces Acting on Chromosomes02:11

Forces Acting on Chromosomes

During mitosis, chromosome movements occur through the interplay of multiple piconewton level forces. In prometaphase, these forces help in chromosome assembly or congression at the equatorial plane, eventually leading to their alignment at the metaphase plate. The forces acting on the chromosomes are space and time-dependent; therefore, they vary with the position of the chromosomes as the cell progresses through mitosis. 
Microtubules and motor proteins exert two types of forces on...
Anaphase A and B01:39

Anaphase A and B

Microtubules form through the end-to-end polymerization of tubulin heterodimers. Kinetochore microtubules originate from the spindle poles, and their plus-ends connect with the kinetochores on sister-chromatids. Ndc80 protein complexes, present on the kinetochore, form low-affinity links with the plus end of these kinetochore microtubules.
Plus-end depolymerization releases tubulin heterodimers from the terminal region of the microtubule. As tubulin subunits are lost, the Ndc80 complexes detach...