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Spindle Assembly

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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.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Multi-Photon Laser Ablation of Cytoplasmic Microtubule Organizing Centers in Mouse Oocytes

Multi-Photon Laser Ablation of Cytoplasmic Microtubule Organizing Centers in Mouse Oocytes

Published on: November 11, 2022

Microtubule organization during human parthenogenesis.

Yukihiro Terada¹, Hisataka Hasegawa, Tomohisa Ugajin

¹Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan. terada@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp

Fertility and Sterility

|August 19, 2008

Summary

Human oocytes possess multiple microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) capable of functioning like sperm centrosomes during parthenogenesis, enabling egg development without sperm. This finding highlights the oocyte

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Last Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Multi-Photon Laser Ablation of Cytoplasmic Microtubule Organizing Centers in Mouse Oocytes

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Self-Assembly of Microtubule Tactoids

Self-Assembly of Microtubule Tactoids

Published on: June 23, 2022

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Reproductive Biology
Developmental Biology

Background:

The sperm centrosome is essential for microtubule organization (MTOC) during human fertilization.
Parthenogenesis involves egg activation and cleavage without sperm contribution.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate microtubule organization in human oocytes during parthenogenesis.
To determine if human oocytes can organize microtubules independently of the sperm centrosome.

Main Methods:

Parthenogenetic activation of human oocytes.
Microscopic analysis of microtubule organization within the oocyte cytoplasm.

Main Results:

Multiple cytoplasmic asters were observed in activated human oocytes.
These asters indicate the presence and function of multiple MTOCs within the oocyte cytoplasm.
The oocyte's MTOCs mimicked the function of a sperm centrosome.

Conclusions:

Human oocytes contain intrinsic MTOCs capable of organizing microtubules.
These oocyte-derived MTOCs can support embryonic development during parthenogenesis.
This suggests a significant role for the oocyte cytoplasm in initiating cell division.