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The Mitotic Spindle

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...

The Mitotic Spindle

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 Assembly

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...

Determining the Plane of Cell Division

Determining the Plane of Cell Division

Positioning the cell division plane is a critical step during development and cell differentiation, particularly during mitosis when the plane is essential for determining the size of the two daughter cells. The cell division plane is perpendicular to the plane of chromosome segregation, but different types of organisms have different cell division mechanisms to suit their morphology and function.
Animal cells
In animal cells, the cleavage furrow forms along the plane of cell division starting...

Meiosis vs. Mitosis

Meiosis vs. Mitosis

Cell division is necessary for growth and reproduction in organisms. Mitosis aids cell growth and development by dividing somatic cells. In contrast, meiosis causes the division of germ cells and plays an essential role in sexual reproduction. Due to their unique functional requirements, mitosis and meiosis differ from each other in multiple aspects.
Before the start of mitosis and meiosis I, the cell synthesizes DNA, resulting in two homologous copies of each chromosome. DNA synthesis is...

Meiosis II

Meiosis II

Meiosis II is the second and final stage of meiosis. It relies on the haploid cells produced during meiosis I, each of which contain only 23 chromosomes—one from each homologous initial pair. Importantly, each chromosome in these cells is composed of two joined copies, and when these cells enter meiosis II, the goal is to separate such sister chromatids using the same microtubule-based network employed in other division processes. The result of meiosis II is two haploid cells, each containing...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Meiotic Spindle Assessment in Mouse Oocytes by siRNA-mediated Silencing

Meiotic Spindle Assessment in Mouse Oocytes by siRNA-mediated Silencing

Published on: October 11, 2015

A computational model predicts Xenopus meiotic spindle organization.

Rose Loughlin¹, Rebecca Heald, François Nédélec

¹Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.

The Journal of Cell Biology

|December 22, 2010

Summary

This study simulates meiotic spindle assembly, revealing that microtubule (MT) organization requires minus-end cross-linkers and depolymerization. The model accurately reproduces key features of Xenopus meiotic spindles.

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Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics
Computational Biology

Background:

The metaphase spindle, essential for chromosome segregation, is a dynamic bipolar structure.
Microtubule (MT) organization within the spindle architecture is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate microtubule organization along the pole-to-pole axis during meiotic spindle assembly.
To model the formation of bipolar spindle structures and understand the roles of different components.

Main Methods:

Two-dimensional simulation of meiotic spindle assembly.
Incorporation of dynamic microtubules, MT cross-linking forces, and kinesin-5-like motors.
Inclusion of NuMA-like minus-end cross-linkers and MT depolymerization activity.

Main Results:

Simulated bipolar structures exhibit antiparallel fluxing microtubules.
Spindle pole formation necessitates minus-end cross-linking and directed depolymerization.
Dynamic instability and minus-end depolymerization yield realistic MT lifetimes and length distributions.
Simulations with spindle-wide nucleation quantitatively match Xenopus meiotic spindles.

Conclusions:

Microtubule organization in meiotic spindles is governed by specific cross-linking and depolymerization mechanisms.
The simulation model provides a quantitative framework for understanding spindle assembly.
Nucleation site influences spindle organization, with spindle-wide nucleation being critical for reproducing experimental observations.