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Related Concept Videos

Attachment of Sister Chromatids02:57

Attachment of Sister Chromatids

As cells progress into mitosis, the nuclear envelope breaks down, and the condensed chromosomes are exposed to the array of bipolar microtubules of the mitotic spindle. The kinetochore, a large, disc-shaped protein complex, is present at the centromere region of the sister chromatids and acts as a binding site for the microtubules.  Usually, the plus-end of a single microtubule is embedded within the kinetochore. However, some kinetochores first establish lateral contact with the side-wall of a...
Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures01:32

Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures

Complex microtubule structures are present in resting cells and in dividing cells. In resting cells, they are responsible for maintaining the cellular architecture, tracks for intracellular transport, positioning of organelles, assembly of cilia and flagella. They mediate the bipolar spindle assembly for chromosomal segregation and positioning of the cell division plate in dividing cells. The formation of microtubule complex structures depends on the cell type, cell stage, and cell function.
Karyotyping01:17

Karyotyping

Overview
Karyotyping01:17

Karyotyping

Overview
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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

Studying Mitotic Checkpoint by Illustrating Dynamic Kinetochore Protein Behavior and Chromosome Motion in Living Drosophila Syncytial Embryos
13:59

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

Published on: June 14, 2012

Visualizing kinetochore architecture.

Gregory Alushin1, Eva Nogales

  • 1Biophysics Graduate Group, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.

Current Opinion in Structural Biology
|August 25, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Kinetochores, crucial for cell division, are dynamic protein structures that link chromosomes to spindle microtubules. Recent studies reveal their complex, adaptable nature during mitosis through advanced imaging techniques.

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Studying Mitotic Checkpoint by Illustrating Dynamic Kinetochore Protein Behavior and Chromosome Motion in Living Drosophila Syncytial Embryos
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Immunofluorescence Analysis of Endogenous and Exogenous Centromere-kinetochore Proteins

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Kinetochores are essential macromolecular complexes mediating chromosome-spindle attachment.
  • Understanding kinetochore structure and dynamics is key to comprehending accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in studying core microtubule-binding kinetochore complexes.
  • To present novel three-dimensional models of kinetochores in different mitotic stages.
  • To synthesize current understanding of kinetochore structure and function.

Main Methods:

  • Electron microscopy (EM) for in vitro studies of kinetochore complexes.
  • Nanometer-accuracy fluorescence microscopy for in vivo observations.
  • Integration of imaging data to build 3D models.

Main Results:

  • Detailed structural insights into core MT-binding kinetochore complexes.
  • Novel 3D models of budding yeast and vertebrate kinetochores.
  • Evidence for dynamic structural rearrangements in response to MT capture and spindle forces.

Conclusions:

  • Kinetochores are highly dynamic, supra-molecular machines.
  • Kinetochore structure undergoes significant rearrangements during mitosis.
  • A growing consensus supports the dynamic nature of kinetochores in response to mechanical cues.