Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026
13:59
Studying Mitotic Checkpoint by Illustrating Dynamic Kinetochore Protein Behavior and Chromosome Motion in Living Drosophila Syncytial Embryos
Published on: June 14, 2012
Kebab: kinetochore and EB1 associated basic protein that dynamically changes its localisation during Drosophila
Ana M Meireles1, Nikola S Dzhindzhev, Hiroyuki Ohkura
1The Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|September 14, 2011
Summary
Researchers identified Kebab, a novel protein interacting with EB1, crucial for microtubule plus end regulation. Kebab localizes to kinetochores during mitosis but is dispensable for cell viability and function.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Microtubule plus ends are critical dynamic structures involved in cellular processes.
- Microtubule plus end tracking proteins regulate these dynamic ends.
- EB1 is a central regulator, recruiting other proteins to microtubule plus ends via direct interaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize novel proteins that interact with EB1.
- To investigate the function and localization of the newly identified protein, Kebab, during mitosis.
Main Methods:
- In vitro expression screening to identify EB1-interacting proteins.
- Live-cell imaging of GFP-tagged Kebab during mitosis.
- RNA interference and gene knockout to assess Kebab's function.
- Domain analysis of the Kebab protein.
Main Results:
- A novel Drosophila protein, Kebab (kinetochore and EB1 associated basic protein), was identified through EB1 interaction screening.
- Kebab exhibits dynamic localization to kinetochores during mitosis, dependent on microtubules, and associates with spindle and centrosomal regions in telophase.
- Kebab possesses a CH domain similar to Ndc80 and a coiled-coil domain; its EB1 interaction is mediated by SxIP motifs but is not essential for localization.
- Depletion or knockout of Kebab did not result in observable defects in mitotic progression, microtubule organization, viability, or fertility.
Conclusions:
- Kebab is a novel EB1-interacting protein with dynamic kinetochore and microtubule-associated localization during mitosis.
- Despite its interactions and localization, Kebab appears to be dispensable for essential cellular processes in Drosophila.
More Related Videos
08:33Combining Mitotic Cell Synchronization and High Resolution Confocal Microscopy to Study the Role of Multifunctional Cell Cycle Proteins During Mitosis
Published on: December 5, 2017
09:25Microinjection Techniques for Studying Mitosis in the Drosophila melanogaster Syncytial Embryo
Published on: September 15, 2009
Related Concept Videos
02:57Attachment 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...
01:32Microtubule 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...
01:43The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles
In eukaryotic cells, cytoskeletal filaments such as actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments form a mesh-like cytoskeletal network. These filaments serve as tracks for transporting cellular cargo. Specialized motor proteins use the chemical energy stored in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for this transport. During interphase, microtubules are polarized, with the plus-end towards the cell periphery and the minus-end towards the cell center. Two microtubule-associated motor proteins,...
01:39Anaphase 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...
Plus-end depolymerization releases tubulin heterodimers from the terminal region of the microtubule. As tubulin subunits are lost, the Ndc80 complexes detach...
02:27The 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 bipolar configuration of the mitotic spindle facilitates chromosomal segregation, preparing the cell for division. One mechanism that ensures bipolar mitotic...
02:19The Spindle Assembly Checkpoint
The spindle assembly checkpoint is a molecular surveillance mechanism ensuring the fidelity of chromosome segregation during anaphase. The checkpoint monitors the completion of all the prerequisite steps before chromosome segregation to determine whether the segregation process should proceed or be delayed.
Many proteins function together to control the spindle assembly checkpoint. Mutations affecting these proteins may allow cells to proceed into anaphase prematurely, resulting in the...
Many proteins function together to control the spindle assembly checkpoint. Mutations affecting these proteins may allow cells to proceed into anaphase prematurely, resulting in the...