Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
10:52
Reconstitution of Basic Mitotic Spindles in Spherical Emulsion Droplets
Published on: August 13, 2016
Reconstituting the kinetochore–microtubule interface: what, why, and how.
1Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK. bungo.akiyoshi@path.ox.ac.uk
Chromosoma
|February 1, 2012
Summary
The kinetochore complex ensures accurate chromosome segregation by attaching to spindle microtubules. This review covers in vitro reconstitution and in vivo studies of kinetochore-microtubule interactions.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- The kinetochore is a protein complex essential for chromosome segregation during cell division.
- Proper kinetochore-microtubule interactions are crucial for preventing aneuploidy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current status of reconstituting kinetochore-microtubule interactions in vitro.
- To summarize recent advances in understanding kinetochore microtubule-binding functions in vivo.
Main Methods:
- In vitro reconstitution of kinetochore-microtubule attachments.
- In vivo studies analyzing kinetochore function during mitosis and meiosis.
Main Results:
- Reconstitution efforts aim to dissect the molecular mechanisms of kinetochore-microtubule binding.
- In vivo studies reveal the dynamic regulation of kinetochore-microtubule interactions.
Conclusions:
- Reconstituting kinetochore-microtubule interactions is key to understanding chromosome segregation accuracy.
- Further research combining in vitro and in vivo approaches will elucidate kinetochore function.
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...
01:39Anaphase 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...
02:50Spindle 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...
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...
01:23Microtubule Formation
Microtubules are dynamic structures that undergo continuous assembly and disassembly. They originate from specialized multi-protein complexes known as microtubule organizing centers or MTOCs. Within the MTOC, the point of origin of the microtubule is known as the minus end, while the end radiating outward is the plus end. Microtubules serve two primary functions — the organization of spindle complexes to separate sister chromatids during mitotic or meiotic cell division and the formation of...
02:11Forces 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...
Microtubules and motor proteins exert two types of forces on...
02:17Microtubule Instability
Microtubules are hollow cylindrical filaments having a diameter of approximately 25 nm and a length that varies from 200 nm to 25 μm. GTP-bound tubulin subunits form αβ-heterodimers for microtubule assembly. These core building blocks interact longitudinally, polymerizing into protofilaments. The protofilaments then interact with one another through lateral bonding forces to form stable cylindrical microtubules. These cylindrical filaments are dynamic as they undergo repeated assembly and...