Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Visualizing Mitophagy with Fluorescent Dyes for Mitochondria and Lysosome
07:56

Visualizing Mitophagy with Fluorescent Dyes for Mitochondria and Lysosome

Published on: November 30, 2022

6.4K

Phosphorylation-Induced Motor Shedding Is Required at Mitosis for Proper Distribution and Passive Inheritance of

Jarom Yan-Ming Chung1, Judith Arunodhaya Steen2, Thomas Lewis Schwarz1

  • 1The F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA 02115, USA.

Cell Reports
|August 16, 2016
PubMed

Insights

During mitosis, mitochondria detach from spindle microtubules because motor proteins are shed from their surface. This regulated release ensures proper mitochondrial distribution to daughter cells.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Mitochondrial Dynamics

Background:

  • Mitochondria associate with microtubules during interphase.
  • Mitotic mitochondria redistribute to the cell periphery, dissociating from spindle microtubules.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanism behind mitotic mitochondrial redistribution.
  • To investigate the role of motor proteins in mitochondrial positioning during mitosis.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated mitochondrial redistribution mechanisms.
  • Analyzed the role of kinesin and dynein in mitochondrial-microtubule interactions.
  • Examined the impact of motor protein shedding on mitochondrial inheritance and cell cycle progression.

Main Results:

  • Mitochondrial redistribution is not due to active transport or cytoskeleton tethering.
  • Kinesin and dynein motors are shed from the mitochondrial surface during mitosis.
  • Phosphorylation by CDK1 and Aurora A drives motor protein shedding.
  • Forced motor protein binding disrupts mitochondrial distribution and inheritance.
  • Mitochondria with bound dynein can arrest the cell cycle and cause binucleation.

Conclusions:

  • Regulated release of motor proteins from mitochondria is crucial for proper cell division.
  • This shedding mechanism ensures balanced mitochondrial inheritance.
  • Disruption of this process leads to cell cycle arrest and abnormal cell formation.

More Related Videos

Sensitive Measurement of Mitophagy by Flow Cytometry Using the pH-dependent Fluorescent Reporter mt-Keima09:13

Sensitive Measurement of Mitophagy by Flow Cytometry Using the pH-dependent Fluorescent Reporter mt-Keima

Published on: August 12, 2018

15.9K
Identification of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 Specific Phosphorylation Sites by an In Vitro Kinase Assay12:26

Identification of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 Specific Phosphorylation Sites by an In Vitro Kinase Assay

Published on: May 3, 2018

19.4K

Related Concept Videos

Translocation of Proteins into the Mitochondria01:19

Translocation of Proteins into the Mitochondria

Mitochondrial precursors are translocated to the internal subcompartments via independent mechanisms involving distinct protein machineries called translocases.
Sorting of outer membrane proteins:
Mitochondrial outer membrane proteins are of two types: the transmembrane, beta-barrel porins, and the membrane-anchored, alpha-helical proteins. Beta-barrel porin precursors are translocated by the TOM complex and inserted into the outer mitochondrial membrane by the SAM complex. In contrast,...
13.6K
Energy to Drive Translocation01:37

Energy to Drive Translocation

Mitochondrial protein import is powered by two distinct energy sources: ATP hydrolysis and electrochemical potential across the inner membrane. Newly synthesized precursors are bound by cytosolic chaperones of the Hsp70 family, which guide them to the import receptors on the mitochondrial surface. Utilizing the energy of ATP hydrolysis, Hsp70 chaperones transfer these precursors to the TOM receptors on the mitochondrial outer membrane.
Generally, polypeptides are unfolded by two distinct...
2.9K
Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins01:32

Microtubule 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...
11.4K
M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis02:15

M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis

Checkpoints throughout the cell cycle serve as safeguards and gatekeepers, allowing the cell cycle to progress in favorable conditions and slow or halt it in problematic ones. This regulation is known as the cell cycle control system.
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...
6.7K
Disassembly of Intermediate Filaments01:35

Disassembly of Intermediate Filaments

Intermediate filaments (IFs) do not undergo spontaneous disassembly. Enzymes, kinases, and phosphatases add and remove phosphates from specific sites to regulate their disassembly. The IF concentration in the cytoplasm also regulates the disassembly. If the concentration crosses a threshold, it activates the protein kinases in the vicinity, allowing the phosphorylation of IFs.
Keratin proteins, found at the cell periphery near cell junctions, undergo a cycle of assembly and disassembly. In Type...
2.8K
The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles01:43

The 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,...
7.0K