Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 13, 2026

Directly Measuring Forces Within Reconstituted Active Microtubule Bundles
Published on: May 10, 2022
Kinesin-5 Contributes to Spindle-length Scaling in the Evolution of Cancer toward Metastasis
Ching-Feng Yang1, Wan-Yu Tsai1, Wei-An Chen1
1Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
Abstract:
During natural evolution, the spindles often scale with cell sizes to orchestrate accurate chromosome segregation. Whether in cancer evolution, when the constraints on genome integrity are relaxed, cancer cells may evolve the spindle to confer other advantages has not been investigated. Using invasion as a selective pressure in vitro, we found that a highly metastatic cancer clone displays a lengthened metaphase spindle, with faster spindle elongation that correlates with transiently elevated speed of cell migration. We found that kinesin-5 is upregulated in this malignant clone, and weak inhibition of kinesin-5 activity could revert the spindle to a smaller aspect ratio, decrease the speed of spindle pole separation, and suppress post-mitotic cell migration. A correlation was found between high aspect ratio and strong metastatic potential in cancers that evolved and were selected in vivo, implicating that the spindle aspect ratio could serve as a promising cellular biomarker for metastatic cancer clones.
Related Concept Videos
Destabilization of Microtubules
The Mitotic Spindle
The bipolar configuration of the mitotic spindle facilitates chromosomal segregation, preparing the cell for division. One mechanism that ensures...
The Mitotic Spindle
Spindle Assembly
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...
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia
Anaphase A and B
Plus-end depolymerization releases tubulin heterodimers from the terminal region of the microtubule. As tubulin subunits are lost, the Ndc80 complexes detach...

