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Updated: Dec 13, 2025

Reconstitution of Basic Mitotic Spindles in Spherical Emulsion Droplets
Published on: August 13, 2016
Mechanics of the spindle apparatus
Ehssan Nazockdast1, Stefanie Redemann2
1Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3250, USA.
Abstract:
During mitosis microtubules self-organize to form a bipolar mitotic spindle structure, which positions the sister chromatids on the spindle mid-plane and separates them afterwards. Previous studies have identified many spindle associated proteins. Yet, we do not fully understand how these nanoscopic proteins lead to force generation through interactions of individual microtubules, motor proteins and chromosomes, and how a large number of these local interactions ultimately determine the structure and mechanics of the spindle in micron scale. Here we review the current understanding and open questions related to the structure and mechanics of the mitotic spindle. We then discuss how a combination of electron microscopy and computational modeling can be used to tackle some of these open questions.
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