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Clathrin in mitotic spindles

C T Okamoto1, J McKinney, Y Y Jeng

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-9121, USA. cokamoto@hsc.usc.edu

American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology
|July 27, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Clathrin, a protein typically found in vesicles, was unexpectedly detected in the mitotic spindle of dividing cells. This finding suggests a potential new role for clathrin during cell division.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Division

Background:

  • Clathrin is a protein complex essential for the formation of coated vesicles in intracellular trafficking.
  • Its role in non-vesicular processes, particularly during cell division, remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the localization and potential function of clathrin during mitosis.
  • To determine if clathrin plays a role in the structure or regulation of the mitotic spindle.

Main Methods:

  • Immunostaining of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) and CV-1 cells using monoclonal antibodies against clathrin heavy chain and polyclonal antiserum against clathrin light chains.
  • Colocalization studies with anti-tubulin antibodies to examine the relationship between clathrin and spindle microtubules.
  • Western blot analysis of isolated mitotic spindles to detect clathrin presence.

Main Results:

  • Clathrin was detected in the mitotic spindle of both interphase and mitotic cells, colocalizing with tubulin.
  • Spindle clathrin staining was observed throughout mitosis (prometaphase to telophase) and was unaffected by brefeldin A.
  • Clathrin was present but not enriched in isolated mitotic spindles.

Conclusions:

  • The presence of clathrin in the mitotic spindle suggests a novel, non-vesicular role for this protein during cell division.
  • The recruitment of clathrin to the spindle may indicate a new regulatory mechanism for clathrin localization in mitotic cells.

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