Op18 reveals the contribution of nonkinetochore microtubules to the dynamic organization of the vertebrate meiotic spindle.

ABSTRACT: Accuracy in chromosome segregation depends on the assembly of a bipolar spindle. Unlike mitotic spindles, which have roughly equal amounts of kinetochore microtubules (kMTs) and nonkinetochore microtubules (non-kMTs), vertebrate meiotic spindles are predominantly comprised of non-kMTs, a large subset of which forms an antiparallel "barrel" array at the spindle equator. Though kMTs are needed to drive chromosome segregation, the contributions of non-kMTs are more mysterious. Here, we show that increasing the concentration of Op18/stathmin, a component of the chromosome-mediated microtubule formation pathway that directly controls microtubule dynamics, can be used to deplete non-kMTs in the vertebrate meiotic spindle assembled in Xenopus egg extracts. Under these conditions, kMTs and the spi

SUBMITTER: Houghtaling BR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2741252 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature