Electron tomography reveals aspects of spindle structure important for mechanical stability at metaphase.

ABSTRACT: Metaphase spindles exert pole-directed forces on still-connected sister kinetochores. The spindle must counter these forces with extensive forces to prevent spindle collapse. In small spindles, kinetochore microtubules (KMTs) connect directly with the poles, and countering forces are supplied either by interdigitating MTs that form interpolar bundles or by astral MTs connected to the cell cortex. In bigger spindles, particularly those without structured poles, the origin of extensive forces is less obvious. We have used electron tomography of well-preserved metaphase cells to obtain structural evidence about interactions among different classes of MTs in metaphase spindles from Chlamydomonas rheinhardti and two strains of cultured mammalian cells. In all these spindles, KMTs approach close

SUBMITTER: O'Toole E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7001478 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature