Morphological growth dynamics, mechanical stability, and active microtubule mechanics underlying spindle self-organization.

ABSTRACT: The spindle is a dynamic intracellular structure self-organized from microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins. The spindle's bipolar morphology is essential for the faithful segregation of chromosomes during cell division, and it is robustly maintained by multifaceted mechanisms. However, abnormally shaped spindles, such as multipolar spindles, can stochastically arise in a cell population and cause chromosome segregation errors. The physical basis of how microtubules fail in bipolarization and occasionally favor nonbipolar assembly is poorly understood. Here, using live fluorescence imaging and quantitative shape analysis in Xenopus egg extracts, we find that spindles of varied shape morphologies emerge through nonrandom, bistable self-organization paths, one leading to a b

SUBMITTER: Fukuyama T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9636915 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature