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PMID: 18957206 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Fibrils connect microtubule tips with kinetochores: a mechanism to couple tubulin dynamics to chromosome motion.

Cell ·Vol. 135 ·No. 2 ·2008-10-17 ·Pages 322-33

McIntosh JR, Grishchuk EL, Morphew MK, Efremov AK, Zhudenkov K, Volkov VA, Cheeseman IM, Desai A, Mastronarde DN, Ataullakhanov FI

Abstract

Kinetochores of mitotic chromosomes are coupled to spindle microtubules in ways that allow the energy from tubulin dynamics to drive chromosome motion. Most kinetochore-associated microtubule ends display curving "protofilaments," strands of tubulin dimers that bend away from the microtubule axis. Both a kinetochore "plate" and an encircling, ring-shaped protein complex have been proposed to link protofilament bending to poleward chromosome motion. Here we show by electron tomography that slender fibrils connect curved protofilaments directly to the inner kinetochore. Fibril-protofilament associations correlate with a local straightening of the flared protofilaments. Theoretical analysis reveals that protofilament-fibril connections would be efficient couplers for chromosome motion, and experimental work on two very different kinetochore components suggests that filamentous proteins can couple shortening microtubules to cargo movements. These analyses define a ring-independent mechanism for harnessing microtubule dynamics directly to chromosome movement.

MeSH Terms
Animals Cell Line Chromosomes/metabolism,ultrastructure Cytoskeleton/metabolism,ultrastructure Kinetochores/metabolism,ultrastructure Microtubules/metabolism,ultrastructure Potoroidae Spindle Apparatus/metabolism,ultrastructure Tubulin/metabolism
Chemicals
Tubulin
Authors & Affiliations
10 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
McIntosh J Richard
Department of M.C.D. Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0347, USA. richard.mcintosh@colorado.edu
Grishchuk Ekaterina L
Morphew Mary K
Efremov Artem K
Zhudenkov Kirill
Volkov Vladimir A
Cheeseman Iain M
Desai Arshad
Mastronarde David N
Ataullakhanov Fazly I
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Article Info
Journal
Cell
Abbr.
Cell
ISSN
1097-4172
DOI
10.1016/j.cell.2008.08.038
Email
richard.mcintosh@colorado.edu
Published
2008-10-17
Pages
322-33
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
0413066
PMCID
PMC2746696
Subset
IM
Grants
NIGMS NIH HHS · R01 GM033787 · United States
NCRR NIH HHS · RR000592 · United States
NCRR NIH HHS · P41 RR000592-35 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · R01 GM033787-24 · United States
NCRR NIH HHS · P41 RR000592 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · GM033787 · United States
Corrections
CommentIn
PMID: 18957196
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2008.08.038 PMC Full Text View journal details
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