Access

Review

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 9, 464–477 (1 June 2008) | doi:10.1038/nrm2410

Spatial and temporal coordination of mitosis by Ran GTPase

Paul R. Clarke & Chuanmao Zhang

The small nuclear GTPase Ran controls the directionality of macromolecular transport between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Ran also has important roles during mitosis, when the nucleus is dramatically reorganized to allow chromosome segregation. Ran directs the assembly of the mitotic spindle, nuclear-envelope dynamics and the timing of cell-cycle transitions. The mechanisms that underlie these functions provide insights into the spatial and temporal coordination of the changes that occur in intracellular organization during the cell-division cycle.