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Spindle assembly: asters part their separate ways

Nature Cell Biology volume 7, pages 219–222 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Cells have developed diverse ways to separate two microtubule asters to form a mitotic spindle. Here, I focus on two mechanisms used to position asters around chromosomes during mitosis: first, aster migration around the nuclear envelope and, second, aster attachment to a contractile cortex at the plasma membrane after the nuclear envelope has broken down. Although certain cell types use one mechanism predominantly, most rely on both to ensure proper spindle assembly.

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Figure 1: Two mechanisms by which asters separate during mitotic spindle assembly.
Figure 2: Models for different mechanisms of aster separation.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank L. Cramer, R. Heald, A. Jaffe, A. Lloyd, M. Raff and M. Redd for critically reviewing this manuscript and for helpful discussions about mechanisms. I also thank B. Fasulo and B. Sullivan for contributing pictures of mitosis. Finally, I thank the scientists that have contributed to our understanding of spindle assembly and apologize to those whose work I have had to omit owing to space limitations. My work is supported by Cancer Research UK and BBSRC project grants.

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  1. the MRC-Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

    Jody Rosenblatt

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Rosenblatt, J. Spindle assembly: asters part their separate ways. Nat Cell Biol 7, 219–222 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb0305-219

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