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Centering of a radial microtubule array by translocation along microtubules spontaneously nucleated in the cytoplasm

Nature Cell Biology volume 7, pages 1213–1218 (2005)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 02 December 2005

Abstract

Positioning of a radial array of microtubules (MTs) in the cell centre is crucial for cytoplasmic organization, but the mechanisms of such centering are difficult to study in intact cells that have pre-formed radial arrays. Here, we use cytoplasmic fragments of melanophores, and cytoplasts of BS-C-1 cells to study MT centering mechanisms. Using live imaging and computer modelling, we show that the MT aster finds a central location in the cytoplasm by moving along spontaneously nucleated non-astral MTs towards a point at which MT nucleation events occur equally on all sides. We hypothesize that similar mechanisms, in the presence of the centrosome, contribute to this centering mechanism and ensure the robustness of cytoplasmic organization.

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Figure 1: Centering of the MT array in melanophore fragments is driven by cytoplasmic dynein.
Figure 2: Centering of the pigment aggregate involves targeting by the microtubules that spontaneously nucleate in the cytoplasm.
Figure 3: Computational simulation of centering of the pigment aggregate.
Figure 4: Microtubules in cytoplasts of BS-C-1 cells attain radial organization.
Figure 5: Centering of the pigment aggregate in cytoplasmic fragments of melanophores.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants (GM62290 to V.R. and GM68952 to A.M.) and by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (Canada) grant (RGPIN 298313 to E.N.C).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell Biology and Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, 06032-1507, CT, USA

    Viacheslav Malikov & Vladimir Rodionov

  2. Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z2, BC, Canada

    Eric N. Cytrynbaum

  3. Department of Animal Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA

    Anna Kashina

  4. Department of Mathematics and Center for Genetics and Development, Laboratory of Cell and Computational Biology, University of California, Davis, 95616, CA, USA

    Alexander Mogilner

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  1. Viacheslav Malikov
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Correspondence to Vladimir Rodionov.

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Malikov, V., Cytrynbaum, E., Kashina, A. et al. Centering of a radial microtubule array by translocation along microtubules spontaneously nucleated in the cytoplasm. Nat Cell Biol 7, 1213–1218 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb1332

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