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Cdt1 throws kinetochore–microtubule attachments for a loop

Nature Cell Biology volume 14, pages 561–563 (2012)Cite this article

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The Ndc80 complex links spindle microtubules to the kinetochore to ensure the proper segregation of chromosomes during mitosis. Analysis of the replication licensing factor Cdt1 during mitosis now reveals a cooperative role with the Ndc80 complex in establishing stable microtubule attachments to the spindle.

The faithful segregation of genetic material during mitosis is required for organisms to safeguard the content of their genome and propagate their species. Interfering with this process induces genomic instability and cell death, and is hypothesized to contribute to cancer development in humans. Chromosome segregation during mitosis requires the action of kinetochores, large protein machines composed of ∼100 different proteins that form on centromeres. Kinetochores capture and regulate spindle microtubules, and create the spindle assembly checkpoint signal that inhibits mitotic exit until microtubules are properly attached. Following correct kinetochore–microtubule (kMT) attachment, kinetochores act as motors, utilizing the energy stored in the microtubule lattice to segregate chromosomes to opposite spindle poles.

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Figure 1: The role of the Ndc80 complex in kinetochore and spindle–microtubule attachments.

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  1. Daniel R. Matson and P. Todd Stukenberg are at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA

    Daniel R. Matson & P. Todd Stukenberg

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  1. Daniel R. Matson
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  2. P. Todd Stukenberg
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Correspondence to P. Todd Stukenberg.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Matson, D., Stukenberg, P. Cdt1 throws kinetochore–microtubule attachments for a loop. Nat Cell Biol 14, 561–563 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb2513

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