The mitotic spindle is chiral due to torques within microtubule bundles.
Nat Commun
; 9(1): 3571, 2018 09 03.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30177685
ABSTRACT
Mitosis relies on forces generated in the spindle, a micro-machine composed of microtubules and associated proteins. Forces are required for the congression of chromosomes to the metaphase plate and their separation in anaphase. However, besides forces, torques may exist in the spindle, yet they have not been investigated. Here we show that the spindle is chiral. Chirality is evident from the finding that microtubule bundles in human spindles follow a left-handed helical path, which cannot be explained by forces but rather by torques. Kinesin-5 (Kif11/Eg5) inactivation abolishes spindle chirality. Our theoretical model predicts that bending and twisting moments may generate curved shapes of bundles. We found that bundles turn by about -2 deg µm-1 around the spindle axis, which we explain by a twisting moment of roughly -10 pNµm. We conclude that torques, in addition to forces, exist in the spindle and determine its chiral architecture.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Cinetocoros
/
Torque
/
Microtúbulos
/
Fuso Acromático
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nat Commun
Assunto da revista:
BIOLOGIA
/
CIENCIA
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Croácia