Motor proteins in cell division

Abstract

The movements of eukaryotic cell division depend upon the conversion of chemical energy into mechanical work, which in turn involves the actions of motor proteins, molecular transducers that generate force and motion relative cytoskeletal elements. In animal cells, microtubule-based motor proteins of the mitotic apparatus are involved in segregating chromosomes and perhaps in organizing the mitotic apparatus itself, while microfilament-based motors in the contractile ring generate the forces that separate daughter cells during cytokinesis. This review outlines recent advances in our understanding of the roles of molecular motors in mitosis and cytokinesis.