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Review
. 1997 Sep 8;138(5):953-6.
doi: 10.1083/jcb.138.5.953.

Pathways of spindle pole formation: different mechanisms; conserved components

A Merdes  1 , D W Cleveland
Affiliations
Review

Pathways of spindle pole formation: different mechanisms; conserved components

A Merdes et al. J Cell Biol. .
No abstract available

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Spindle formation in centrosome-containing cells. (a) Microtubules are nucleated from the duplicated centrosomes with their growing plus ends pointing away from the centrosomes. Microtubules that penetrate the perforated nuclear envelope in prometaphase are captured by the kinetochores of the chromosomes. Multivalent plus end-directed motors of the bimC family may be involved in the separation of the two centrosomes and the establishment of a symmetric spindle axis (big arrows). (b) In the mature spindle, microtubule minus ends disconnect from the centrosomes and are anchored to the body of the spindle by complexes of NuMA/dynein/dynactin. (The chromosomes are indicated in blue.)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Spindle formation in centrosome-free cells. (a) Spindle formation is driven by chromatin-associated, plus end-directed microtubule motors, orienting chromatin-attached microtubules with their minus ends outward (arrows). Multivalent plus end-directed microtubule motors of the bimC family can interconnect antiparallel microtubules and establish a bipolar organization of the spindle by moving the microtubule ends apart. (b) During spindle pole formation, complexes composed of NuMA, dynein, and dynactin induce convergent arrays of microtubules at the spindle poles and provide stability to the spindle by tethering the microtubule minus ends.
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