Self-organization of anastral spindles by synergy of dynamic instability, autocatalytic microtubule production, and a spatial signaling gradient

Assembly of the mitotic spindle is a classic example of macromolecular self-organization. During spindle assembly, microtubules (MTs) accumulate around chromatin. In centrosomal spindles, centrosomes at the spindle poles are the dominating source of MT production. However, many systems assemble anas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2007-02, Vol.2 (2), p.e244-e244
Main Authors: Clausen, Thomas, Ribbeck, Katharina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Substitution
Animals
Assembly
Biochemistry
Caenorhabditis elegans
Catalysis
Cell Biology/Cytoskeleton
Cell cycle
Cell division
Cell-Free System
Centrosomes
Chromatin
Chromatin - metabolism
Chromosomes
Computational Biology/Systems Biology
Computer Simulation
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Dynamic instability
Dynamic stability
Feedback, Physiological
Female
Guanosine Triphosphate - physiology
Laboratories
Macromolecules
Microscopy
Microtubules
Microtubules - metabolism
Models, Biological
Molecular biology
Morphogenesis
Mutation, Missense
Oocytes
Paclitaxel - pharmacology
Poles
Population
Protein Folding
ran GTP-Binding Protein - genetics
ran GTP-Binding Protein - pharmacology
Seeds
Simulation
Spindle Apparatus - physiology
Spindles
Stochastic Processes
Structural stability
Tubulin - metabolism
Xenopus
Xenopus laevis
Xenopus Proteins - metabolism
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Summary:Assembly of the mitotic spindle is a classic example of macromolecular self-organization. During spindle assembly, microtubules (MTs) accumulate around chromatin. In centrosomal spindles, centrosomes at the spindle poles are the dominating source of MT production. However, many systems assemble anastral spindles, i.e., spindles without centrosomes at the poles. How anastral spindles produce and maintain a high concentration of MTs in the absence of centrosome-catalyzed MT production is unknown. With a combined biochemistry-computer simulation approach, we show that the concerted activity of three components can efficiently concentrate microtubules (MTs) at chromatin: (1) an external stimulus in form of a RanGTP gradient centered on chromatin, (2) a feed-back loop where MTs induce production of new MTs, and (3) continuous re-organization of MT structures by dynamic instability. The mechanism proposed here can generate and maintain a dissipative MT super-structure within a RanGTP gradient.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0000244