Regulation of chromosome bi-orientation

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The human body is composed of approximately 100 trillion cells, each of which contain the same genetic material (DNA) that specifies who and what we are. Our DNA is tightly packaged into 23 separate units called chromosomes. Every time a cell divides, each of these chromosomes needs to be duplicated once and then one of each of the pair of chromosomes needs to be segregated to each of the two daughter cells. Mistakes in this process can lead to cell death, alterations in cell identity or unrestrained cell proliferation. These can result in a variety of human ailments including miscarriages, birth defects and cancer. Importantly, the cells from most aggressive human tumours show a high variation in chromosome numbers, a phenomenon known as aneuploidy. The aim of our research is to understand the molecular mechanisms that ensure accurate segregation of chromosomes in normal cells in the hope that we can understand how these are subverted during human disease. Fortunately, many of the key molecular events that control cycle progression have been evolutionarily conserved from yeast to man. For this reason we study the process of chromosome segregation in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, since it is highly amenable to genetic, biochemical and immunocytochemical analysis and alternative tool to reduce the use of animals for experimentation. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms which control chromosome segregation will help us to design new diagnostics and therapies that will help us to prevent or cure these human ailments.