THE KINETOCHORE-MICROTUBULE INTERFACE IN VERTEBRATE CELLS

这个子项目是众多研究子项目之一

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Mitotic cells face the challenging tasks of linking kinetochores to growing and shortening microtubules and actively regulating these dynamic attachments to produce accurate chromosome alignment and segregation. The kinetochore binding Ndc80 complex is essential for forming and maintaining strong kinetochore-microtubule attachments. We have recently demonstrated that it also has functions in regulating kinetochore-microtubule plus end dynamics and attachment stability. Microinjection of an antibody targeted to a specific site within the N-terminus of Hec1 suppresses both microtubule detachment and plus end assembly dynamics at kinetochores of vertebrate cells. Our results suggest that antibodies to the N-terminus of Hec1 block kinetochore microtubules from growing or shortening, and thereby prevent chromosome movement and error correction. This project described here is designed to identify co-factors that cooperate with the Ndc80 complex to maintain strong attachments to microtubules and regulate these attachments.