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Anaphase B precedes anaphase A in the mouse egg.

FitzHarris, G; (2012) Anaphase B precedes anaphase A in the mouse egg. Current Biology , 22 (5) 437 - 444. 10.1016/j.cub.2012.01.041. Green open access

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Abstract

Segregation of chromosomes at the time of cell division is achieved by the microtubules and associated molecules of the spindle. Chromosomes attach to kinetochore microtubules (kMTs), which extend from the spindle pole region to kinetochores assembled upon centromeric DNA. In most animal cells studied, chromosome segregation occurs as a result of kMT shortening, which causes chromosomes to move toward the spindle poles (anaphase A). Anaphase A is typically followed by a spindle elongation that further separates the chromosomes (anaphase B). The experiments presented here provide the first detailed analysis of anaphase in a live vertebrate oocyte and show that chromosome segregation is initially driven by a significant spindle elongation (anaphase B), which is followed by a shortening of kMTs to fully segregate the chromosomes (anaphase A). Loss of tension across kMTs at anaphase onset produces a force imbalance, allowing the bipolar motor kinesin-5 to drive early anaphase B spindle elongation and chromosome segregation. Early anaphase B spindle elongation determines the extent of chromosome segregation and the size of the resulting cells. The vertebrate egg therefore employs a novel mode of anaphase wherein spindle elongation caused by loss of k-fiber tension is harnessed to kick-start chromosome segregation prior to anaphase A.

Type: Article
Title: Anaphase B precedes anaphase A in the mouse egg.
Location: UK
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.01.041
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.01.041
Language: English
Additional information: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Keywords: Anaphase, Animals, Cell Division, Chromosome Segregation, Chromosomes, Kinesin, Kinetochores, Mice, Mitotic Spindle Apparatus, Oocytes, RNA, Messenger
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1369788
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