Autor(es): Reis, R ; Feijão, T ; Gouveia, S ; Pereira, AJ ; Matos, I ; Sampaio, P ; Maiato, H ; Sunkel, CE
Data: 2009
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10216/26940
Origem: Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto
Assunto(s): Mast/Orbit/CLASP; Dynein, Kinetochore; Plus-ends; Microtubule dynamics
Establishment and maintenance of the mitotic spindle requires the balanced activity of microtubule-associated proteins and motors. In this study we have addressed how the microtubule plus-end tracking protein Mast/Orbit/CLASP and cytoplasmic dynein regulate this process in Drosophila melanogaster embryos and S2 cells. We show that Mast accumulates at kinetochores early in mitosis, which is followed by a poleward streaming upon microtubule attachment. This leads to a reduction of Mast levels at kinetochores during metaphase and anaphase that depends largely on the microtubule minus end-directed motor cytoplasmic dynein. Surprisingly, we also found that co-depletion of Dynein rescues spindle bipolarity in Mast-depleted cells, while restoring normal microtubule poleward flux. Our results suggest that Mast and Dynein have antagonistic roles in the local regulation of microtubule plus-end dynamics at kinetochores, which are important for the maintenance of spindle bipolarity and normal spindle length.
