The microtubule motor cytoplasmic dynein-1 transports and positions variousorganelles, but the molecular basis of this functional diversity is not fully understood. Cargoadaptors of the Hook protein family recruit dynein to early endosomes (EE) in fungi andhuman cells by forming the FTS–Hook–FHIP (FHF) complex. By contrast, the Caenorhabdi-tis elegans Hook homologue ZYG-12 recruits dynein to the nuclear envelop...
Chromosome alignment during mitosis can occur as a consequence of bi-orientation or is assisted by the CENP-E (kinesin-7) motor at kinetochores. We previously found that Indian muntjac chromosomes with larger kinetochores bi-orient more efficiently and are biased to align in a CENP-E-independent manner, suggesting that CENP-E dependence for chromosome alignment negatively correlates with kinetochore size. Here,...
Cytokinesis in animal cells requires the constriction of an actomyosin contractile ring, whose architecture and mechanism remain poorly understood. We use laser microsurgery to explore the biophysical properties of constricting rings in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. Laser cutting causes rings to snap open. However, instead of disintegrating, ring topology recovers and constriction proceeds. In response to sev...