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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 33: Cytoskeleton (original: BP, joined by CPP)

CPP 33.7: Vortrag

Mittwoch, 2. April 2014, 11:30–11:45, HÜL 386

Physical basis of spindle self-organization — •Jan Brugues¹ and Daniel Needleman² — ¹MPI for Physics of Complex Systems/MPI of the Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics. Dresden. Germany — ²Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University. Cambridge. USA

The spindle, which segregates chromosomes during cell division, is known to be composed of microtubules and hundreds of other proteins, but the manner in which these molecular constituents self-organize to form the spindle remains unclear. Here we use a holistic approach, based on quantitative measurements in spindles of the spatio-temporal correlation functions of microtubule density, orientation and stresses, to identify the key processes responsible for spindle self-organization. We show that microtubule turnover and the collective effects of local microtubule interactions, mediated via motor proteins and cross-linkers, can quantitatively account for the dynamics and the structure of the spindle. We thus reveal the physical basis of spindle self-organization and provide a framework that may be more generally useful for understanding cytoskeletal function in vivo.