AuroraA overexpression overrides the mitotic spindle checkpoint triggered by nocodazole, a microtubule destabilizer

The mitotic spindle checkpoint

One of the most awe-inspiring demonstrations in biology is a timelapse video of mitosis viewed with high magnification phase contrast or Nomarski DIC microscopy. From initial chaotic movement comes the orderly alignment of chromosomes at the metaphase plate followed by a flawlessly synchronous splitting of the chromosomes and their gliding separation to the two mitotic poles. Enforcing the timi...

Regulation of mitotic progression by the spindle assembly checkpoint

Equal segregation of sister chromatids during mitosis requires that pairs of kinetochores establish proper attachment to microtubules emanating from opposite poles of the mitotic spindle. The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) protects against errors in segregation by delaying sister separation in response to improper kinetochore-microtubule interactions, and certain checkpoint proteins help to ...

Mitotic spindle checkpoint inactivation by trichostatin a defines a mechanism for increasing cancer cell killing by microtubule-disrupting agents.

Microtubule-disrupting agents such as the taxanes comprise some of the most clinically useful chemotherapeutic agents and invoke the spindle checkpoint in proliferating cells. A robust spindle checkpoint in turn may forestall mitotic catastrophe, potentially providing a mechanism that permits cancer cells to survive transient exposure to these drugs. Previous reports on G2-M cell cycle progress...

A mitotic role for Mad1 beyond the spindle checkpoint.

Unattached kinetochores generate an anaphase inhibitor, through the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), that allows cells more time to establish proper kinetochore-microtubule (K-MT) linkages and thus avoid aneuploidy. Mad1 is the receptor for Mad2 at kinetochores, where it catalyzes the formation of Mad2-Cdc20 complexes, an essential part of the anaphase inhibitor, but whether it has any other ...

The Human EMAP-Like Protein-70 is a Microtubule Destabilizer that Localizes to the Mitotic Apparatus