BACKGROUND Metaphase is thought to be a force-equilibrium state of "tug of war," in which poleward forces are pulling kinetochores and counteracting the cohesive forces between the centromeres. Unlike conventional kinesins, members of the Kin I family are microtubule-depolymerizing enzymes, which are expected to be molecules that could generate poleward forces. RESULTS We have characterized m...

The septins are conserved, GTP-binding proteins important for cytokinesis, membrane compartmentalization, and exocytosis. However, it is unknown how septins are arranged within higher-order structures in cells. To determine the organization of septins in live cells, we developed a polarized fluorescence microscopy system to monitor the orientation of GFP dipole moments with high spatial and tem...

The shikimate pathway resulting in three aromatic amino acids is initiated in different organisms by two and three 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthases, respectively. Aro3p and Aro4p are the yeast enzymes feedback-inhibited by phenylalanine and tyrosine, respectively. A yeast strain deficient in the general control transcriptional regulatory system of amino acid biosynthesis is...