Abstract
Segregation of chromosomes during mitosis requires the interaction of dynamic microtubules with the kinetochore, a large protein structure established on the centromere region of sister chromatids. The core microtubule-binding activity of the kinetochore resides in the KMN network, an outer kinetochore complex. As part of the KMN network, the Ndc80 complex, which is composed of Ndc80, Nuf2, Spc24, and Spc25, is able to bind directly to microtubules and has the ability to track with depolymerizing microtubules to produce chromosome movement. The Ndc80 complex binds directly to microtubules through a calponin homology domain and an unstructured tail in the N terminus of the Ndc80 protein. A recent flurry of papers has highlighted the importance of an internal loop region in Ndc80 in establishing end-on attachment to microtubules. Here I discuss these recent findings that suggest that the Ndc80 internal loop functions as a binding site for proteins required for kinetochore-microtubule interactions. The proper segregation of chromosomes requires a stable yet dynamic binding between kinetochores and microtubules of the mitotic spindle. The kinetochore localized four-subunit Ndc80 complex plays a crucial role in establishing this link. Here I discuss our recent advance in understanding Ndc80 function and in particular an internal loop region.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | BioEssays |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1070-7 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| ISSN | 0265-9247 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2012 |
Keywords
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Binding Sites
- Cell Cycle Proteins
- Chromosome Segregation
- DNA-Binding Proteins
- Humans
- Kinetochores
- Microtubule-Associated Proteins
- Microtubules
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Nuclear Proteins
- Protein Conformation
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
- Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins
- Vertebrates