#spindle apparatus

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Human Cell Tournament Round 3

Which cell or cell component is better?

Spindle apparatus

Dopamine

Voting ended onMay 13

Propaganda!

In cell biology, the spindle apparatus is the cytoskeletal structure of eukaryotic cells that forms during cell division to separate sister chromatids between daughter cells. It is referred to as the mitotic spindle during mitosis, a process that produces genetically identical daughter cells, or the meiotic spindle during meiosis, a process that produces gametes with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell.

Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. In the brain, dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter—a chemical released by neurons (nerve cells) to send signals to other nerve cells. Neurotransmitters are synthesized in specific regions of the brain, but affect many regions systemically. The brain includes several distinct dopamine pathways, one of which plays a major role in the motivational component of reward-motivated behavior.

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Orienting Division

The molecular mechanisms underlying how the spindle – the cell apparatus that aligns the chromosomes during cell division – is oriented, pulling the division into two daughter cells

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Kathryn E Neville and Tara M Finegan, and colleagues

Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in EMBO Reports, January 2023

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[humancelltournament]

Human Cell Tournament Round 2

Which cell or cell component is better?

Cell nucleus

Spindle apparatus

Voting ended onJul 6, 2025

Propaganda!

The cell nucleus is a membrane-bound organelle found in eukaryotic cells. The cell nucleus contains nearly all of the cell's genome. Nuclear DNA is often organized into multiple chromosomes – long strands of DNA dotted with various proteins, such as histones, that protect and organize the DNA. The genes within these chromosomes are structured in such a way to promote cell function. The nucleus maintains the integrity of genes and controls the activities of the cell by regulating gene expression.

In cell biology, the spindle apparatus is the cytoskeletal structure of eukaryotic cells that forms during cell division to separate sister chromatids between daughter cells. It is referred to as the mitotic spindle during mitosis, a process that produces genetically identical daughter cells, or the meiotic spindle during meiosis, a process that produces gametes with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell.

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Dwindled Spindles

When our cells are cleaved in two during mitosis, spindles are tiny systems of ‘fibres’ that pull the DNA inside apart. Each daughter cell must be identical, but they also have to fit into the plan for the overall tissue. In these human cells, researchers find a protein in the cell membrane called annexin A1 that juggles these priorities – coordinating the spindles on the inside with chemical cues from neighbouring cells, allowing the DNA (purple) to split to opposite sides of the cell in the top row. The direction or polarity of dividing cells is especially important in the patterning of developing tissues. Losing annexin A1 (lower rows) leaves mitosis struggling, with many of the spindles malformed – in many cases mitosis fails to complete. Investigating other proteins that work towards the 'big picture' may help researchers to understand and guide cell division in health and disease.

Written by John Ankers

Image from work by Maria Fankhaenel and colleagues

School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Nature Communications, January 2023

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In a Spin(dle)

Throughout your life, your cells divide to replace worn-out ones and repair those which are damaged. This type of cell division, called mitosis, requires a parent cell to carry out complex choreography to produce its daughter cells. The performance is usually split up into four acts; prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. One of the main stars of mitosis, is the spindle. Made from strong fibres from the cell’s ‘skeleton’, spindles capture, organise and pull apart the duplicated chromosomes that contain the cell’s genetic material. New research suggests that spindles owe their robust success to two motor proteins which generate opposing forces within the spindle. When these two proteins are doubly-inhibited, the spindle becomes mechanically fragile in the metaphase of mitosis (bottom row), and highly twisted and error prone in the anaphase. The top row shows the control spindle, its fibres coloured grey whilst the captured chromosomes are cyan.

Written by Katy Pallister

Image from work by Lila Neahring, Nathan H.Cho and Sophie Dumont

Department of Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA

Image copyright Elsevier 2021. Reproduced with permission.

Published in Developmental Cell, October 2021

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