Abstract
In fission yeast, microtubules push against the cell edge, thereby positioning the nucleus in the cell center. Kinesin-8 motors regulate microtubule catastrophe; however, their role in nuclear positioning is not known. Here we develop a physical model that describes how kinesin-8 motors affect nuclear centering by promoting a microtubule catastrophe. Our model predicts the improved centering of the nucleus in the presence of motors, which we confirmed experimentally in living cells. The model also predicts a characteristic time for the recentering of a displaced nucleus, which is supported by our experiments where we displaced the nucleus using optical tweezers.
- Received 5 May 2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.078103
© 2015 American Physical Society
Synopsis
Pulling on a Cell’s Strings
Published 18 February 2015
A motor protein called kinesin-8 helps keep a cell’s nucleus centered by controlling the length of the tubular structures that connect it with the cell wall.
See more in Physics