ArticleNature cell biology2011
The bidirectional depolymerizer MCAK generates force by disassembling both microtubule ends.
Article in Nature cell biology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- MCAK/Kif2C centromeric activity level tunes K-fiber turnover through distinct pathways.iScience · 2026Article
- Article
- CSPP1 stabilizes microtubules by capping both plus and minus ends.Journal of molecular cell biology · 2024Article
- Measuring and modeling forces generated by microtubules.Biophysical reviews · 2023Review
- Regulation of microtubule dynamics, mechanics and function through the growing tip.Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology · 2021Review
- Wnt signaling establishes the microtubule polarity in neurons through regulation of Kinesin-13.The Journal of cell biology · 2021Article
- Identification of genes associated with clinicopathological features of colorectal cancer.The Journal of international medical research · 2020Article
- An estimate to the first approximation of microtubule rupture force.European biophysics journal : EBJ · 2019Article
- Kif2 localizes to a subdomain of cortical endoplasmic reticulum that drives asymmetric spindle position.Nature communications · 2017Article
- Biphasic Effect of Profilin Impacts the Formin mDia1 Force-Sensing Mechanism in Actin Polymerization.Biophysical journal · 2017Article
- Microtubule-based force generation.Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology · 2017Review
- Review
- The family-specific α4-helix of the kinesin-13, MCAK, is critical to microtubule end recognition.Open biology · 2016Article
- Kinesin-5 is a microtubule polymerase.Nature communications · 2015Article
- Emergent Properties of the Metaphase Spindle.Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology · 2015Review
- The activity regulation of the mitotic centromere-associated kinesin by Polo-like kinase 1.Oncotarget · 2015Article
- Functional analysis of phosphorylation of the mitotic centromere-associated kinesin by Aurora B kinase in human tumor cells.Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.) · 2015Article
- Prime movers: the mechanochemistry of mitotic kinesins.Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology · 2014Review
- Preparation of segmented microtubules to study motions driven by the disassembling microtubule ends.Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE · 2014Article
- Micromechanics of the vertebrate meiotic spindle examined by stretching along the pole-to-pole axis.Biophysical journal · 2014Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
During cell division the replicated chromosomes are segregated precisely towards the spindle poles. Although many cellular processes involving motility require ATP-fuelled force generation by motor proteins, most models of the chromosome movement invoke the release of energy stored at strained (owing to GTP hydrolysis) plus ends of microtubules. This energy is converted into chromosome movement through passive couplers, whereas the role of molecular motors is limited to the regulation of microtubule dynamics. Here we report, that the microtubule-depolymerizing activity of MCAK (mitotic centromere-associated kinesin), the founding member of the kinesin-13 family, is accompanied by the generation of significant tension-remarkably, at both microtubule ends. An MCAK-decorated bead strongly attaches to the microtubule side, but readily slides along it in either direction under weak external loads and tightly captures and disassembles both microtubule ends. We show that the depolymerization force increases with the number of interacting MCAK molecules and is ∼1 pN per motor. These results provide a simple model for the generation of driving force and the regulation of chromosome segregation by the activity of MCAK at both kinetochores and spindle poles through a 'side-sliding, end-catching' mechanism.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.