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An ER network is transported by myosin V during mitosis.

During mitosis, the movement of membrane-bound organelles within a cell is generally believed to slow down so that organelles can partition accurately into daughter cells. Using a new procedure for studying Xenopus oocyte extracts, Wöllert et al. now report on page 571 that the picture is more complicated.

Previous studies have focused primarily on microtubule-based organelle motility, whereas the new work examined F-actin–based movement. The authors used extracts from interphase or metaphase-arrested oocytes, and developed an in vitro procedure to produce stable three-dimensional microtubule-free F-actin networks from the extracts. Motion analysis shows that the movement of ER membranes and globular vesicles on F-actin is differentially regulated throughout the cell cycle. During mitosis, the ER speeds up while globular vesicles slow down. Myosin V is responsible for ER transport in this system, and the motor appears to be indirectly regulated by the kinase CaMKII.

Wöllert et al. propose that F-actin takes over the job of moving the ER during mitosis—a time when microtubules are diverted for mitotic spindle assembly and chromosome segregation. Unlike the Golgi apparatus, the ER does not fragment into small vesicles during mitosis, so its increase in motility and fusion may be a way of dividing the ER equally between daughter cells.

Alan W. Dove

alanwdove{at}earthlink.net

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Activation of myosin V–based motility and F-actin–dependent network formation of endoplasmic reticulum during mitosis

Torsten Wöllert, Dieter G. Weiss, Hans-Hermann Gerdes, and Sergei A. Kuznetsov
J. Cell Biol. 2002 159: 571-577. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article PDF (Full Text) PPT slides of all figures Alert me when this article is cited Services Email this article Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new content in the JCB Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dove, A. W. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Dove, A. W. Related Collections Related Article Social Bookmarking                      What's this?