Microtubule organization during maturation of Xenopus oocytes: Assembly and rotation of the meiotic spindles

Gard, David L.

doi:10.1016/0012-1606(92)90190-r

Cited by 149 publications

(156 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The general structure of the minispindles present in ammonia-activated sea urchin eggs is similar to the anastral meiotic spindles present in the female oocytes of a wide range of organisms, including Drosophila (Theurkauf and Hawley, 1992), Xenopus (Gard, 1992), and mice (Schatten et al, 1986). In terms of echinoderms, the mini-spindles are similar in shape to the single published image (to our knowledge) of a tubulin-stained sea urchin meitoic spindle present in the literature (Voronina et al, 2003), as well as to certain stages of the meiotic spindles in starfish (Shirai et al, 1990) and sea cucumber (Miyazaki et al, 2005) oocytes.…”

Section: Mini-spindle Structural Organizationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Bipolar, anastral spindle development in artificially activated sea urchin eggs

Henson

Fried

McClellan

et al. 2008

Developmental Dynamics

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The mitotic apparatus of the early sea urchin embryo is the archetype example of a centrosome-dominated, large aster spindle organized by means of the centriole of the fertilizing sperm. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that artificially activated sea urchin eggs possess the capacity to assemble the anastral, bipolar spindles present in many acentrosomal systems. Control fertilized Lytechinus pictus embryos and ammoniaactivated eggs were immunolabeled for tubulin, centrosomal material, the spindle pole structuring protein NuMA and the mitotic kinesins MKLP1/Kinesin-6, Eg5/Kinesin-5, and KinI/Kinesin-13. Confocal imaging showed that a subset of ammonia-activated eggs contained bipolar "mini-spindles" that were anastral; displayed metaphase and anaphase-like stages; labeled for centrosomal material, NuMA, and the three mitotic kinesins; and were observed in living eggs using polarization optics. These results suggest that spindle structural and motor proteins have the ability to organize bipolar, anastral spindles in sea urchin eggs activated in the absence of the paternal centriole. Developmental Dynamics 237:1348 -1358, 2008.

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Section: Mini-spindle Structural Organizationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Bipolar, anastral spindle development in artificially activated sea urchin eggs

Henson

Fried

McClellan

et al. 2008

Developmental Dynamics

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“…During mitosis and meiosis in acentrosomal higher plant cells, microtubules growing from around the chromosome (chromosomal microtubules) selforganize into a spindle as well as in oocytes of some animal species in the absence of centrosome (Gard, 1992;Theurkauf and Hawley, 1992;Waters and Salmon, 1997). The assembly of chromosomal microtubules is observed even in some cells that naturally have centrosomes, when their centrosomes are destroyed (Khodjakov et al, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Function of Plant Histone H1: Microtubule Nucleation and Continuous Plus End Association

Hotta

Haraguchi

Mizuno

2007

Cell Struct. Funct.

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ABSTRACT. In higher plant cells, various microtubular arrays can be seen despite of their lack of structurally defined microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) like centrosomes in animal cells. Little is known about the molecular properties of the microtubule-organizing centers in higher plant cells. The nuclear surface contains one of these microtubule-organizing centers and generates microtubules radially toward the cell periphery (radial microtubules). Previously, we reported that histone H1 possessed the microtubule-organizing activity, and it was suggested that histone H1 localized on the nuclear surfaces in Tobacco BY-2 cells (Nakayama, T., Ishii, T., Hotta, T., and Mizuno, K. J. Biol. Chem. (submitted)). Here we show that histone H1 forms ring-shaped complexes with tubulin, and these complexes nucleated and elongated the radial microtubules continuously (processively) associating with their proximal ends where the incorporation of tubulin occurred. Furthermore, the polarity of radial microtubules was determined to be proximal end plus. Immunofluorescence microscopy of the isolated nuclei revealed that histone H1 localized on the nuclear surfaces, distinct from that in the chromatin. These results indicate that radial microtubules are organized by a novel MTOC that is totally different from MTOCs previously found in either plant or animal cells.

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“…Acentrosomal spindle assembly has been studied by time lapse imaging in frog oocytes [Gard, 1992] and mouse oocytes [Schuh and Ellenberg, 2007]. In frog oocytes, a disk-shape microtubule organizing center (MTOC) with numerous short microtubules (transitory microtubule array or TMA) is seen in close association with the condensing chromosomes very close to the cortex of the animal pole shortly after nuclear envelop breakdown (GVBD).…”

Section: Spindle Assembly In Acentrosomal Vertebrate Oocytesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In frog oocytes, a disk-shape microtubule organizing center (MTOC) with numerous short microtubules (transitory microtubule array or TMA) is seen in close association with the condensing chromosomes very close to the cortex of the animal pole shortly after nuclear envelop breakdown (GVBD). This MTOC-TMA is then transformed, sequentially, into a compact aggregate of dense microtubule and chromosomes, a short bipolar spindle and finally an elongated bipolar spindle with one pole anchored at the cortex of the animal pole [Gard, 1992]. Similarly, in maturing mouse oocytes, it begins with dozens of pericentrin-containing mini MTOCs.…”

Section: Spindle Assembly In Acentrosomal Vertebrate Oocytesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polar body emission

2012

Cytoskeleton

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Generation of a haploid female germ cell, the egg, consists of two rounds of asymmetric cell division (meiosis I and meiosis II), yielding two diminutive and nonviable polar bodies and a large haploid egg. Animal eggs are also unique in the lack of centrioles and therefore form meiotic spindles without the pre-existence of the two dominant microtubule organizing centers (centrosomes) found in mitosis. Meiotic spindle assembly is further complicated by the unique requirement of sister chromatid mono-oriented in meiosis I. Nonetheless, the eggs appear to adopt many of the same proteins and mechanisms described in mitosis, with necessary modifications to accommodate their special needs. Unraveling these special modifications will not only help understanding animal reproduction, but should also enhance our understanding of cell division in general. V C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

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Microtubule organization during maturation of Xenopus oocytes: Assembly and rotation of the meiotic spindles

Cited by 149 publications

References 44 publications

Bipolar, anastral spindle development in artificially activated sea urchin eggs

Bipolar, anastral spindle development in artificially activated sea urchin eggs

A Novel Function of Plant Histone H1: Microtubule Nucleation and Continuous Plus End Association

Polar body emission

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