Mitotic Centromere-Assoociated Kinesin (MCAK)

Anti-MCAK immunofluorescence of CHO cells.

The top three panels show a field of CHO cells triple-labeled with affinity-purfied anti-MCAK antiserum, anti-tubulin and Hoechst (DNA). MCAK is found in the cytoplasm and nucleus of interphase CHO cells. At prophase MCAK abruptly relocalizes to the mitotic centromeres. MCAK remains associated with the mitotic centromeres throughout metaphse (lower left two panels) and telophase (lower right two panels). Reproduced from Wordeman and Mitchison (1995) J.C.B. 128:95-104 with permission from Rockefeller University Press.

Localization of MCAK in isolated, mitotic CHO chromosomes. Mitotic CHO chromosomes have been triple-labeled with affinity- purified MCAK antibodies, anti-tubulin antibodies, anti-CENP-B (kindly provided by W.C. Earnshaw), anti-dynein (kindly provided by E. Steurer) and Hoechst (DNA). Tubulin dimers bind to the centromere region of mitotic CHO chromosomes (top three panels). This tubulin binding does not appear to overlap with the structural centromere protein CENP-B. However, MCAK label on isolated chromosomes resembles the association of tubulin dimers with the centromere (middle three panels). MCAK label extends between the regions labeled with anti-dynein antibody (lower three panels). Reproduced from Wordeman and Mitchison (1995) J.C.B. 128:95-104 with permission from Rockefeller University Press. Contributed by Linda Wordeman. View links to recent articles about MCAK and other mitotic/meiotic kinesins. Go to the Spindle and Chromosome Motility page.

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Created 9 July 1996 02:00 GMT
Modified 13 May 2007 21:21 GMT