Gluncic&Maghelli-2015
Kinesin-8 Motors Improve Nuclear Centering by Promoting Microtubule Catastrophe.
Phys. Rev. Lett. (2015)
PubMed-ID: 25763975
Biophysics
Facility:
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.
