Biopolis Dresden Imaging Platform

The elegans of spindle assembly.

Müller-Reichert T, Greenan G, O'Toole E, Srayko M

The Caenorhabditis elegans one-cell embryo is a powerful system in which to study microtubule organization because this large cell assembles both meiotic and mitotic spindles within the same cytoplasm over the course of 1 h in a stereotypical manner. The fertilized oocyte assembles two consecutive acentrosomal meiotic spindles that function to reduce the replicated maternal diploid set of chromosomes to a single-copy haploid set. The resulting maternal DNA then unites with the paternal DNA to form a zygotic diploid complement, around which a centrosome-based mitotic spindle forms. The early C. elegans embryo is amenable to live-cell imaging and electron tomography, permitting a detailed structural comparison of the meiotic and mitotic modes of spindle assembly.

Fig.6 taken from Mueller-Reichert et al, 2010.
  • Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 2010 Jul 26;67(13):2195-213
  • 2010
  • Cell Biology
  • 20339898
  • PubMed

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