Motors Involved in Spindle Assembly and Chromosome Segregation

During the past two years, major advances have been made in our understanding of the role of motor proteins in chromosome-microtubule interactions in the spindle. The discovery of kinesin-like proteins (KLPs) associated with chromosome arms has shed some light on the mechanism of chromosome congression and the establishment of spindle bipolarity. Recent results also indicate that kinetochore KLPs may tether the ends of growing and shrinking microtubules to kinetochores during chromosome movements. Finally, new data indicate that phosphorylation of KLPs may be one of the mechanisms by which they are targeted to specific spindle domains.