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XB-ART-14636
Mol Biol Cell 1998 Jul 01;97:1847-61.
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Katanin is responsible for the M-phase microtubule-severing activity in Xenopus eggs.

McNally FJ , Thomas S .


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Microtubules are dynamic structures whose proper rearrangement during the cell cycle is essential for the positioning of membranes during interphase and for chromosome segregation during mitosis. The previous discovery of a cyclin B/cdc2-activated microtubule-severing activity in M-phase Xenopus egg extracts suggested that a microtubule-severing protein might play an important role in cell cycle-dependent changes in microtubule dynamics and organization. However, the isolation of three different microtubule-severing proteins, p56, EF1alpha, and katanin, has only confused the issue because none of these proteins is directly activated by cyclin B/cdc2. Here we use immunodepletion with antibodies specific for a vertebrate katanin homologue to demonstrate that katanin is responsible for the majority of M-phase severing activity in Xenopus eggs. This result suggests that katanin is responsible for changes in microtubules occurring at mitosis. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated that katanin is concentrated at a microtubule-dependent structure at mitotic spindle poles in Xenopus A6 cells and in human fibroblasts, suggesting a specific role in microtubule disassembly at spindle poles. Surprisingly, katanin was also found in adult mouse brain, indicating that katanin may have other functions distinct from its mitotic role.

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Species referenced: Xenopus
Genes referenced: ccnb1.2 cdk1 eef1a1

References [+] :
Andersen, Mitotic chromatin regulates phosphorylation of Stathmin/Op18. 1997, Pubmed, Xenbase