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Physics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2011

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Jennifer Ross

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physics

Tpx2 Regulates The Localization And Activity Of Eg5 In The Mammalian Mitotic Spindle, Nan Ma, Janel Titus, Alyssa Gable, Jennifer Ross, Patricia Wadsworth Jan 2011

Tpx2 Regulates The Localization And Activity Of Eg5 In The Mammalian Mitotic Spindle, Nan Ma, Janel Titus, Alyssa Gable, Jennifer Ross, Patricia Wadsworth

Jennifer Ross

Mitotic spindle assembly requires the regulated activity of numerous spindle-associated proteins. In mammalian cells, the Kinesin-5 motor Eg5 interacts with the spindle assembly factor TPX2, but how this interaction contributes to spindle formation and function is not established. Using bacterial artificial chromosome technology, we generated cells expressing TPX2 lacking the Eg5 interaction domain. Spindles in these cells were highly disorganized with multiple spindle poles. The TPX2-Eg5 interaction was required for kinetochore fiber formation and contributed to Eg5 localization to spindle microtubules but not spindle poles. Microinjection of the Eg5-binding domain of TPX2 resulted in spindle elongation, indicating that the interaction …


Loop Formation Of Microtubules During Gliding At High Density, Lynn Liu, Erkan Tuzel, Jennifer Ross Jan 2011

Loop Formation Of Microtubules During Gliding At High Density, Lynn Liu, Erkan Tuzel, Jennifer Ross

Jennifer Ross

The microtubule cytoskeleton, including the associated proteins, forms a complex network essential to multiple cellular processes. Microtubule-associated motor proteins, such as kinesin-1, travel on microtubules to transport membrane bound vesicles across the crowded cell. Other motors, such as cytoplasmic dynein and kinesin-5, are used to organize the cytoskeleton during mitosis. In order to understand the self-organization processes of motors on microtubules, we performed filament-gliding assays with kinesin-1 motors bound to the cover glass with a high density of microtubules on the surface. To observe microtubule organization, 3% of the microtubules were fluorescently labeled to serve as tracers. We find that …