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Using Photoactivatable GFP to Study Microtubule Dynamics and Chromosome Segregation

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The Mitotic Spindle

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1413))

Abstract

Mitosis is a highly dynamic process during which the genetic material is equally distributed between two daughter cells. During mitosis, the sister chromatids of replicated chromosomes interact with dynamic microtubules and such interactions lead to stereotypical chromosome movements that eventually result in chromosome segregation and successful cell division. Approaches that allow quantification of microtubule dynamics and chromosome movements are of utmost importance for a mechanistic understanding of mitosis. In this chapter, we describe methods based on activation of photoactivatable green fluorescent protein (PA-GFP) that can be used for quantitative studies of microtubule dynamics and chromosome segregation.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Lisa Cameron (Dana Farber Cancer Institute) for critical reading of the manuscript. Funding in the Cimini lab provided by NSF grants MCB-0842551 and MCB-1517506 and HFSP grant RGY0069/2010.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech, 1015 Life Science Circle, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Bin He & Daniela Cimini

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  1. Bin He
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  2. Daniela Cimini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniela Cimini .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technolo, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Paul Chang

  2. Dept of Cell & Developmental Biolog, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

    Ryoma Ohi

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He, B., Cimini, D. (2016). Using Photoactivatable GFP to Study Microtubule Dynamics and Chromosome Segregation. In: Chang, P., Ohi, R. (eds) The Mitotic Spindle. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1413. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3542-0_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3542-0_2

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-3540-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-3542-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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