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Project leader Pavin Nenad
Project co-leader: Iva Tolic-Norrelykke
Administering organization: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Bijenička 32, 10000 Zagreb, www.pmf.unizg.hr/phy, OIB: 28163265527
Partner Institution/Company: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Grant type: 1B
Project title: The role of microtubule pivoting in formation of complex structures such as microtubule bundles and mitotic spindles
Project summary: During cell division, the genetic material is divided into two equal parts by the mitotic spindle. This complex dynamic micro-machine is made of microtubules, chromosomes and a variety of accessory proteins. Microtubules extending from one centrosome bind to those from the other centrosome by motors and other cross-linking proteins, forming bundles that connect the centrosomes and the associated microtubules into the spindle. A central question is how microtubules extending from the centrosomes find each other and interact to assemble the spindle. Based on our previous study on how microtubules find chromosomes (Kalinina et al., 2012), we hypothesize that the angular movement of microtubules is crucial for them to find each other. Further, we hypothesize that the microtubules encounter each other at an angle, and that specific cross-linking proteins are required to align the microtubules into anti-parallel bundles, thereby assembling the spindle. The aim of the project is to develop a theoretical model of spindle assembly, which will include the angular movement of microtubules around the spindle pole. Our model, in combination with experiments, will elucidate whether the process of spindle assembly can be explained by the observed angular movement of the microtubules.
Hrvatski sažetak: Za vrijeme stanične diobe, genetički se materijal dijeli u dva jednaka dijela uz pomoć diobenog vretena. Ovaj se složeni mikro-stroj sastoji od mikrotubula, kromosoma i različitih dodatnih proteina. Mikrotubuli koji rastu iz jednog centrosoma vežu se za mikrotubule koji rastu iz drugog centrosoma uz pomoć molekularnih motora i ostalih veznih proteina, te tako stvaraju svežnjeve koji povezuju centrosome i mikrotubule u diobeno vreteno. Središnje je pitanje kako mikrotubuli koji rastu iz dva centrosoma pronađu jedni druge i međudjeluju da bi stvorili vreteno. Na osnovi naše nedavne studije na temu kako mikrotubuli pronalaze kromosome (Kalinina et al., 2012), pretpostavljamo da je kutno gibanje mikrotubula ključno za njihovo međusobno pronalaženje. Također pretpostavljamo da se mikrotubuli međusobno pronalaze pod kutem, te da su određeni vezni proteini neophodni za poravnavanje mikrotubula u antiparalelne svežnjeve, te na taj način stvaraju vreteno. Cilj je ovoga projekta razviti teorijski model stvaranja vretena, koji će opisati kutno gibanje mikrotubula. Naš će model, zajedno s eksperimentima, objasniti ulogu kutnog gibanja mikrotubula u stvaranju diobenog vretena.
Amount requested from UKF: 896.446,00 HRK
Amount of matching funding: 211.590,00 HRK
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