Cortical dynein controls microtubule dynamics to generate pulling forces that position microtubule asters

L. Laan 1, 2 N. Pavin 3, 4 J. Husson 1, 5 G. Romet-Lemonne 1 M. van Duijn 1 M.P. López 1 R.D. Vale 2, 6 F. Jülicher 3 S.L. Reck-Peterson 2, 7 M. Dogterom 1, 2
1 AMOLF - FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics
2 Physiology Course, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States
3 MPI-PKS - Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems
4 Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb 10002, Croatia
5 LadHyX - Laboratoire d'hydrodynamique
6 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States
7 Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
Abstract : Dynein at the cortex contributes to microtubule-based positioning processes such as spindle positioning during embryonic cell division and centrosome positioning during fibroblast migration. To investigate how cortical dynein interacts with microtubule ends to generate force and how this functional association impacts positioning, we have reconstituted the 'cortical' interaction between dynein and dynamic microtubule ends in an in vitro system using microfabricated barriers. We show that barrier-attached dynein captures microtubule ends, inhibits growth, and triggers microtubule catastrophes, thereby controlling microtubule length. The subsequent interaction with shrinking microtubule ends generates pulling forces up to several pN. By combining experiments in microchambers with a theoretical description of aster mechanics, we show that dynein-mediated pulling forces lead to the reliable centering of microtubule asters in simple confining geometries. Our results demonstrate the intrinsic ability of cortical microtubule-dynein interactions to regulate microtubule dynamics and drive positioning processes in living cells. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.
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Submitted on : Monday, May 26, 2014 - 2:51:15 PM
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L. Laan, N. Pavin, J. Husson, G. Romet-Lemonne, M. van Duijn, et al.. Cortical dynein controls microtubule dynamics to generate pulling forces that position microtubule asters. Cell, Elsevier, 2012, 148 (3), pp.502-514. ⟨10.1016/j.cell.2012.01.007⟩. ⟨hal-00994472⟩

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