Surprisingly, network contraction is not driven by myosin-2. We instead found that contractile stress is generated by filament disassembly within the crosslinked network. We propose that after nebd, formin dilution from the nuclear region triggers filament disassembly and network contraction.

Even more puzzling, the first phase of mitotic chromosome organization occurs independently of spindle microtubules. So then what cellular component generates the necessary force to organize chromosomes?

In the classical view of mitotic cell division, the spindle apparatus maintains principal control of chromosome capture and alignment. Any breakdown in spindle function can result in chromosome mis-segregation, producing daughter cells with abnormal chromosome number.

I’m excited to announce that my paper describing non-canonical mitotic mechanisms in the early mouse embryo is out in @science.org ! (link at end of 🧵)

Dynamic mitochondria labeled with PKmito #FluorescenceFriday