The mitotic spindle must function in cell types that vary greatly in size, and its dimensions scale with the rapid, reductive cell divisions that accompany early stages of development. The mechanism responsible for this scaling is unclear, because uncoupling cell size from a developmental or cellular context has proven experimentally challenging. Here we combined microfluidic technology with Xenopus egg extracts to characterize spindle assembly within discrete, geometrically defined volumes of cytoplasm. Reductions in cytoplasmic volume, rather than developmental cues or changes in cell shape, were sufficient to recapitulate spindle scaling observed in Xenopus embryos. Thus, mechanisms extrinsic to the spindle, specifically a limiting pool of cytoplasmic component(s), play a major role in determining spindle size.

When chromosomes are aligned and bioriented at metaphase, the elastic stretch of centromeric chromatin opposes pulling forces exerted on sister kinetochores by the mitotic spindle. Here we show that condensin ATPase activity is an important regulator of centromere stiffness and function. Condensin depletion decreases the stiffness of centromeric chromatin by 50% when pulling forces are applied to kinetochores. However, condensin is dispensable for the normal level of compaction (rest length) of centromeres, which probably depends on other factors that control higher-order chromatin folding. Kinetochores also do not require condensin for their structure or motility. Loss of stiffness caused by condensindepletion produces abnormal uncoordinated sister kinetochore movements, leads to an increase in Mad2(؉) kinetochores near the metaphase plate and delays anaphase onset. INTRODUCTIONCentromeric chromatin is a special region of chromosomes that has important mechanical and signaling functions in mitosis (Pidoux and Allshire, 2005;Ekwall, 2007;Cheeseman and Desai, 2008;Vagnarelli et al., 2008). In metaphase, pulling forces generated by interactions between spindle microtubules (MTs) and kinetochores are opposed by tension produced by centromeric chromatin stretch. Centromere and kinetochore tension and stretch are important for maintaining chromosome alignment (McIntosh et al., 2002), stabilizing kinetochore microtubule (kMT) attachments (Nicklas and Koch, 1969), spindle checkpoint signaling (Musacchio and Salmon, 2007;McEwen and Dong, 2009), and also for the back-to-back orientation of sister kinetochores (Loncarek et al., 2007). At least three independent factors have roles in the establishment of centromeric tension in metaphase: sister chromatid cohesion (Yeh et al., 2008), the elastic properties of chromatin (Houchmandzadeh et al., 1997;Almagro et al., 2004;Marko, 2008), and the higher order structure of the centromeric chromatin.Condensin is important for the architecture of mitotic chromosome arms (Coelho et al., 2003;Hudson et al., 2003;Hirota et al., 2004;Hirano, 2006), but it also localizes to centromeres (Saitoh et al., 1994;Gerlich et al., 2006), where condensin I, but not condensin II was reported to have a role in stabilizing the structure (Gerlich et al., 2006). It has recently been suggested that condensin could have a role in regulating the elastic behavior of centromeric chromatin. One study found that condensin I-depleted Drosophila chromosomes were unable to align at a metaphase plate, had distorted kinetochore structures, and lost elasticity of their centromeric chromatin (Oliveira et al., 2005). However a similar study in human cells reported that although loss of condensin I caused kinetochores to undergo abnormal movements, these movements were bidirectional (e.g., reversible; Gerlich et al., 2006).Even after the publication of those results, the regulation and functional significance of centromere stretch remained unknown. An elegant study in budding yeast went on to find that chromatin struct...

Summary During animal cell division, a gradient of GTP-bound Ran is generated around mitotic chromatin [1, 2]. It is generally accepted that this RanGTP gradient is essential for organizing the spindle since it locally activates critical spindle assembly factors [3–5]. Here, we show in Xenopus egg extract, where the gradient is best characterized, that spindles can assemble in the absence of a RanGTP gradient. Gradient-free spindle assembly occurred around sperm nuclei but not around chromatin-coated beads and required the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC). Artificial enrichment of CPC activity within hybrid bead arrays containing both immobilized chromatin and the CPC supported local microtubule assembly even in the absence of a RanGTP gradient. We conclude that RanGTP and the CPC constitute the two major molecular signals that spatially promote microtubule polymerization around chromatin. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the two signals mainly originate from discreet physical sites on the chromosomes to localize microtubule assembly around chromatin: a RanGTP signal from any chromatin, and a CPC-dependent signal predominantly generated from centromeric chromatin.

Exosomes are nanoscale vesicles that mediate intercellular communication. Cellular exosome uptake mechanisms are not well defined partly due to the lack of specific inhibitors of this complex cellular process. Exosome uptake depends on cholesterol-rich membrane microdomains called lipid rafts, and can be blocked by non-specific depletion of plasma membrane cholesterol. Scavenger receptor type B-1 (SR-B1), found in lipid rafts, is a receptor for cholesterol-rich high-density lipoproteins (HDL). We hypothesized that a synthetic nanoparticle mimic of HDL (HDL NP) that binds SR-B1 and removes cholesterol through this receptor would inhibit cellular exosome uptake. In cell models, our data show that HDL NPs bind SR-B1, activate cholesterol efflux, and attenuate the influx of esterified cholesterol. As a result, HDL NP treatment results in decreased dynamics and clustering of SR-B1 contained in lipid rafts and potently inhibits cellular exosome uptake. Thus, SR-B1 and targeted HDL NPs provide a fundamental advance in studying cholesterol-dependent cellular uptake mechanisms.