Mitosis, as a very important process during the cell cycle, decides chromosome duplication, organelle separation and cell division. During mitosis, metaphase is middle of whole of the process, during this phase mitotic spindle formed, microtubule filaments move the chromosome to the middle of cell. Anaphase is short but crucial, chromosome has equally separated, central spindle has formed between two separating chromosome. At the middle of whole cell, actin filaments accumulate to form the cleavage furrow---a key structure for cytoplasm separation.

In my recent studies, I found that GAS2L1, known as an actin and microtubule binding protein, functions on metaphase spindle and anaphase cleavage furrow. In these studies, I found GAS2L1 appeared at mitotic spindle and cleavage furrow....[ Read more ]

Mitosis, as a very important process during the cell cycle, decides chromosome duplication, organelle separation and cell division. During mitosis, metaphase is middle of whole of the process, during this phase mitotic spindle formed, microtubule filaments move the chromosome to the middle of cell. Anaphase is short but crucial, chromosome has equally separated, central spindle has formed between two separating chromosome. At the middle of whole cell, actin filaments accumulate to form the cleavage furrow---a key structure for cytoplasm separation.

In my recent studies, I found that GAS2L1, known as an actin and microtubule binding protein, functions on metaphase spindle and anaphase cleavage furrow. In these studies, I found GAS2L1 appeared at mitotic spindle and cleavage furrow. In details, it influences the length of mitotic spindle, but it is still unknown about how GAS2L1 localize to the mitotic spindle. However, its cleavage furrow localization needs to be phosphorylated by mitotic kinase plk1, using plk1 inhibitor BI2536 treatment will cause its delocalization from cleavage furrow. RNAi treatment of GAS2L1 will affect cytokinesis and cause multi-nucleated cells. The mechanism about how GAS2L1 influences cleavage furrow is still not very clear, but recently I found that GAS2L1 can bind with Myosin IIA, an important actin motor protein and cleavage furrow protein. RNAi treatment of GAS2L1 affect the cleavage furrow localization of Myosin IIA, the ongoing study will still focus on GAS2L1 and Myosin IIA interaction at cleavage furrow. All of above, GAS2L1 plays an important role in mitosis.