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During cell division, each of the two daughter cells must receive exactly one copy of the mother cell's genome. To achieve this precision, chromosomes need to be firmly attached to microtubules, dynamic filaments that form the mitotic spindle.

To understand how this firm attachments are held together, researchers at the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology reconstituted them using purified components in vitro. Their study, published in the EMBO Journal, uses methods of structural biology to resolve how teams of molecules assemble at the ends of microtubules and hold them together, preventing microtubules from falling apart. The key to forming this stable attachment is cooperation between molecules, such as the Ndc80 and Ska protein complexes: several copies of each complex join together in a self-assembling oligomer that holds the end of a microtubule together. These results reveal a molecular mechanism that allows healthy human cells to divide without errors.

Reference:

Radhakrishnan, R.M., Stokes, L., Day, M. et al. Microtubule end stabilisation by cooperative oligomers of Ska and Ndc80 complexes. EMBO J 45, 2905–2937 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44318-026-00749-5