Biophysics

Researchers redefine how key motor protein helps chromosomes align

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Researchers at the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb report that the protein CENP-E plays a crucial role in stabilizing the earliest attachments between chromosomes and microtubules during cell division, rather than mainly acting as a motor that pulls chromosomes into place. The work, described in two studies in Nature Communications, revises long-standing models of chromosome congression by linking CENP-E’s function to Aurora kinases and suggesting implications for understanding diseases marked by chromosome segregation errors.