Epithelial spindle orientation diversities and uncertainties: Recent developments and lingering questions

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Lindsey Seldin, Emory University; Ian Macara, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
• Language: English
• Date: 2017-01-01
• Publisher: F1000 Research Ltd
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2017 Seldin L and Macara I
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.11370.1
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: F1000Research
• Volume: 6
• Start Page: 984
• End Page: 984
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported in part by grant CA197571 from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services.
• Keywords: mitotic spindle; orientation; phosphoregulation
• Research Categories: Biology, Cell

Abstract

Mitotic spindle orientation is a conserved, dynamic, and highly complex process that plays a key role in dictating the cleavage plane, fate, and positioning of cells within a tissue, therefore laying the blueprint for tissue structure and function. While the spindle-positioning pathway has been extensively studied in lower-model organisms, research over the past several years has highlighted its relevance to mammalian epithelial tissues. Although we continue to gain critical insights into the mechanisms underlying spindle positioning, many uncertainties persist. In this commentary, we will review the protein interactions that modulate spindle orientation and we will present important recent findings that underscore epithelial tissue-specific requirements and variations in this important pathway, as well as its potential relevance to cancer.