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Defects in chromosome segregation can generate aneuploidy, a condition that is found in almost all human tumors and is a major cause of miscarriages and birth defects. The complex process of chromosome segregation must be highly regulated to ensure fidelity and prevent aneuploidy. Many of the mitotic events are regulated by the kinetochore, a proteinaceous structure assembled on centromeric DNA that coordinates at least three mitotic functions. First, the kinetochore is the site of microtubule attachment to the mitotic spindle, which facilitates movement. Second, improper kinetochores-microtubule attachments are corrected. Third, kinetochores that are not attached to microtubules send signals to the cell cycle machinery to prevent this dissolution of cohesion, a process referred to as the spindle assembly checkpoint. This checkpoint ensures that all chromatids are attached before the onset of anaphase. How the kinetochore coordinates these various functions is a critical unanswered question. There are three areas of research in the lab Kinetochore structure and function |
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This page last modified 11/13/2007 The Stukenberg Lab and the Burke Lab are in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Virginia |
