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Commentary on “Research on Mitotic Mechanisms”

J Richard McIntosh

Mitosis is the cellular process in which the already duplicated chromosomes are segregated into two identical in preparation for successful cell division. The discovery of mitosis in the late 19th century was made possible by the significant improvements in light microscopes achieved over many preceding decades. Since then, both the descriptions of mitotic phenomena and our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie them has been facilitated at every step by technological advances. The following is a brief account of an open-access chapter that describes many of these advances, recently published as the first part of a ten-chapter book on mitotic mechanism. This open-access, on-line book provides reviews of each of the principal components and events of mitosis, such as kinetochores (the chromosomal specializations that attach each of the sister chromatids to spindle fibers), spindle formation, chromosome congression to the metaphase plate, the checkpoints that assesses quality in spindle formation, the two segments of anaphase chromosome segregation, and the consequences of mitotic errors. Anyone interested in the mechanisms that underly complex cellular processes should find these accounts both interesting and useful.