CCBScope Observatory: Positioning and Dynamics of Intracellular Organelles

Intracellular organelles, including centrosomes, mitotic spindles, and nuclei, are actively positioned within cells, a process essential for establishing polarity and ensuring proper growth and division. Take the mitotic spindle as an example. Astral microtubules emanating from the spindle poles engage cortically anchored dynein motors, whose pulling forces position and orient the spindle.

In our work, we combine live microscopy of C. elegans embryos with genetic and biophysical perturbations and mathematical modeling to investigate how these forces stably orient the spindle, set its elongation dynamics, and regulate its oscillations.