Spindles
Spindles are the structures that begin to form in prophase of mitosis. They extend from the centrioles at the poles of the dividing cell and fix onto the centromeres on the chromosomes, which have aligned on the metaphase plate, during metaphase [1].
Made from microtubulin, the function of the spindles is to pull the chromosomes to opposite poles of the cell in preparation for cytokinesis [2].
References
- ↑ Cooper GM. The Cell: A Molecular Approach. 2nd edition. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2000. Microtubules. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9932/
- ↑ Sadava, D. et al. Life: The Science of Biology, 8th ed. (Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates and W. H. Freeman and Company), 189