Link to Pubmed [PMID] – 9312013
EMBO J. 1997 Sep;16(18):5537-49
Assembly of a mitotic spindle requires the accurate regulation of microtubule dynamics which is accomplished, at least in part, by phosphorylation-dephosphorylation reactions. Here we have investigated the role of serine-threonine phosphatases in the control of microtubule dynamics using specific inhibitors in Xenopus egg extracts. Type 2A phosphatases are required to maintain the short steady-state length of microtubules in mitosis by regulating the level of microtubule catastrophes, in part by controlling the the microtubule-destabilizing activity and phosphorylation of Op18/stathmin. Type 1 phosphatases are only required for control of microtubule dynamics during the transitions into and out of mitosis. Thus, although both type 2A and type 1 phosphatases are involved in the regulation of microtubule dynamics, they have distinct, non-overlapping roles.