Here's an interesting article:
http://www.physorg.com/news3843.html
The means by which microtubules snare and reel in chromosomes for separation during mitotic division is being investigated. This could be useful -- if better-designed artificial chromosomes are one day introduced into cells, perhaps the microtubules could be used to reel in the old chromosomes and get them out of the way -- perhaps reeling them into lysosomes for disposal.
Are microtubules only good for chromosome separation? I've heard they can even be used to exchange organelles/parts between adjacent cells. Could microtubules be used to eliminate lipofuscin clumps, or defective mitochondria? If mtNDA was migrated to the nucleus, could microtubules be used to periodically transport copies of those nuclear-based mito genes over to the mito, so that they could function locally over there?
Do mitochondria currently have their own version of microtubules to gather up their mtDNA when they undergo their own independent mitosis? If so, could such mitochondrial microtubules be used to snare and dispose of defective mtDNA, while replacement mtDNA is somehow supplied to the mito?
Comments?
