Kinetochores grip microtubules with directionally asymmetric strength

For accurate mitosis, all chromosomes must achieve “biorientation,” with replicated sister chromatids coupled via kinetochores to the plus ends of opposing microtubules. However, kinetochores first bind the sides of microtubules and subsequently find plus ends through a trial-and-error process; accurate biorientation depends on the selective release of erroneous attachments. Proposed mechanisms for error-correction have focused mainly on plus-end attachments. Whether erroneous side attachments are distinguished from correct side attachments is unknown. Here, we show that side-attached kinetochores are very sensitive to microtubule polarity, gripping sixfold more strongly when pulled toward plus versus minus ends. This directionally asymmetric grip is conserved in human and yeast subcomplexes, and it correlates with changes in the axial arrangement of subcomplexes within the kinetochore, suggesting that internal architecture dictates attachment strength. We propose that the kinetochore’s directional grip promotes accuracy during early mitosis by stabilizing correct attachments even before both sisters have found plus ends.

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