The process of mitosis requires coordination of hundreds of proteins in the right time and place and often involves groups of proteins working together. Researchers at EMBL have now created an interactive map of the proteins involved in making cells divide during mitosis, allowing users to track where and in which groups these proteins drive division forward. The public atlas is described in an article published today in Nature.
The Mitotic Cell Atlas integrates protein data into an interactive 4D computer model, allowing scientists to choose any combination of mitotic proteins and see where they work during cell division and which partners they work with. Such a system has potential uses in determining what happens when cell division events go wrong, causing diseases such as fertility issues and cancer.
In the current study, the authors used HeLa cells as a model and looked at 28 proteins important for mitosis. The proteins were fluorescently labeled mostly by CRISPR/Cas genome editing. They were then tracked using 3D confocal microscopy to see where in the cell they’re located, and in what quantity, at various points in time. All data was integrated into an interactive computer model.
In total, there are about 600 different proteins involved in mitosis in human cells. While it is still several years off, the researchers at EMBL hope there will someday be datasets for all 600 proteins, which would allow scientists to fully understand information transfer within a dividing cell.
To see a video representing how the atlas can be used, go to: https://youtu.be/zM66CvNdlds
Image: Artistic rendering of a computer model of a dividing human cell. Image courtesy of Aleksandra Krolik / EMBL.