astral microtubules are found in cells in actin skeleton.
astral microtubules are found in cells in actin skeleton.
where are astral microtubules found in cells?
actin skeleton
astral microtubules









































astral microtubules are a subpopulation of microtubules, which only exist during and immediately before mitosis. they are defined as any microtubule originating from the centrosome which does not connect to a kinetochore. astral microtubules develop in the actin skeleton and interact with the cell cortex to aid in spindle orientation. they are organized into radial arrays around the centrosomes. the turn-over rate of this population of microtubules is higher than any other population.
astral microtubules
astral microtubules are a subclass of microtubules which only exist during and around mitosis. they originate from the centrosome, but do not interact with the chromosomes, kinetochores, or with the microtubules originating from the other centrosome. instead their microtubules radiate towards the cell membrane. once there they interact with specific motor proteins which create force that pull the microtubules, and thus the entire centrosome towards the cell membrane. as stated above, this helps the centrosomes orient themselves away from each other in the cell. however these astral microtubules do not interact with the mitotic spindle itself. experiments have shown that without these astral microtubules, the mitotic spindle can form, however its orientation in the cell is not always correct and thus mitosis does not occur as effectively. another key function of the astral microtubules is to aid in cytokinesis. astral microtubules interact with motor proteins at the cell membrane to pull the spindle and the entire cell apart once the chromosomes have been replicated.
microtubule