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REVIEW: Protein Complex NDC80: Properties, Functions, and Possible Role in Pathophysiology of Cell Division


N. B. Ustinov1, A. V. Korshunova1,2, and N. B. Gudimchuk1,2,a*

1Center for Theoretical Problems of Physico-Chemical Pharmacology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia

2Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, 119991 Moscow, Russia

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received January 30, 2020; Revised March 2, 2020; Accepted March 2, 2020
Mitotic division maintains genetic identity of any multicellular organism throughout an entire lifetime. Each time a parent cell divides, chromosomes are equally distributed between the daughter cells due to the action of mitotic spindle. Mitotic spindle is formed by the microtubules that represent dynamic polymers of tubulin protein. Spindle microtubules are attached end-on to kinetochores – large multi-protein complexes on chromosomes. This review focuses on the four-subunit NDC80 complex, one of the most important kinetochore elements that plays a major role in the attachment of assembling/disassembling microtubule ends to the chromosomes. Here, we summarize published data on the structure, properties, and regulation of the NDC80 complex and discuss possible relationship between changes in the expression of genes coding for the NDC80 complex components, mitotic disorders, and oncogenesis with special emphasis on the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of NDC80.
KEY WORDS: mitosis, mitotic spindle, microtubules, kinetochore, phosphorylation, regulation, mitosis inhibition, NDC80, antimitotic drugs

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297920040057