- Patricia Wadsworth: Department of Biology and Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. patw@bio.umass.edu
The minus-end directed microtubule motor protein cytoplasmic dynein contributes to many aspects of cell division and it is generally believed that these mitotic functions require the dynein activator and processivity factor, dynactin. New research now shows that dynein accomplishes many of its mitotic functions without dynactin.