Toward a systems-level view of mitotic checkpoints

This review approaches two important mitotic checkpoints, the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) and the spindle position checkpoint (SPOC). The highly conserved spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) controls the onset of anaphase by preventing premature segregation of the sister chromatids of the duplicated genome, to the spindle poles. In contrast, the spindle position checkpoint (SPOC), in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ensures that during asymmetric cell division mitotic exit does not occur until the spindle is properly aligned with the cell polarity axis. Although there are no known homologs, there is indication that functionally similar checkpoints exist also in animal cells. This review can be regarded as an “executable model”, which could be easily translated into various quantitative concrete models like Petri nets, ODEs, PDEs, or stochastic particle simulations. It can also function as a base for developing quantitative models explaining the interplay of the various components and proteins controlling mitosis.