When push comes to shove: How chromosomes absorb spindle forces without losing grip.

Chromosomes in mitosis absorb spindle forces through stiff linkages and flexible centromeres, maintaining grip under substantial microtubule tension.

• Why it matters: Understanding how chromosomes withstand spindle forces is crucial for revealing mechanisms of accurate chromosome segregation, preventing errors that can lead to aneuploidy.
• What they did: Using super-resolution live imaging, Tran, Dumont, and colleagues examined the physical properties of chromosome-microtubule attachments, focusing on the linkage stiffness and centromere flexibility.
• The result: They found that stiff linkages combined with pliable centromeres allow chromosomes to absorb forces without losing grip, which may ensure faithful chromosome segregation during cell division.