Physical Forces Determining the Persistency and Centering Precision of Microtubule Asters.

Abstract

In early embryos, microtubules form star-shaped aster structures that can measure up to hundreds of micrometres, and move at high speeds to find the geometrical centre of the cell. This process, known as aster centration, is essential for the fidelity of cell division and development, but how cells succeed in moving these large structures through their crowded and fluctuating cytoplasm remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the positional fluctuations of migrating sea urchin sperm asters are small, anisotropic, and associated with the stochasticity of dynein-dependent forces moving the aster. Using in vivo magnetic tweezers to directly measure aster forces inside cells, we derive a linear aster force-velocity relationship and provide evidence for a spring-like active mechanism stabilizing the transverse position of the asters. The large frictional coefficient and spring constant quantitatively account for the amplitude and growth characteristics of athermal positional fluctuations, demonstrating that aster mechanics ensure noise suppression to promote persistent and precise centration. These findings define generic biophysical regimes of active cytoskeletal mechanics underlying the accuracy of cell division and early embryonic development.