Before revision: Correct bioriented attachments of microtubules to kinetochores are essential for the faithful segregation of chromosomes during cell division, which is particularly error-prone during meiosis I in mammalian oocytes. Yet, how these errors are rectified remains unclear . To address this , we constructed a simple model of kinetochore-microtubule interaction, which is treated as a Markov process.
After revision: Correct bioriented attachments of microtubules to kinetochores are essential for the faithful segregation of chromosomes during cell division, correct attachments must be established between sister chromosomes and microtubules from opposite spindle poles through kinetochores (chromosome bi-orientation). Incorrect attachments of kinetochore microtubules (kMTs) lead to chromosome mis-segregation and aneuploidy, which is often associated with developmental abnormalities such as Down syndrome and diseases including cancer. The interaction between kinetochores and microtubules is highly dynamic with frequent attachments and detachments. However, it remains unclear how chromosome bi-orientation is achieved with such accuracy in such a dynamic process. Results: To gain new insight into this essential process, we have developed a simple mathematical model of kinetochore-microtubule interaction, which is treated as a Markov process.