Appendix 15: Isolation of Meiotic Spindles

(Goode and Sarma, 1986)

The prominent meiotic spindle in an unfertilized Chaetopterus egg has been a relatively common subject for study by researchers seeking to understand spindle or microtubule dynamics.

  1. Rinse mini-cells in reassembly buffer (500 mM glycerol; 50 mM PIPES, pH 6.8; 1 mM EGTA; 0.5 mM MgCl2).
  2. Add 3 vol 2 M glycerol; 1% Nonidet P-40.
  3. Shear with a Pasteur pipet.
  4. Collect spindles by centrifugation.