Tension-clock control of human mitotic chromosome oscillations

Abstract

During cell division paired (sister) chromosomes are observed to perform approximate saw-tooth oscillations across the cell mid-plane. Experimental data suggests that these oscillations are regulated through intersister tension. We propose a time dependent tension threshold model that exhibits three stable periodic solutions and the phase diagram can be generated semi-analytically. Incorporation of diffusive noise reproduces realistic oscillations, with realistic periods, amplitudes and reproducing the observation that either sister of the pair can switch direction first.