Includes bibliographical references and index.

Analysis of Mitotic Protein Dynamics and Function in Drosophila Embryos by Live Cell Imaging and Quantitative Modeling -- Rapid Measurement of Mitotic Spindle Orientation in Cultured Mammalian Cells -- Automated Segmentation of the First Mitotic Spindle in Differential Interference Contrast Micro copy Images of C. elegans Embryos -- Imaging the Mitotic Spindle by Spinning Disk Microscopy in Tobacco Suspension Cultured Cells -- Image-Based Computational Tracking and Analysis of Spindle Protein Dynamics -- The Use of Cultured Drosophila Cells for Studying the Microtubule Cytoskeleton -- Measuring Microtubule Growth and Gliding in C. elegans Embryos -- XenopusEgg Extracts as a Simplified Model System for Structure Function Studies of Dynein Regulators -- Covalent Immobilization of Microtubules on Glass Surfaces for Molecular Motor Force Measurements and Other Single-Molecule Assays -- An Improved Optical Tweezers Assay for Measuring the Force Generation of Single Kinesin Molecules -- Seeded Microtubule Growth for Cryo-electron Microscopy of End Binding Proteins -- The Segmentation of Microtubules in Electron Tomograms using Amira -- Manipulating Cell Shape by Placing Cells into Micro-fabricated Chambers -- Four color FISH for the Detection of Low Levels Aneuploidy in Interphase Cells.

Mitosis: Methods and Protocols provides state-of-the-art overviews on the most important approaches currently used in mitosis research spanning from the analysis of single molecules in isolation to their utilization within the complex environment of the cell. The volume is divided into four parts, each focused on methods pertaining to distinct aspects of mitosis research. Part I presents approaches for visualizing and analyzing the dynamic behaviors of the spindle apparatus, the microtubule based machine that drives chromosome segregation. Part II focuses more generally on methods for studying and manipulating the microtubule cytoskeleton in cells and complex cell free extracts. Part III provides state of the art biophysical and high resolution microscopy approaches for assessing complex interactions between microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins in isolation as well as microtubule structure in cells. Part IV provides methods for studying the effects of cell shape on cell division, and methods for quantifying aneuploidy (aberrant chromosome number) which frequently results from mitotic defects and has been linked to human maladies ranging from birth defects to cancer. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Mitosis: Methods and Protocols seeks to provide diverse methods and new techniques to address new or old questions related to the mechanisms of mitosis.--