NuMA, the major protein of the "Nucleus and Mitotic Apparatus", is a structural protein in vertebrates involved in cell cycle regulation. It localizes to the nucleus during interphase, and accumulates at the spindle poles during mitosis and NuMA has been implicated in the formation of the mitotic spindle, in particular in focusing the spindle poles (1).
Depletion of NuMA by siRNA and subsequent detection by IHC and Western blotting in HeLa cells demonstrated a prolonged duration of prometaphase, with spindle pole defects and with unattached, unaligned chromosomes, confirming that that NuMA is important for spindle pole formation, and for cohesion of centrosome-derived microtubules (2). NuMA uses its cross-linking properties to tether microtubules to spindle poles and its invertebrate homologues play a similar tethering role at the cell cortex, thereby mediating essential asymmetric divisions during development (3). Auto-antibodies against NuMA are rare in the human serum but when present, they are mostly associated with connective tissue disease, mainly Sjögren syndrome and systemic lupus. Clinicians may be aware that in these latter conditions and anti-NuMA antibodies may be the single serological marker (4).
Novus Biologicals offers NuMA reagents for your research needs including:
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