Nuclear calcium spikes (green) at prophase (left) and metaphase (right) are surrounded by ER (red).
Although these calcium spikes were suspected to exist—based on findings that blocking calcium signals prevents mitosis in sea urchins—they have often eluded visualization. Parry et al. were able to detect the calcium spikes by using fly embryos, in which the space between the ER and the mitotic spindle is wider than in other systems.The group identified two sets of mitotic calcium signals that were shaped by the ER—one large spike between the embryo cortex and the ER, and two smaller spikes between the ER and the spindle. Cortical calcium spiked during interphase. At the cortex, calcium might be inducing the actin rearrangements that separate the nuclei of early fly...
