The central spindle drives anaphase chromosome segregation

Anaphase chromosome segregation depends on forces exerted by spindle microtubules. In the current model, forces on chromosomes are mediated through the spindle poles: sliding of antiparallel microtubules in the central spindle pushes poles apart, while kinetochore microtubule (kMT) depolymerization pulls chromosomes towards the poles. Here we show that the central spindle is directly linked to the chromosomes rather than the poles in anaphase, based on three lines of evidence. Chromosomes in monopolar spindles can move away from the pole, consistent with forces exerted by antiparallel microtubule sliding. In bipolar spindles, kMT depolymerization is constrained by suppressing central spindle sliding, indicating kinetochore linkage to the central spindle. Finally, increasing the rate of kMT depolymerization slows pole separation without increasing chromosome separation velocity. We conclude that central spindle sliding drives anaphase chromosome separation, while kMT depolymerization limits spindle elongation.