The Ras pathway and spindle assembly collide?

Although alterations in Ras signalling are found in about 30% of human cancers, the transforming activity of oncogenic Ras is not fully understood. In a recent paper, a putative Ras1 effector in S. pombe, named Scd1, was reported to localize to mitotic spindles. Scd1 physically associates with Moe1, a factor that may contribute to the inherent instability of microtubules (MTs) and appears to be needed for proper spindle function. Altered MT dynamics within the spindle are likely to affect spindle assembly and chromosome capture, processes that need to be delicately controlled if cells are to guard against genome instability and transformation. BioEssays 23:307-310, 2001.