Onset of chromosome segregation at the metaphase to anaphase transition of the cell cycle.

Chromosome segregation is one of the most important acts in the life of the cell. Unequal inheritance of chromosomes (aneuploidy) is a cause of a number of disorders, particularly in humans, even though eukaryotic cells can arrest or delay the transition from metaphase to anaphase if an event critical to the completion of metaphase is impaired. In this report, we review recent advances in our knowledge of how the complex process of chromosome segregation is coupled with cell cycle progression, and starts at onset of anaphase with sister chromatids separation of the replicated chromosomes.