Tethers: elastic connections between separating partner chromosomes in anaphase

Recent work has demonstrated the existence of elastic connections, or tethers, between the telomeres of separating partner chromosomes in anaphase. These tethers oppose the poleward spindle forces in anaphase. Functional evidence for tethers has been found in a wide range of animal taxa, suggesting that they might be present in all dividing cells. An examination of the literature on cell division from the 19th century to the present reveals that connections between separating partner chromosomes in anaphase have been described in some of the earliest observations of cell division. Here we review what is currently known about connections between separating partner chromosomes in anaphase, and we speculate on possible functions of tethers, and on what they are made of and how one might determine their composition.