Three interacting regions of the Ndc80 and Dam1 complexes support microtubule tip-coupling under load

Using laser trapping with recombinant Ndc80 and Dam1 kinetochore complexes, Flores et al. show that interactions between three distinct regions of the complexes support strong, stable attachments to dynamic microtubule tips. Phosphorylating two of the regions reduces both attachment strength and stability. Phosphorylating the third region specifically reduces long-term stability.