  We analyze the role of the force-dependent kinetics of motor proteins in the
stability of antiparallel arrays of polar filaments, such as those in the
mitotic spindle. We determine the possible stable structures and show that
there exists an instability associated to the collective behavior of motors
that leads to the collapse of the spindle. Our analysis provides a general
framework to understand several experimental observations in eukaryotic cell
division.

Subcellular Processes;Biological Physics