kinetochore

(spindle attachment) A point within a *centromere consisting of paired brushlike filaments, 200-500 nm in length, lying parallel to each other. Kinetochores   induce   the   formation   of *microtubules, approximately 50-60 from each, which join to the spindle fibres and so attach the chromosomes to the equator of the spindle during cell division. Formerly the term kinetochore was used synonymously with centromere.