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Published on: December 20, 2014
Mechanism limiting centrosome duplication to once per cell cycle
Meng-Fu Bryan Tsou1, Tim Stearns
1Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, California 94305-5020, USA.
Nature
|July 25, 2006
Summary
Centrosome duplication is controlled by centriole disengagement, which requires the protease separase during anaphase. This process licenses new centriole growth in the subsequent cell cycle, preventing re-duplication.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The centrosome, composed of centrioles and pericentriolar material, organizes the microtubule cytoskeleton.
- Cell cycle progression involves a single round of centrosome duplication, ensuring one centrosome per cell before mitosis.
- Newly formed centrioles remain engaged with existing ones until late mitosis or early G1, but the mechanism and timing of this disengagement remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the mechanisms controlling centriole engagement and disengagement.
- To understand the relationship between centriole engagement/disengagement and the potential for centriole duplication.
- To identify the molecular players involved in licensing centriole duplication.
Main Methods:
- Development of an in vitro system using Xenopus egg extract and purified centrioles.
- Analysis of centriole disengagement and growth dynamics.
- Investigation of the roles of separase, anaphase-promoting complex, and Cdk2/cyclin E.
Main Results:
- Centriole disengagement at anaphase is dependent on the anaphase-promoting complex and the protease separase.
- New centriole growth occurs during interphase and requires previously disengaged centrioles and Cdk2/cyclin E activity.
- Centriole engagement prevents re-duplication within the same cell cycle.
Conclusions:
- Centriole disengagement by separase at anaphase licenses centriole duplication for the next cell cycle.
- The cell cycle control of centrosome duplication relies on temporally separating licensing (anaphase) from growth (S phase).
- Separase's role in both centriole disengagement and sister chromatid separation prevents premature disengagement and maintains genomic stability.
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