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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
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In Situ Visualization of Axon Growth and Growth Cone Dynamics in Acute Ex Vivo Embryonic Brain Slice Cultures
Published on: October 14, 2021
Centrosome motility is essential for initial axon formation in the neocortex
Froylan Calderon de Anda1, Konstantinos Meletis, Xuecai Ge
1Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. fcaldero@mit.edu
Summary
The centrosome
Area of Science:
- Neurobiology
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Neuroscience
Background:
- Neuronal morphology development is crucial for brain function.
- Centrosome and Golgi positioning influence axon outgrowth in cultured neurons.
- In developing cortical neurons, centrosome/Golgi orientation differs from cultured models during migration.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the dynamic role of the centrosome in newborn cortical neuron development.
- Determine the relationship between centrosome translocation, microtubule organization, and axon formation.
- Identify key proteins involved in these processes.
Main Methods:
- In situ live imaging of newborn cortical neurons.
- Disruption of centrosomal activity.
- Downregulation of PCM-1 and Cep120 proteins.
- Assessment of microtubule organization and centrosome motility.
Main Results:
- Centrosome and polarized cytoplasm undergo apical translocation before axon outgrowth.
- Disrupting centrosomal activity or PCM-1 impairs axon formation.
- Cep120 downregulation disrupts microtubule organization and increases centrosome motility.
- Microtubule stabilization leads to aberrant centrosome localization and misplaced axon outgrowth.
Conclusions:
- Centrosome translocation and microtubule organization are dynamic processes critical for axon formation in developing cortical neurons.
- The multipolar stage is a key period where these events determine axonal outgrowth.
- Specific centrosomal proteins like PCM-1 and Cep120 are essential for normal neuronal development.
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Near the end of the prophase, also called late prophase or "prometaphase,"...
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01:24Microtubules in Cell Motility
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02:50Spindle Assembly
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02:25Centrosome Duplication
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The primary microtubule organizing center (MTOC) in animal cells is the centrosome. A centrosome has two cylindrical centrioles at its core. Each centriole consists of nine sets of three microtubules held together by proteins. The centrioles are positioned at right angles to each other and surrounded by a shapeless protein cloud called the pericentriolar matrix, or pericentriolar material (PCM).
To ensure that each daughter cell receives a centrosome after cell division, centrosome duplication...
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