Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
09:39
Quantitative Immunofluorescence Assay to Measure the Variation in Protein Levels at Centrosomes
Published on: December 20, 2014
Pattern formation in centrosome assembly
Robert Mahen1, Ashok R Venkitaraman
1The Medical Research Council Cancer Cell Unit, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 OXZ, United Kingdom. robertmahen@gmail.com
Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|January 17, 2012
Summary
The centrosome
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cell division involves assembling membrane-less organelles from cytosol components.
- Centrosomes, the main microtubule organizing centers, consist of centrioles and pericentriolar material (PCM).
- Centrosome maturation during mitosis involves PCM growth and increased microtubule nucleation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a model for pericentriolar material (PCM) assembly and maintenance.
- To explain centrosome maturation through protein mobility and interactions.
- To explore the role of self-organization in supramolecular assembly.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of spatio-temporal behavior of key centrosomal regulators (e.g., Polo-like kinase 1, CDK5RAP2, Aurora-A).
- Modeling PCM assembly via decentralized self-organization.
- Investigating reaction-diffusion mechanisms in protein interactions.
Main Results:
- PCM structure emerges from decentralized self-organization, not solely a central template.
- Protein mobility and local interactions drive PCM assembly and maintenance.
- A reaction-diffusion mechanism explains pattern formation at the organelle scale.
Conclusions:
- Centrosome maturation is driven by self-organizing principles.
- Decentralized self-organization is crucial for maintaining supramolecular assemblies like the centrosome.
- This model has broad implications for understanding mitotic structures.
Related Concept Videos
02:25Centrosome Duplication
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...
To ensure that each daughter cell receives a centrosome after cell division, centrosome duplication...
02:25Centrosome Duplication
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...
To ensure that each daughter cell receives a centrosome after cell division, centrosome duplication...
01:13Centrioles and Centrosomes
Most animal cells comprise a pair of centrioles together called a centrosome. The cell duplicates its centrosome and contains two centrosomes side-by-side, which begin to move apart during the prophase. As the centrosomes migrate to two different sides of the cell, microtubules start extending from each centrosome toward the other end. The mitotic spindle is composed of the centrosomes and their emerging microtubules.
Near the end of the prophase, also called late prophase or "prometaphase,"...
Near the end of the prophase, also called late prophase or "prometaphase,"...
02:50Spindle Assembly
Spindle assembly occurs through three, often coexisting, pathways – the centrosome-mediated pathway, the chromatin-mediated pathway, and the microtubule-mediated pathway – collectively contributing to form a robust spindle apparatus.
In most cells, centrosomes are the primary microtubule nucleation centers. In the centrosome-mediated pathway, the G2-prophase transition triggers centrosome maturation and increased microtubule nucleation. Progressive nucleation results in a microtubule array...
In most cells, centrosomes are the primary microtubule nucleation centers. In the centrosome-mediated pathway, the G2-prophase transition triggers centrosome maturation and increased microtubule nucleation. Progressive nucleation results in a microtubule array...
02:30Histone Variants at the Centromere
Histone variants are the histone proteins with structural and sequence variations. These variants may be regarded as “mutant” forms that replace their canonical histone counterparts in the nucleosomes. Specific post-translational modifications on the histone variants enable further chromatin complexity and regulate tissue-specific gene expression. The most common histone variants are from histone H2A, H2B, and linker histone H1 families. However, several variants of histone H3 variants are also...
01:23Microtubule Formation
Microtubules are dynamic structures that undergo continuous assembly and disassembly. They originate from specialized multi-protein complexes known as microtubule organizing centers or MTOCs. Within the MTOC, the point of origin of the microtubule is known as the minus end, while the end radiating outward is the plus end. Microtubules serve two primary functions — the organization of spindle complexes to separate sister chromatids during mitotic or meiotic cell division and the formation of...