Abstract
The centrosome is a highly conserved structure composed of two centrioles surrounded by pericentriolar material. The mother, and inherently older, centriole has distal and subdistal appendages, whereas the daughter centriole is devoid of these appendage structures. Both appendages have been primarily linked to functions in cilia formation. However, subdistal appendages present with a variety of potential functions that include spindle placement, chromosome alignment, the final stage of cell division (abscission) and potentially cell differentiation. Subdistal appendages are particularly interesting in that they do not always display a conserved ninefold symmetry in appendage organization on the mother centriole across eukaryotic species, unlike distal appendages. In this review, we aim to differentiate both the morphology and role of the distal and subdistal appendages, with a particular focus on subdistal appendages.
Highlights
The centrosome is a structure that modulates key cellular processes ranging from proper mitotic spindle placement to the construction of a functional cilium
Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster both lack distal and subdistal appendages, whereas the single-cell eukaryote Chlamydomonas reinhardtii contains transitional fibres organized into a ninefold symmetry that probably play a similar role as distal and subdistal appendages of vertebrate cells [4]
Each daughter cell’s centrosome containing either the original daughter centriole or original mother centriole will undergo a series of biochemical and structural developments required for appendage formation and pericentriolar reorganization that is needed for cilia development
Summary
The centrosome is a structure that modulates key cellular processes ranging from proper mitotic spindle placement to the construction of a functional cilium. When distal appendages are present, they have a ninefold symmetry, whereas subdistal appendage organization is varied across cell types and species. Unlike human umbilical vein endothelial cells, can adjust their subdistal appendage number due to extracellular cues [9]. These findings suggest several possibilities, one of which is that subdistal appendage symmetry can be impacted by extracellular signals that have the potential to effect centrosome function. An additional outcome that these studies present is that subdistal appendage number within a single mother centriole can vary across cell types within a single species. One question remains: why are the subdistal appendages so variable in
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