Amorphous Pericentriolar Material Research Articles

Centrioles Regulate Centrosome Size by Controlling the Rate of Cnn Incorporation into the PCM

centrosomes are major microtubule organizing centers in animal cells, and they comprise a pair of centrioles surrounded by an amorphous pericentriolar material (PCM). Centrosome size is tightly regulated during the cell cycle, and it has recently been shown that the two centrosomes in certain stem cells are often asymmetric in size. There is compelling evidence that centrioles influence centrosome size, but how centrosome size is set remains mysterious. we show that the conserved Drosophila PCM protein Cnn exhibits an unusual dynamic behavior, because Cnn molecules only incorporate into the PCM closest to the centrioles and then spread outward through the rest of the PCM. Cnn incorporation into the PCM is driven by an interaction with the conserved centriolar proteins Asl (Cep152 in humans) and DSpd-2 (Cep192 in humans). The rate of Cnn incorporation into the PCM is tightly regulated during the cell cycle, and this rate influences the amount of Cnn in the PCM, which in turn is an important determinant of overall centrosome size. Intriguingly, daughter centrioles in syncytial embryos only start to incorporate Cnn as they disengage from their mothers; this generates a centrosome size asymmetry, with mother centrioles always initially organizing more Cnn than their daughters. centrioles can control the amount of PCM they organize by regulating the rate of Cnn incorporation into the PCM. This mechanism can explain how centrosome size is regulated during the cell cycle and also allows mother and daughter centrioles to set centrosome size independently of one another.

Polo-like kinase 4 kinase activity limits centrosome overduplication by autoregulating its own stability

Accurate control of the number of centrosomes, the major microtubule-organizing centers of animal cells, is critical for the maintenance of genome integrity. Abnormalities in centrosome number can promote errors in spindle formation that lead to subsequent chromosome missegregation, and extra centrosomes are found in many cancers. Centrosomes are comprised of a pair of centrioles surrounded by amorphous pericentriolar material, and centrosome duplication is controlled by centriole replication. Polo-like kinase 4 (Plk4) plays a key role in initiating centriole duplication, and overexpression of Plk4 promotes centriole overduplication and the formation of extra centrosomes. Using chemical genetics, we show that kinase-active Plk4 is inherently unstable and targeted for degradation. Plk4 is shown to multiply self-phosphorylate within a 24-amino acid phosphodegron. Phosphorylation of multiple sites is required for Plk4 instability, indicating a requirement for a threshold level of Plk4 kinase activity to promote its own destruction. We propose that kinase-mediated, autoregulated instability of Plk4 self-limits Plk4 activity so as to prevent centrosome amplification.

Plk2 regulated centriole duplication is dependent on its localization to the centrosome and a functional polo-box domain

In mammalian cells, the centrosome consists of a pair of centrioles and amorphous pericentriolar material. The centrosome duplicates once per cell cycle. Polo like kinases (Plks) perform crucial functions in cell-cycle progression and during mitosis. The polo-like kinase-2, Plk2, is activated near the G1/S phase transition, and plays an important role in the reproduction of centrosomes. In this study, we show that the polo-box of Plk2 is required both for association to the centrosome and centriole duplication. Mutation of critical sites in the Plk2 polo-box prevents centrosomal localization and impairs centriole duplication. Plk2 is localized to centrosomes during early G1 phase where it only associates to the mother centriole and then distributes equally to both mother and daughter centrioles at the onset of S phase. Furthermore, our results imply that Plk2 mediated centriole duplication is dependent on Plk4 function. In addition, we find that siRNA-mediated down-regulation of Plk2 leads to the formation of abnormal mitotic spindles confirming that Plk2 may have a function in the reproduction of centrioles.

A Genome-Wide RNAi Screen to Dissect Centriole Duplication and Centrosome Maturation in Drosophila

Centrosomes comprise a pair of centrioles surrounded by an amorphous pericentriolar material (PCM). Here, we have performed a microscopy-based genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screen in Drosophila cells to identify proteins required for centriole duplication and mitotic PCM recruitment. We analysed 92% of the Drosophila genome (13,059 genes) and identified 32 genes involved in centrosome function. An extensive series of secondary screens classified these genes into four categories: (1) nine are required for centriole duplication, (2) 11 are required for centrosome maturation, (3) nine are required for both functions, and (4) three genes regulate centrosome separation. These 32 hits include several new centrosomal components, some of which have human homologs. In addition, we find that the individual depletion of only two proteins, Polo and Centrosomin (Cnn) can completely block centrosome maturation. Cnn is phosphorylated during mitosis in a Polo-dependent manner, suggesting that the Polo-dependent phosphorylation of Cnn initiates centrosome maturation in flies.

Centrobin

In mammalian cells, the centrosome consists of a pair of centrioles and amorphous pericentriolar material. The pair of centrioles, which are the core components of the centrosome, duplicate once per cell cycle. Centrosomes play a pivotal role in orchestrating the formation of the bipolar spindle during mitosis. Recent studies have linked centrosomal activity on centrioles or centriole-associated structures to cytokinesis and cell cycle progression through G1 into the S phase. In this study, we have identified centrobin as a centriole-associated protein that asymmetrically localizes to the daughter centriole. The silencing of centrobin expression by small interfering RNA inhibited centriole duplication and resulted in centrosomes with one or no centriole, demonstrating that centrobin is required for centriole duplication. Furthermore, inhibition of centriole duplication by centrobin depletion led to impaired cytokinesis.

The Drosophila pericentrin-like protein is essential for cilia/flagella function, but appears to be dispensable for mitosis.

Centrosomes consist of a pair of centrioles surrounded by an amorphous pericentriolar material (PCM). Proteins that contain a Pericentrin/AKAP450 centrosomal targeting (PACT) domain have been implicated in recruiting several proteins to the PCM. We show that the only PACT domain protein in Drosophila (the Drosophila pericentrin-like protein [D-PLP]) is associated with both the centrioles and the PCM, and is essential for the efficient centrosomal recruitment of all six PCM components that we tested. Surprisingly, however, all six PCM components are eventually recruited to centrosomes during mitosis in d-plp mutant cells, and mitosis is not dramatically perturbed. Although viable, d-plp mutant flies are severely uncoordinated, a phenotype usually associated with defects in mechanosensory neuron function. We show that the sensory cilia of these neurons are malformed and the neurons are nonfunctional in d-plp mutants. Moreover, the flagella in mutant sperm are nonmotile. Thus, D-PLP is essential for the formation of functional cilia and flagella in flies.

Gamma tubulin and the origin of two-ness

Centrioles are the only cellular structures besides chromosomes to undergo a precise doubling during cell division. During each cell cycle, every centriole gives rise to exactly one daughter centriole. This apparent self-replication, together with the position of centrioles at the core of the centrosome, has generated constant interest in centriole duplication for over 100 years. Yet we still know almost nothing about the mechanism of centriole duplication.What molecules might be required? γ-Tubulin, which localizes to the amorphous pericentriolar material, is also found within the proximal end of the centriole barrel, where it has been proposed to nucleate formation of the triplet microtubules of the centriole. γ-Tubulin might therefore be essential for centriole duplication. To test this model, Ruiz et al.1xBasal body duplication in Paramecium requires γ-tubulin. Ruiz, F., Beisson, J., Rossier, J., and Dupuis-Williams, P. Curr. Biol. 1999; 9: 43–46Abstract | Full Text | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (102)See all References1 injected promoter-less coding region DNA from the gene encoding γ-tubulin into the Paramecium macronucleus, a procedure that silences endogenous copies of the gene. Depletion of γ-tubulin protein was verified by immunofluorescence.The surface of Paramecium bristles with rows of centrioles called basal bodies. Injected cells had half the normal number of basal bodies, implying that, without γ-tubulin, basal bodies did not duplicate. Many cortical rows in Paramecium normally contain pairs of basal bodies, each representing a parent and daughter basal body that stay together. Cells lacking γ-tubulin had only rows of individual basal bodies instead of doublets, confirming a duplication defect.This first step towards dissecting centriole duplication at the molecular level promises that the aura of mystery surrounding centrioles can indeed be penetrated, provided one takes a clever-enough approach.

Cell cycle independent interaction of CDC2 with the centrosome, which is associated with the nuclear matrix-intermediate filament scaffold.

The cell cycle regulating Cdc2 protein kinase helps orchestrate cell cycle dependent changes in cell structure and function. This report shows that Cdc2 is localized to the centrosome region and is tightly bound to the nuclear matrix-intermediate filament scaffold. Antibodies to Cdc2 and to the centrosome-specific protein, pericentrin, label the centrosome in an apparently cell cycle independent manner. Isolated centrosomes also label similarly with both antibodies. Essentially, all cells show Cdc2 labeling of the centrosomes, implying an independence of the stage in the cell cycle, a conclusion supported by studies of synchronized cells. In contrast to the labeling of every cell with the Cdc2 monoclonal antibody, fewer centrosomes were labeled with an antibody to the PSTAIRE domain of Cdc2. Embedment-free, immunogold electron micrographs of extracted cell whole mounts show the centrioles and a pericentriolar network of filaments. Both Cdc2 and pericentrin antibodies decorate the amorphous pericentriolar material, while the Cdc2 antibodies also decorate the centrioles themselves. The constitutive presence of Cdc2 at the centrosome suggests a continuing role in the dynamics of centrosome function throughout the cell cycle.

Preferential dendritic localization of pericentriolar material in hippocampal pyramidal neurons in culture.

Centrosomes are unique cytoplasmic structures which serve as microtubule organizing centers (MTOC). In most animal cells centrosomes consist of one or more pair of centrioles surrounded by electron dense amorphous pericentriolar material (PCM) responsible for nucleation of microtubules. In the present study we analyzed the pattern of induction and localization of proteins of the PCM at different stages of neuronal development in cell cultures prepared from the embryonic hippocampus. For this purpose we used a human polyclonal antibody that recognizes two proteins of the PCM (100 kd and 60 kd, respectively). The results indicate that in mature neurons, pericentriolar immunoreactive material is preferentially localized in dendritic processes, and that throughout the course of neurite development and differentiation it is systematically excluded from the neuron's axon. Western blot analysis showed that during neuronal development in situ, there is an increase in the immunoreactivity for both proteins recognized by this antibody. In contrast, in hippocampal pyramidal neurons that develop in culture, there is an increase in the 60 kd polypeptide, while the 100 kd one is not detected after 7 days in vitro.

Tubulin nucleation and assembly in mitotic cells: evidence for nucleic acids in kinetochores and centrosomes.

A lysed cell system was used to study the organelle structure and nucleation of exogenous tubulin at kinetochores and centrosomes in mitotic PtK2 cells. We have used this lysed cell system in conjunction with nuclease digestion experiments to determine which specific nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) are involved in either the structure and/or microtubule-initiating capacity of kinetochores and centrosomes. The results indicate that DNase I specifically decondenses the kinetochore plate structure, with the eventual loss in the ability of the chromosomes to nucleate microtubule assembly. DNase I had no effect on either the structure or nucleating capacity of centrosomes. Both RNase T1 and RNase A specifically attacked the amorphous pericentriolar material of the centrosomes, with a concomitant loss in the ability of this material to nucleate microtubule formation. Neither RNase appeared to affect the structure or nucleating capacity of the kinetochore. Therefore, the two types of nucleases appear to exert preferential effects on the different types of microtubule initiation sites in mitotic mammalian cells. The results suggest that DNA is a major component of the kinetochore, while RNA is a major component of the amorphous pericentriolar material. These findings support the concept that microtubule initiation sites in mitotic cells contain nucleic acids which are essential for the structural and functional integrity of the sites.

Localization of tubulin in the mitotic apparatus of mammalian cells by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy

Antitubulin antibody was used as an immunofluorescent and immunoelectron microscopic probe to localize tubulin in components of the mitotic apparatus of rat kangaroo (strain PtK1) cells in vitro. In addition to the detection of tubulin in the spindle microtubules and centrioles, other structures were found to display specific staining including kinetochores, amorphous pericentriolar material and small virus-like particles associated with the centrioles. The kinetochores consisted of a densely stained outer layer about 400 A thick which is separated from an inner layer of the same dimension by a lightly staining middle layer. Microtubules were primarily associated with the outermost plate of the kinetochore but tubulin was uniformly distributed in both outer and inner plates. Colcemid treatment prevented the assembly of spindle microtubules and resulted in specific alterations of the kinetochore but failed to diminish the staining of the kinetochores. These observations suggest that tubulin molecules may comprise an important structural component of the kinetochore.