Phase Transitioning the Centrosome into a Microtubule Nucleator.

TitlePhase Transitioning the Centrosome into a Microtubule Nucleator.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2018
AuthorsRale, MJ, Kadzik, RS, Petry, S
JournalBiochemistry
Volume57
Issue1
Pagination30-37
Date Published2018 Jan 09
ISSN1520-4995
KeywordsAnimals, Biochemistry, Cell Cycle Proteins, Centrosome, Humans, Interphase, Microtubule-Associated Proteins, Microtubule-Organizing Center, Microtubules, Mitosis, Models, Biological, Phase Transition, Protein Multimerization, Protein Transport
Abstract

<p>Centrosomes are self-assembling, micron-scale, nonmembrane bound organelles that nucleate microtubules (MTs) and organize the microtubule cytoskeleton of the cell. They orchestrate critical cellular processes such as ciliary-based motility, vesicle trafficking, and cell division. Much is known about the role of the centrosome in these contexts, but we have a less comprehensive understanding of how the centrosome assembles and generates microtubules. Studies over the past 10 years have fundamentally shifted our view of these processes. Subdiffraction imaging has probed the amorphous haze of material surrounding the core of the centrosome revealing a complex, hierarchically organized structure whose composition and size changes profoundly during the transition from interphase to mitosis. New biophysical insights into protein phase transitions, where a diffuse protein spontaneously separates into a locally concentrated, nonmembrane bounded compartment, have provided a fresh perspective into how the centrosome might rapidly condense from diffuse cytoplasmic components. In this Perspective, we focus on recent findings that identify several centrosomal proteins that undergo phase transitions. We discuss how to reconcile these results with the current model of the underlying organization of proteins in the centrosome. Furthermore, we reflect on how these findings impact our understanding of how the centrosome undergoes self-assembly and promotes MT nucleation.</p>

DOI10.1021/acs.biochem.7b01064
Alternate JournalBiochemistry
PubMed ID29256606
PubMed Central IDPMC6193265
Grant ListDP2 GM123493 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
F32 GM119195 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
T32 GM007388 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
/ HHMI / Howard Hughes Medical Institute / United States