#centrosomes

Propaganda!

In cell biology, the centrosome (Latin centrum 'center' + Greek sōma 'body') is an organelle that serves as the main microtubule organizing center (MTOC) of the animal cell, as well as a regulator of cell-cycle progression. The centrosome provides structure for the cell. The centrosome is thought to have evolved only in the metazoan lineage of eukaryotic cells. Fungi and plants lack centrosomes and therefore use other structures to organize their microtubules.

Stopping Cystic Cells

More than half the patients with the inherited kidney disease ADPKD will need a kidney transplant. This study shows that the abnormal, cystic cells can be prevented from accumulating by inhibiting clustering of their centrosomes, cell machinery required for division – a potential novel treatment target

Read the published research article here

Image adapted from work by Tao Cheng and colleagues

Department of Medicine, Nephrology Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Journal of Clinical Investigation insight, May 2024

-- an organelle

-- located near the nucleus

-- consists of:      -- dense cytoplasm      -- two centrioles

-- the centrioles are arranged at right angles

-- functions as microtubule organizing center

-- assembles the spindle apparatus during mitosis

Interior Design Changes

Mechanisms underlying how the contents of cells deform and organise to change cell shape allowing them to migrate or invade

Read the published research paper here

Image from work by Pedro Monteiro and Bongwhan Yeon, and colleagues

Centre for Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in The EMBO Journal, July 2023

Propaganda!

In cell biology, the centrosome (Latin centrum 'center' + Greek sōma 'body') is an organelle that serves as the main microtubule organizing center (MTOC) of the animal cell, as well as a regulator of cell-cycle progression. The centrosome provides structure for the cell. The centrosome is thought to have evolved only in the metazoan lineage of eukaryotic cells. Fungi and plants lack centrosomes and therefore use other structures to organize their microtubules.

Centrosomes and Old City Streets

Thanks to funding from ThinkSwiss, I was able to spend two months in Switzerland doing research at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). I worked in the lab of Pierre Gönczy and studied the role of centrosomes in the symmetry breaking of early C. elegans embryos.

In C. elegans there is an initial symmetry-breaking event that occurs shortly after fertilization which transforms them into polarized cells capable of undergoing asymmetric cell division. This symmetry-breaking event is initiated when the sperm centrosomes make contact with the cell cortex, causing the segregation of certain proteins and the establishment of an anterior-posterior axis. Although we know centrosomes play a key role in this process, the exact mechanism has yet to be determined. For my project, I depleted the embryos of proteins that control centrosome number and localization and then looked at how this affected the establishment of polarity. During my time in the lab, I got interesting results and I gained new knowledge and developed new skills.

While most of my time during the week was spent working in the lab, I spent almost every weekend traveling around Switzerland (and a little bit of Italy and France). I walked through the old city streets, toured castles with rich histories, took boat rides on various lakes, ate local cheese and chocolate, hiked in the Alps, and much more. However, despite visiting more places than I can even count, I still feel as though there is so much to Switzerland that I have yet to explore.

I made many new friends and had unforgettable experiences during my time in Switzerland. I am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to travel around and do research in such a beautiful and diverse country.

Mitosis and its Stages in Plants and Animals

The mitosisoccurs in the somatic cells and is meant for the multiplication of  cell numbers during embryo-genesis and blastogenesis of plants and animals. Fundamentally, It remains related with the growth of an individual from zygote to adult stage. One of the basic characteristic of the the mitotic cell division  which is meant for the growth due to multiplication is that it gives rise to 2…