Centrosomerelated

Centrosome-related refers to anything connected with the centrosome, the main microtubule organizing center in most animal cells. The centrosome typically comprises a pair of centrioles arranged at right angles and surrounded by pericentriolar material, which contains the gamma-tubulin ring complexes that nucleate microtubules. In many organisms, plants and most fungi rely on different MTOCs and may lack a canonical centrosome, while yeast use a spindle pole body as their main MTOC.

The centrosome functions as the primary organizer of microtubules during interphase and mitosis, helping to form and shape the mitotic spindle that segregates chromosomes. Centrosome duplication occurs once per cell cycle to maintain a pair of centrosomes for spindle assembly. This process is tightly regulated by a network of proteins, including PLK4, STIL, SAS-6, CEP192, and CEP152, among others. Centrosomes mature and become more microtubule-nucleating during mitosis, a change sometimes referred to as centrosome maturation.

Centrosomes also serve as a basal body for cilia formation in many cell types, linking centrosomal function to ciliogenesis. The mother centriole can dock to the plasma membrane to initiate cilium assembly, while other centrosomal components coordinate signaling and maintenance of the cilium.

Clinical relevance arises from centrosome abnormalities, such as amplification or structural defects, which can contribute to chromosomal instability and cancer progression, as well as to developmental disorders like microcephaly and other ciliopathies. The study of centrosome-related biology spans cell cycle control, spindle dynamics, and organelle biogenesis.