In cell biology, the centrosome (Latin centrum 'center' + Greek sōma 'body') (archaically cytocentre) 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. Although the centrosome has a key role in efficient mitosis in animal cells, it is not essential in certain fly and flatworm species.
Centrosomes are composed of two centrioles arranged at right angles to each other, and surrounded by a dense, highly structured mass of protein termed the pericentriolar material (PCM). The PCM contains proteins responsible for microtubule nucleation and anchoring — including γ-tubulin, pericentrin and ninein. In general, each centriole of the centrosome is based on a nine-triplet microtubule assembled in a cartwheel structure, and contains centrin, cenexin and tektin.
In many cell types, the centrosome is replaced by a cilium during cellular differentiation. However, once the cell starts to divide, the cilium is replaced again by the centrosome.
The centrosome was discovered jointly by Walther Flemming in 1875 and Edouard Van Beneden in 1876, and later described and named in 1888 by Theodor Boveri.
Centrosomes are associated with the nuclear membrane during the prophase stage of the cell cycle. During mitosis, the nuclear membrane breaks down, and the centrosome-nucleated microtubules can interact with the chromosomes to build the mitotic spindle.
The mother centriole, the older of the two in the centriole pair, also has a central role in making cilia and flagella.
The centrosome is copied only once per cell cycle, so that each daughter cell inherits one centrosome, containing two structures called centrioles. The centrosome replicates during the S phase of the cell cycle.
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In cell biology, the spindle apparatus is the cytoskeletal structure of eukaryotic cells that forms during cell division to separate sister chromatids between daughter cells. It is referred to as the mitotic spindle during mitosis, a process that produces genetically identical daughter cells, or the meiotic spindle during meiosis, a process that produces gametes with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell. Besides chromosomes, the spindle apparatus is composed of hundreds of proteins.
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Students will learn essentials of cell and developmental biology with an engineering mind set, with an emphasis on animal model systems and quantitative approaches.
The presence of centrioles is critical for fundamental cell and developmental processes, including polarity, migration and division. Although centrioles are present in most proliferating cells, they are thought to vanish after cell cycle exit in some diffe ...
Whereas both sperm and egg contribute nuclear genetic material to the zygote in metazoan organisms, the inheritance of other cellular constituents is unequal between the 2 gametes. Thus, 2 copies of the centriole are contributed solely by the sperm to the ...
Centrioles are eukaryotic organelles that template the formation of cilia and flagella, as well as organize the microtubule network and the mitotic spindle in animal cells. Centrioles have proximal-distal polarity and a 9 fold radial symmetry imparted by a ...