Supramolecular Assembly of the Centrosome

The centrosome is an organelle essential for human health: alterations of centrosome structure and function are responsible for neurodevelopmental disorders such as primary microcephaly and ciliopathies and for cancer progression. The centrosome plays a critical role in determining these disease states because it functions as the major microtubule-organizing center of the cell controlling the location and timing of microtubule nucleation, thereby ensuring accurate chromosome segregation, cilia formation and cell differentiation. To finely control microtubule organization, centrosomes form the Pericentriolar Material. This “supramolecular” assembly –a complex structure composed of multiple protein complexes —has previously eluded analysis of its high-order organization, because of its size below the diffraction limit of light. In this presentation we discuss our recent findings on the molecular architecture of the pericentriolar material and present evidence of a novel mechanism of regulation of its assembly.