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September 3, 2010
The Art of Dividing (MPI-MG)
A basic requirement for growth and life of a multicellular organism is the
ability of its cells to divide. A protein complex, the so-called centrosome,
plays a major role during cell division. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute
for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, together with colleagues at the German
Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and at the Leibniz Institute for Age
Research - Fritz Lipmann Institute in Jena have investigated the functions
of the different centrosomal components. The researchers now present the
centrosome's components and their functions. Their work extends our
knowledge of regulation of cell division and opens the door to new
investigations into cancer development. (EMBO Journal, September 3rd
2010)
During cell division chromosomes duplicate and are then distributed among the
daughter cells. This distribution is organized by the centrosome, a protein
complex made up of several hundred different proteins. In cancer cells, the
centrosome often assumes an unnatural shape or is present in uncontrolled
numbers. The reasons for this were previously largely unknown.
September 3rd, 2010
As part of their research, the scientists examined centrosomes of the fruit fly Drosophila as well as those
from human cells. "The fruit fly is a terrific system for investigating the centrosome, because the basic
mechanisms of cell division are very similar between fly and human", explains Bodo Lange, the research
group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics. The group isolated centrosomes from the
eggs of fruit flies and, using mass spectrometry methods, identified more than 250 different proteins making
up this complex. These components were then subjected to targeted inactivation through RNA interference
(RNAi), to discover their role in the structure of the centrosome and in chromosome distribution. The
scientists were able to determine the protein functions quantitatively through use of state-of-the-art automatic
and robotic microscopes.
They found a whole series of proteins responsible for the separation of chromosomes, number of centrosomes
and their structure. As these characteristics are often disrupted in cancer cells, the researchers believe their
findings will have a significant impact on the understanding of cell division and the development of
cancerous diseases.
The work of these scientists has brought new insight into the abnormalities seen in cancer cells. "Based on
our findings, we hope to be able to unravel regulatory networks in the future, which will help to target and
interfere with the division of cancer cells."
Original work:
Müller H., Schmidt D., Steinbrink S., Mirgorodskaya E., Lehmann V., Habermann K., Dreher F., Gustavsson N., Kessler T.,
Lehrach H., Herwig R., Gobom J., Ploubidou A., Boutros M., Lange B.M.H
Proteomic and functional analysis of the Drosophila centrosome.
EMBO Journal, online publication 03.09.2010, doi:10.1038/emboj.2010.210.
Contact FLI:
Dr. Aspasia Ploubidou
FLI - Leibniz-Institut für Altersforschung
Tel.: +49 3641 656468
Fax: +49 3641 656010
Email: ploubidou@fli-leibniz.de
