Abstract
Centrosomes nucleate microtubules and serve as poles of the mitotic spindle. Centrioles are a core component of centrosomes and duplicate once per cell cycle. We previously identified E-tubulin as a new member of the tubulin super-family that localizes asymmetrically to the two centrosomes after duplication. We show that recruitment of E-tubulin to the new centrosome can only occur after exit from S phase and that E-tubulin is associated with the sub-distal appendages of mature centrioles. Xenopus laevis E-tubulin was cloned and shown to be similar to human E-tubulin in both sequence and localization. Depletion of E-tubulin from Xenopus egg extracts blocks centriole duplication in S phase and formation of organized centrosome-independent microtubule asters in M phase. We conclude that E-tubulin is a component of the sub-distal appendages of the centriole, explaining its asymmetric localization to old and new centrosomes, and that E-tubulin is required for centriole duplication and organization of the pericentriolar material.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 71-76 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Nature Cell Biology |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2003 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cell Biology