New insights into cell division

The ability of cells to divide is a fundamental prerequisite for health and growth of a multicellular organism. For this, the chromosomes of cells are first redublicated and then distributed to each of the daughter cells. The correct distribution of the chromosomes is controlled by a protein complex of several hundred chromosomes, the so-called centrosome. In cancer cells, the centrosome is often abnormally formed and occurs in uncontrolled amounts. So far, the reasons for this phenomenon were widely unknown. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics Berlin have now cooperated with scientists of the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg, DKFZ, as well as of the Leibniz Institute for Age Research to examine the component parts of the centrosomes. The scientists' work extends the knowledge of the regulation of cell division and might open up new approaches in terms of carcinogenesis.

For this, the scientists examined centrosomes of not only human cells but also of the fruit fly Drosophila, as its fundamental mechanisms of cell division is very similar to the human one. At first, the scientists isolated the centrosomes from the eggs of Drosophila. Out of this, the researchers were able to identify more than 250 different proteins. Following, specific protein components were inactivated trough RNA interference (RNAi) to analyse their respective significance for the structure of the centrosome and the distribution of chromosomes. By using highly modern, automatic and robot-supported microscopes, the scientists succeeded in identifying the different functions of the proteins. They found a number of proteins responsible for the division of chromosomes, the number of centrosomes and their structure. These characteristics are often defective in cancer cells. According to the researchers, these factors might be of great importance for cell division and carcinogenesis.

The work of the scientists could be the basis for the identification of regulatory networks, which would allow a precise intervention in the division of cancer cells. 

Original Publication:
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:
PD Dr. Bodo M.H. Lange
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics Berlin
lange_b@molgen.mpg.de


Source: Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics Berlin