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Centro Some

The centrosome is the main microtubule organizing center of animal cells. It is composed of a pair of centrioles surrounded by pericentriolar material. Centrioles are composed of nine sets of microtubule triplets that help organize the cell during division. The pericentriolar material contains proteins that anchor and nucleate microtubules, allowing the centrosome to organize the microtubule network and direct cell division.

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Anupam Ghosh
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138 views6 pages

Centro Some

The centrosome is the main microtubule organizing center of animal cells. It is composed of a pair of centrioles surrounded by pericentriolar material. Centrioles are composed of nine sets of microtubule triplets that help organize the cell during division. The pericentriolar material contains proteins that anchor and nucleate microtubules, allowing the centrosome to organize the microtubule network and direct cell division.

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Anupam Ghosh
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Centrosome: structure and function

Dr. Anupam Ghosh


Dept. of Zoology
Bankura Christian College
Introduction

 Centrosome (Latin centrum 'center' + Greek sōma


'body') 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.
 Centrosome is found lying in the centre of the
cell, near the nucleus. In Metazoa, centrosome
lies outside nucleus, but in Protozoa it lies within
the nucleus.
 It is not a universal cell constituent as it is lacking
in some plant cells and fungi.
 They were discovered by Van Benden (1880), in
cells of cer­tain parasites of cephalopods,
indicating it as origin of aster. Later on, T. Boveri
in 1888 described it in detail.
Structure
• Centrosomes are composed of two orthogonally
arranged centrioles surrounded by an amorphous mass
of protein termed the pericentriolar material (PCM).
The substance of centrosome is called kinoplasm which
consists of two parts —
• (1) Smaller bodies or centrioles.
• (2) Surrounding mass or centrosphere.
• Centrioles:
• Centrioles are cytoplasmic bodies found in most animal
cells.
• These are located at one pole of cell just outside the
nuclear envelope.
• These may be one or two, which are darkly staining
particles or rods made of RNA.
• Light microscopists referred them as the diplosom.
• Regarded as an indicator of the cellular symmetry axis.
• During resting stage, it is generally one, but as cell
division begins, it divides into two.
Under electron microscope, centrioles are usually seen as paired hollow cylinders
3000 to 5000° A long and 1200 to 1500° A in diameter, open at both ends and lying at
Structure of centriole right angles to each other.

The wall of the centriole or hollow cylinder is composed of nine sets of hollow triple
microtubules arranged in a circle and embedded in a dense granular or amorphous,
electron dense matrix.

Each triplet formed of three microtubules run oblique (or slanting) toward the
centre. In transverse section the triplets are arranged like the vanes of a pin—wheel.

The triplets consist of a complete microtubule of 13 α- and β-tubulin-containing


protofilaments, called the A-tubule, to which two successive incomplete 10
protofilament microtubules, called B- and C-tubules, are assembled. The innermost
tubule is A, the middle one is В and the outer one is C.
Structure
The nine sets of triplet microtubules are joined by fine,
fibre-like connections.
A Y-shaped linker is present between the A- and B-
tubules of the triplet microtubules. This linker has a
central stem (bottom of the Y) that contacts both the A-
and B-tubules at the protofilaments. The subtubule A of
each triplet is linked with subtubule С of the
neighbouring triplet by a connective of some dense
material (DM).
Function
• Centrosphere:
• It is denser area of cytoplasm, surrounding the centrioles.

Chemical composition of centriole:


• The subfibres or microtubules of centriole contain the structural protein, tubulin, and
lipid molecules.
• The centrioles contain a high concentration of ATPase enzyme.
• The PCM contains proteins responsible for microtubule nucleation and anchoring
including γ-tubulin, pericentrin and ninein.
• Function of Centrosome:
• The centrosome appears to initiate cell division, and centriole is involved in the formation
of spindle and astral rays from protein molecules.
• Spindle fibres are also composed of microtubules, and these fibres are responsible for
chromosomal movements during cell division.

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