Plk4 Regulates Centriole Asymmetry and Spindle Orientation in Neural Stem Cells.

ABSTRACT: Defects in mitotic spindle orientation (MSO) disrupt the organization of stem cell niches impacting tissue morphogenesis and homeostasis. Mutations in centrosome genes reduce MSO fidelity, leading to tissue dysplasia and causing several diseases such as microcephaly, dwarfism, and cancer. Whether these mutations perturb spindle orientation solely by affecting astral microtubule nucleation or whether centrosome proteins have more direct functions in regulating MSO is unknown. To investigate this question, we analyzed the consequences of deregulating Plk4 (the master centriole duplication kinase) activity in Drosophila asymmetrically dividing neural stem cells. We found that Plk4 functions upstream of MSO control, orchestrating centriole symmetry breaking and consequently centrosome position

SUBMITTER: Gambarotto D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6614718 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature