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  2. A theory of centriole duplication based on self-organized spatial pattern formation

A theory of centriole duplication based on self-organized spatial pattern formation

  • J Cell Biol. 2019 Nov 4;218(11):3537-3547. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201904156.
Daisuke Takao 1 Shohei Yamamoto 2 3 Daiju Kitagawa 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan dtakao@mol.f.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
  • 2 Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
  • 3 Graduate Program in Bioscience, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
  • 4 Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan dkitagawa@mol.f.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
Abstract

In each cell cycle, centrioles are duplicated to produce a single copy of each preexisting centriole. At the onset of centriole duplication, the master regulator Polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4) undergoes a dynamic change in its spatial pattern around the preexisting centriole, forming a single duplication site. However, the significance and mechanisms of this pattern transition remain unknown. Using super-resolution imaging, we found that centriolar PLK4 exhibits periodic discrete patterns resembling pearl necklaces, frequently with single prominent foci. Mathematical modeling and simulations incorporating the self-organization properties of PLK4 successfully generated the experimentally observed patterns. We therefore propose that the self-patterning of PLK4 is crucial for the regulation of centriole duplication. These results, defining the mechanisms of self-organized regulation, provide a fundamental principle for understanding centriole duplication.

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