Discovery of an essential protein for microtubule organisation

To date, little is known about the centrosome. The identification of new centrosome proteins is one of the challenges addressed by Cayetano González’s lab at IRB Barcelona.

Published today in Current Biology, the study performed by this lab describes one of these proteins, called Asterless, and reports that the function of Asterless is largely structural, and facilitates the assembly of the external part of the centrosome (the PCM).

Recent studies have proposed that centrosomes are for the most part not essential for the development of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). The research published by the IRB Barcelona scientists contradicts this hypothesis. According to Salud Llamazares, one of the researchers with this lab, "if Asterless is absent, the structure of the centrosome is greatly impaired, which results in serious consequences for cell activity and the viability of the organism. For example, when this protein is not expressed, embryo development stops at fertilization."

Human cells have a protein known as CEP152, which, as explained by José Reina from the IRB Barcelona lab, shares many similarities with Asterless, the fly protein. "To date, nothing is known about CEP152 activity. The study on its homologue Asterless is providing the first clues about the possible function of the human protein", comments Reina.

In humans, centrosome dysfunction is associated with numerous pathologies, including cancer, a field of research in which Cayetano González and his team have published several studies in recent years.