The centrosome and spindle as a ribonucleoprotein complex
Citable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/4340As published
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-011-9186-7Keyword
Centrosome; Spindle; Centrosomal RNA; Nucleolinus; Centriole; Cell divisionAbstract
The presence of nucleic acids in centrosomes and the spindle have been proposed,
observed, and reported since the 1950s. Why did the subject remain, perhaps even until
today, such a controversial issue? The explanation is manifold, and includes legitimate
concern over contamination from other cellular compartments in biochemical
preparations. With a typically high background of cytoplasmic ribosomes, even
microscopic images of stained intact cells could be difficult to interpret. Also, evidence
for RNA and DNA in centrosomes accumulated for approximately 40 years but was
interspersed with contradictory studies, primarily regarding the presence of DNA
(reviewed in Johnson and Rosenbaum, 1991; Marshall and Rosenbaum, 2000). Perhaps
less tangible but still a likely cause for lingering controversy is that the presence of
nucleic acids in the spindle or centrosomes will require us to look differently at these
structures from a functional, and more to the point, evolutionary standpoint.
Description
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2011. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Chromosome Research 19 (2011): 367-376, doi:10.1007/s10577-011-9186-7.
Suggested Citation
Preprint: Alliegro, Mark C., "The centrosome and spindle as a ribonucleoprotein complex", 2011-01-03, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-011-9186-7, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/4340Related items
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