PMID: 30858376

Authors:

Kim TS, Zhang L, Il Ahn J, Meng L, Chen Y, Lee E, Bang JK, Lim JM, Ghirlando R, Fan L, Wang YX, Kim BY, Park JE, Lee KS

Title:

Molecular architecture of a cylindrical self-assembly at human centrosomes.

Journal:

Nat Commun. 2019 Mar 11;10(1):1151. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-08838-2.

Abstract:

The cell is constructed by higher-order structures and organelles through complex interactions among distinct structural constituents. The centrosome is a membraneless organelle composed of two microtubule-derived structures called centrioles and an amorphous mass of pericentriolar material. Super-resolution microscopic analyses in various organisms revealed that diverse pericentriolar material proteins are concentrically localized around a centriole in a highly organized manner. However, the molecular nature underlying these organizations remains unknown. Here we show that two human pericentriolar material scaffolds, Cep63 and Cep152, cooperatively generate a heterotetrameric alpha-helical bundle that functions in conjunction with its neighboring hydrophobic motifs to self-assemble into a higher-order cylindrical architecture capable of recruiting downstream components, including Plk4, a key regulator for centriole duplication. Mutations disrupting the self-assembly abrogate Plk4-mediated centriole duplication. Because pericentriolar material organization is evolutionarily conserved, this work may offer a paradigm for investigating the assembly and function of centrosomal scaffolds in various organisms.