Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 22
Thoughts on Progress in
the Centrosome Field
Jeffrey L. Salisbury
Abstract Centrioles and centrosomes have been at the center of attention of Cell
Biologists since the very beginning of the field. The approaches to the conduct of
science by early investigators shaped not only the foundation of our understanding
of centrosome biology, but also continue to impact its direction. What sets
centrioles and centrosomes apart from membrane-bound organelles are their fas-
cinating structure, and the intrinsic counting mechanism they employ to duplicate
once in each cell cycle. The details of centriole and centrosome biogenesis, and the
role that they play in ciliogenesis, cell polarity, and as a platform for cell signaling
pathways ensure their central place in future investigations.
22.1 Commentary
I have been thinking a lot lately about the pace of recent progress in our under-
standing of the biology of centrosomes and centrioles, and the scientific excite-
ment brought to the field with the re-emergence of the primary cilium as an
extension of the centriole (Pazour et al.
2000
; Pazour and Rosenbaum
2002
). The
cell biologist cannot help but be enamored by the centrosome and their defining
functional features: the nucleation of microtubule arrays and the ability to double
once in each cell cycle. The centrosome's role as a structural platform on which
critical early steps in molecular signaling cascades operate is also a growing area
of current interest, though the history of this notion runs deep in the field as the
J. L. Salisbury (
)
Tumor Biology Program, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic,
Rochester MN 55906, USA
e-mail: salisbury@mayo.edu
&
