Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 4
Nuclear-Centrosome Relationships
During Fertilization, Cell Division,
Embryo Development, and in Somatic Cell
Nuclear Transfer Embryos
Heide Schatten and Qing-Yuan Sun
Abstract Nuclear-centrosome relationships are critical for synchronized cell cycle
progression. During fertilization and syngamy, centrosome-nuclear relationships
are important for pronuclear migration and to allow synchronized maturation of the
sperm nucleus into the male pronucleus and of the sperm's centriole-centrosome
complex into a division-competent centrosome that is able to separate chromosomes
precisely into the dividing daughter cells. Abnormalities in nuclear-centrosome
interactions are among the underlying causes for male and female factor infertility,
for developmental disorders, and disease. Centrosome-nuclear abnormalities are
also encountered in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos when centrosome
reprogramming is defective. The present review is focused on 1) The sperm cen-
triole-centrosome complex and associations with the sperm nucleus before fertil-
ization; 2) Centrosome-nuclear relationships during pronuclear/zygote stage, cell
division, and embryo development; and 3) Centrosome-nuclear interactions and
centrosome reprogramming abnormalities in SCNT embryos.
H. Schatten (
&
)
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri-Columbia,
1600 E Rollins Street, Columbia MO 65211, USA
e-mail: SchattenH@missouri.edu
Q.-Y. Sun (
&
)
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beichen West Road,
Chaoyang 100101, Beijing, China
e-mail: sunqy@ioz.ac.cnsunqy@yahoo.com
