The PCM-basal body/primary cilium coalition.
The centrosome is an organelle that acts as a microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) throughout the cell cycle. Within the centrosome are often two components that each have an ability to organize microtubule structures: the centriole that has the potential to function as a basal body and nucleate a cilium or a flagellum and a mass of protein material that in the presence of a centriole is commonly referred to as the pericentriolar material (PCM) that organizes cytoplasmic and spindle microtubule arrays. One characteristic of a large variety of cells is the ability to express a non-motile primary cilium. It is now appreciated that the function of the primary cilium is integral to a variety of essential cell functions and defects affecting this structure underlie a variety of human disease. While the function of the primary cilium and manner in which a basal body organizes a primary cilium has received extensive attention there is now a need to explore the inter-relationship between the PCM and the basal body/primary cilium. It is this latter topic that is the focus of this review where we show that the PCM is integrated with the centriole to form a coalition that is essential for both the expression and function of the primary cilium as well as the organization and function of the cellular environment that surrounds it.
Moser
Joanna J
JJ
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. jjmoser@ucalgary.ca
Fritzler
Marvin J
MJ
Ou
Young
Y
Rattner
Jerome B
JB
D000818:Animals; D002502:Centrioles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D018385:Centrosome / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002923:Cilia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans