title: Such small hands: the roles of centrins/caltractins in the centriole and in genome maintenance.
abstract: Centrins are small, highly conserved members of the EF-hand superfamily of calcium-binding proteins that are found throughout eukaryotes. They play a major role in ensuring the duplication and appropriate functioning of the ciliary basal bodies in ciliated cells. They have also been localised to the centrosome, which is the major microtubule organising centre in animal somatic cells. We describe the identification, cloning and characterisation of centrins in multiple eukaryotic species. Although centrins have been implicated in centriole biogenesis, recent results have indicated that centrosome duplication can, in fact, occur in the absence of centrins. We discuss these data and the non-centrosomal functions that are emerging for the centrins. In particular, we discuss the involvement of centrins in nucleotide excision repair, a process that repairs the DNA lesions that are induced primarily by ultraviolet irradiation. We discuss how centrin may be involved in these diverse processes and contribute to nuclear and cytoplasmic events.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Chromosome Biology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Tiago J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.forename: Owen M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: Ciaran G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Morrison
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D002502:Centrioles / Q000378:metabolism*; D018385:Centrosome / Q000378:metabolism; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000502:physiology*; D002923:Cilia / Q000378:metabolism; D004260:DNA Repair; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020832:EF Hand Motifs; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D011487:Protein Conformation; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000235:genetics; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C472752:CETN2 protein, human; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C056608:caltractin; C086984:XPC protein, human