title: Asterless is required for centriole length control and sperm development.
abstract: Centrioles are the foundation of two organelles, centrosomes and cilia. Centriole numbers and functions are tightly controlled, and mutations in centriole proteins are linked to a variety of diseases, including microcephaly. Loss of the centriole protein Asterless (Asl), the Drosophila melanogaster orthologue of Cep152, prevents centriole duplication, which has limited the study of its nonduplication functions. Here, we identify populations of cells with Asl-free centrioles in developing Drosophila tissues, allowing us to assess its duplication-independent function. We show a role for Asl in controlling centriole length in germline and somatic tissue, functioning via the centriole protein Cep97. We also find that Asl is not essential for pericentriolar material recruitment or centrosome function in organizing mitotic spindles. Lastly, we show that Asl is required for proper basal body function and spermatid axoneme formation. Insights into the role of Asl/Cep152 beyond centriole duplication could help shed light on how Cep152 mutations lead to the development of microcephaly.
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Galletta
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Katherine C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Carey J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Fagerstrom
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 nasser@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Nasser M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Rusan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054468:Axoneme / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D064652:Basal Bodies / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002502:Centrioles / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008938:Mitosis / Q000502:physiology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C539309:Asl protein, Drosophila; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins