Cep57, a NEDDl-binding pericentriolar material component, is essential for spindle pole integrity

• Published in: 细胞研究：英文版 2012, Vol.22 (9), p.1390-1401
• Main Author: Qixi Wu Runsheng He Haining Zhou Albert CH Yu Bo Zhang Junlin Teng Jianguo Chen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 中心体蛋白; 微管结合蛋白; 成分; 整性; 材料; 染色体分离; 约束力; 纺锤体
• ISSN: 1001-0602; 1748-7838

Formation of a bipolar spindle is indispensable for faithful chromosome segregation and cell division. Spindle integrity is largely dependent on the centrosome and the microtubule network. Centrosome protein Cep57 can bundle microtubules in mammalian cells. Its related protein （Cep57R） in Xenopus was characterized as a stabilization factor for microtubule-kinetochore attachment. Here we show that Cep57 is a pericentriolar material （PCM） component. Its interaction with NEDD1 is necessary for the centrosome localization of Cep57. Depletion of Cep57 leads to unaligned chromosomes and a multipolar spindle, which is induced by PCM fragmentation. In the absence of Cep57, centrosome microtubule array assembly activity is weakened, and the spindle length and microtubule density decrease. As a spindle microtubule-binding protein, Cep57 is also responsible for the proper organization of the spindle microtubule and localization of spindle pole focusing proteins. Collectively, these results suggest that Cep57, as a NEDD1- binding centrosome component, could function as a spindle poleand microtubule-stabilizing factor for establishing robust spindle architecture.