Centrosome cycle studies reveal promising candidates for anti-cancer drug design

Excerpt

Centrosomes are complex cellular substructures that are dynamically regulated by a series of biochemical and morphological changes that parallel the progression of the cell cycle. In addition to organizing cytoplasmic microtubule arrays during interphase, centrosomes direct formation and positioning of the bipolar mitotic spindle and thereby enable equal partitioning of chromosomal material during mitosis. Because impaired centrosomal function during cell division has the potential to cause chromosomal missegregation, and thus lead to genetic instability, the centrosome has become an important focus for cancer research. In fact, many tumor cells, including those from the breast, exhibit excessive numbers of centrosomes and/or centrosomes with aberrant morphologies. A collection of recent papers, some of which challenge prevailing dogmas, provide new insight into the biology of the metazoan centrosome cycle (i.e., duplication, maturation and separation) and elucidate novel regulatory pathways that are reasonable targets for oncogenic therapy development. …