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Comments on Virginie Hachet et al. (2006) European Worm Meeting "Centrosomes Dictate Timing of Mitotic Entry in C. elegans Embryos" (0)
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Virginie Hachet, & Pierre Gonczy (2006). Centrosomes Dictate Timing of Mitotic Entry in C. elegans Embryos presented in European Worm Meeting. Unpublished information; cite only with author permission.
Virginie Hachet and Pierre Gonczy Mitosis is a tightly regulated process that allows equal repartition of the genetic material to daughter cells. Activation of the Cyclin B1/Cdk1 complex is key for initiating entry into mitosis. Intriguingly, in human cells, the active form of Cyclin B1/Cdk1 is detected first at centrosomes, the major microtubule organizing centre (MTOC) of animal cells. However, it is not known in any systems whether centrosomes are required for promoting mitotic entry. We set out to investigate the mechanisms underlying timing of mitotic entry, in the early C. elegans embryo. To this end, we developed a novel assay to monitor timing of mitotic entry with high spatial and temporal resolution. Using this assay, we showed that neither anterior-posterior (A-P) polarity, nor microtubules, dictate timing of mitotic entry. By contrast, we established that centrosome integrity is essential. Moreover, we found that the centrosomal Aurora-A kinase AIR-1 is essential for proper mitotic timing. Finally, by using appropriate mutant embryos, we could demonstrate that centrosomes are not only necessary but also sufficient to promote entry into mitosis. Our findings lead us to propose that centrosomes serve as integrative centres for mitotic regulators and thus dictate the timing of mitotic entry.