Centrosome - The Most Important Organelle in the Cell

Noel Hodgson

CENTROSOME - THE MOST IMPORTANT ORGANELLE IN THE CELL 

The centrosome is a an organelle, only found in animal cells, near the nucleus of a cell that contains the centrioles and from which the spindle fibers develop in cell division. Centrosomes are made of from arrangement of two barrel-shaped clusters of microtubules, called “centrioles,” and a complex of proteins that help additional microtubules to form.

Functions of the centrosome:

• Centrosomes are sometimes referred to as the “MTOC,” or “microtubule organizing center” of the cell.
• They serve to direct the movements of microtubules and other cytoskeletal structures and proteins, ultimately allowing large changes to the shapes of animal cell membranes.
• When animals cells want to change their shapes, complexes of proteins move the cell’s membranes along a network of microtubules – stiff “skeletal” fibers which can bend and change shape in response to intra- and extra-cellular signals.
• The largest changes to a cell’s membrane shape occurs during mitosis, when the entire cell splits in two to form daughter cells.
• Mitosis is also when centrosomes play a starring role as the organizers of the microtubules that pull sister chromatids apart, ensuring that each daughter cell gets a full complement of the parent cells’ DNA.
• Centrosomes can also orchestrate large changes to cell membrane shape under other circumstances, such as phagocytosis - this process occurs when the cell changes shape to completely wrap itself around and “swallow” another cell or item in its environment.

Vote for the centrosome in the 2018 Cell Election

Why should you vote for the centrosome? Well because in the absence of centrosomes, in most species, cells may begin dividing incorrectly or stop dividing at all if centrosomes are destroyed.

Mutations that harm centrosome function are associated with rates of cancer in some species, which is consistent with failures to correctly sort DNA. Biologists think that some cases of cancer are caused in by errors in copying and distribution of chromosomes.

Put the centrosome at centro-stage, by voting "centrosome," as the most important organelle in the cell!

References

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Editors. “Centrosome - Definition, Function and Controversy.” Biology Dictionary, Biology Dictionary, 28 Apr. 2017, biologydictionary.net/centrosome/.
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“Dictionary.com.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/.