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Golgi lands new role

Microtules (green) sprout from Golgi (red) as well as centrosomes. KAVERINA/ELSEVIER

When it comes to microtubule organization, centrosomes have the lead role. But, as Andrey Efimov, Irina Kaverina (Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN), Alexey Kharitonov (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria), and colleagues now report, the Golgi shares some of the limelight. Unlike centrosomes, this new-found organizer doesn't symmetrically radiate microtubules from center stage, but instead directs its performance to one cell edge.

Microtubules do not start growing spontaneously in cells; they rely on supporting protein machinery to nucleate tubulin building blocks and kick off polymerization. To find their origins, Efimov et al. tracked the growth of new microtubules in living cells. They found that the majority of new microtubules radiated out from a central position in the cell that is consistent with centrosomes.

A significant proportion of nucleation events, however, appeared to occur at the Golgi. When the team obliterated centrosomes using laser beams, they found that new microtubules indeed continued to sprout from the Golgi. Golgi, but not centrosomal, nucleation required a microtubule-binding protein called CLASP.

Microtubules grew out from Golgi in one direction—away from the nucleus and toward the cell's periphery. In migrating cells, this directionality corresponded with the direction of migration, as microtubules from the Golgi grew toward the cell's leading edge. Golgi-mediated nucleation might therefore support the asymmetric architecture and secretory vesicle trafficking of polarized motile cells.

Reference:

Efimov, A., et al. 2007. Dev. Cell. 12:917–930.[CrossRef][Medline]

Ruth Williams

ruth.williams{at}rockefeller.edu

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This Article Full Text (PDF, 1222K) PPT slides of all figures Alert me when this article is cited Services Email this article Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new content in the JCB Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Williams, R. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Williams, R. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?