Centrosome Migration and Apical Membrane Formation in Polarized Epithelial Cells: Insights from the MDCK Cyst Model
Abstract
Polarization is crucial for the proper functioning of epithelial cells. Early hallmarks include the trafficking and enrichment of polarity molecules to form the apical membrane (AM) or cell-cell junctions, and the apical positioning of the centrosome. However, the dependencies among polarity molecules, AM formation, and centrosome positioning remain poorly understood. When cultured in Matrigel, de novo polarization of a single epithelial cell is often coupled with cytokinesis. During mitotic exit, centrosomes move to the future AM site, raising questions about their role in polarization. We perturbed centrosomes and polarity regulators in Matrigel-cultured cells and manipulated polarity direction using suspension culture to examine the relationships among polarization features. Surprisingly, centrosomal microtubules may not be necessary for centrosome positioning or AM formation, but their absence reduces the efficiency of AM formation. The polarity regulator Par3, rather than AM component trafficking, influences centrosome positioning. In suspension culture, centrosome migrate in the direction opposite to AM formation. Taken together, our findings define the hierarchical relationships among several polarization features and show that centrosome-based polarity is not universal in epithelial cells, providing new insights into the mechanisms of epithelial polarization.
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- biorxiv v4 2026-07-09 source ↗
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Cell Biology J-Club @cellclub.bsky.social · 479 followers neutral
In @elife: Centrosome Migration and Apical Membrane Formation in Polarized Epithelial Cells: Insights from the MDCK Cyst Model doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
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bioRxiv Cell Biology @biorxiv-cellbio.bsky.social · 6030 followers neutral
Centrosome Migration and Apical Membrane Formation in Polarized Epithelial Cells: Insights from the MDCK Cyst Model https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.06.17.598507v1
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bioRxivpreprint @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · 8895 followers neutral
Centrosome Migration and Apical Membrane Formation in Polarized Epithelial Cells: Insights from the MDCK Cyst Model https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.06.17.598507v1