Centrosomes organize the microtubule cytoskeleton for both interphase and mitotic functions. They are implicated in cell-cycle progression but the mechanism is unknown. Here, we show that depletion of 14 out of 15 centrosome proteins arrests human diploid cells in G1 with reduced Cdk2-cyclin A activity and that expression of a centrosome-disrupting dominant-negative construct gives similar results. Cell-cycle arrest is always accompanied by defects in centrosome structure and function (for example, duplication and primary cilia assembly). The arrest occurs from within G1, excluding contributions from mitosis and cytokinesis. The arrest requires p38, p53 and p21, and is preceded by p38-dependent activation and centrosomal recruitment of p53. p53-deficient cells fail to arrest, leading to centrosome and spindle dysfunction and aneuploidy. We propose that loss of centrosome integrity activates a checkpoint that inhibits G1-S progression. This model satisfies the definition of a checkpoint in having three elements: a perturbation that is sensed, a transducer (p53) and a receiver (p21).

Cilia dysfunction has long been associated with cyst formation and ciliopathies1. More recently, misoriented cell division has been observed in cystic kidneys2, but the molecular mechanism leading to this abnormality remains unclear. Proteins of the intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery are linked to cystogenesis and required for cilia formation in non-cycling cells3, 4. Several IFT proteins also localize to spindle poles in mitosis5–8 suggesting uncharacterized functions for these proteins in dividing cells. Here, we show that IFT88 depletion induces mitotic defects in human cultured cells, in kidney cells from the IFT88 mouse mutant Tg737orpk and in zebrafish embryos. In mitosis, IFT88 is part of a dynein1-driven complex that transports peripheral microtubule (MT) clusters containing MT-nucleating proteins to spindle poles to ensure proper formation of astral MT arrays and thus, proper spindle orientation. This work identifies a mitotic molecular mechanism for a cilia protein in the orientation of cell division and thus, has important implications for the etiology of ciliopathies.

Pericentrin is an integral component of the centrosome that serves as a multifunctional scaffold for anchoring numerous proteins and protein complexes. Through these interactions, pericentrin contributes to a diversity of fundamental cellular processes. Recent studies link pericentrin to a growing list of human disorders. Studies on pericentrin at the cellular, molecular, and, more recently, organismal level, provide a platform for generating models to elucidate the etiology of these disorders. Although the complexity of phenotypes associated with pericentrin-mediated disorders is somewhat daunting, insights into the cellular basis of disease are beginning to come into focus. In this review, we focus on human conditions associated with loss or elevation of pericentrin and propose cellular and molecular models that might explain them.

The BRCA1-associated ring domain protein 1 (BARD1) interacts with BRCA1 via its RING finger domain. The BARD1-BRCA1 complex participates in DNA repair, cell cycle control, genomic stability, and mitotic spindle formation through its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. Cancer cells express several BARD1 protein isoforms, including the RING fingerdeficient variant BARD1B. Here, we show that BARD1 has BRCA1-dependent and BRCA1-independent functions in mitosis. BARD1, but not BRCA1, localizes to the midbody at telophase and cytokinesis, where it colocalizes with Aurora B. The 97-kDa full-length (FL) BARD1 coimmunoprecipates with BRCA1, but the 82-kDa BARD1B coimmunoprecipitates with Aurora B and BRCA2. We used selective small interfering RNAs to distinguish the functions of FL BARD1 and BARD1B. Depletion of FL BARD1 had only minor effects on cell growth and did not abolish midbody localization of BARD1 staining, but resulted in massive up-regulation of Aurora B. In contrast, suppression of FL BARD1 and BARD1B led to growth arrest and correlated with various mitotic defects and disappearance of midbody localization of BARD1 staining. Our data suggest a novel function of FL BARD1 in Aurora B ubiquitination and degradation, opposing a proproliferative function of BARD1B in scaffolding Aurora B and BRCA2. Thus, loss of FL BARD1 and up-regulation of Aurora B, as observed in cancer cells, can be explained by an imbalance of FL BARD1 and BARD1B.