Abstract

The distribution of the duplicated genome during cell division is facilitated by the spindle, a remarkable and complex cellular machinery formed by a bipolar array of microtubules that guide the segregation of chromosomes. The microtubules from the spindle nucleate from microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs), specialized structures that localize at both spindle poles and that are known as centrosomes in higher eukaryotes or spindle pole bodies (SPBs) in yeast cells. Besides their function in chromosome segregation, spindle MTO Cs constitute critical platforms where multiple signaling pathways converge to regulate essential processes in the cell, such as the proper and timely regulation of mitosis, the coordination of cell cycle progression and cell metabolism or the functionality of the mitotic checkpoints. Centrosomes and SPBs play a particularly relevant role in cells that display an asymmetric division, since these structures can be used to facilitate the unequal distribution of molecules and organelles between the mother and daughter cells, thus contributing to the generation of two cells with a differential fate or proliferative capacity. Interestingly, spindle MTO Cs themselves can be non-randomly inherited during asymmetric cell divisions, an evolutionary process that we have recently demonstrated to be important for the maintenance of a full replicative lifespan in budding yeast. I will present recent research from our group that sheds new light on the role of MTO Cs as epicenters for the integration and coordination of key cellular processes during asymmetric cell division, as well as on their importance during the aging process and in the determination of a differential cellular fate.