TY - JOUR TI - A molecular mechanism of mitotic centrosome assembly in Drosophila AU - Conduit, Paul T AU - Richens, Jennifer H AU - Wainman, Alan AU - Holder, James AU - Vicente, Catarina C AU - Pratt, Metta B AU - Dix, Carly I AU - Novak, Zsofia A AU - Dobbie, Ian M AU - Schermelleh, Lothar AU - Raff, Jordan W A2 - Pines, Jon VL - 3 PY - 2014 DA - 2014/08/22 SP - e03399 C1 - eLife 2014;3:e03399 DO - 10.7554/eLife.03399 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03399 AB - Centrosomes comprise a pair of centrioles surrounded by pericentriolar material (PCM). The PCM expands dramatically as cells enter mitosis, but it is unclear how this occurs. In this study, we show that the centriole protein Asl initiates the recruitment of DSpd-2 and Cnn to mother centrioles; both proteins then assemble into co-dependent scaffold-like structures that spread outwards from the mother centriole and recruit most, if not all, other PCM components. In the absence of either DSpd-2 or Cnn, mitotic PCM assembly is diminished; in the absence of both proteins, it appears to be abolished. We show that DSpd-2 helps incorporate Cnn into the PCM and that Cnn then helps maintain DSpd-2 within the PCM, creating a positive feedback loop that promotes robust PCM expansion around the mother centriole during mitosis. These observations suggest a surprisingly simple mechanism of mitotic PCM assembly in flies. KW - centrosome KW - PCM KW - centrosome maturation KW - live super-resolution KW - FRAP JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -