A new phase in egg biology

Datum

29.09.2021

Zeit

11:00 - 12:00

Sprecher

Chun So

Zugehörigkeit

Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen

Sprache

en

Hauptthema

Biologie

Host

Anthony Hyman

Beschreibung

Aneuploidy in human eggs is a leading cause of miscarriages and genetic disorders such as Down syndrome. Unlike somatic cells, mammalian eggs segregate chromosomes without centrosomes. How mammalian eggs assemble acentrosomal spindles and why spindle assembly in human eggs is error-prone remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will present our work on the discovery of the liquid-like meiotic spindle domain (LISD), a conserved subcellular structure that forms by phase separation in mammalian eggs. The LISD selectively concentrates multiple microtubule regulatory factors and allows them to diffuse rapidly within the spindle volume. Disruption of the LISD disperses these factors throughout the cytoplasm and leads to severe spindle assembly defects. Our data suggest a model whereby the LISD promotes acentrosomal spindle assembly by serving as a reservoir that sequesters and mobilizes microtubule regulatory factors in proximity to spindle microtubules. I will also present our recent findings on the cause of spindle instability in human eggs, and discuss potential strategies to restore the fidelity of chromosome segregation in human eggs.

Letztmalig verändert: 21.09.2021, 00:06:46