ZAGREB, 27 Oct (Hina) - Scientists at the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI) have discovered a new role for a key protein involved in cell division, shedding fresh light on how cells prevent fatal errors in chromosome distribution, the Zagreb-based institute reported recently.
Postdoctoral researcher Dr Kruno Vukušić and laboratory head Prof Dr Iva Tolić have uncovered the mechanism by which cells regulate the moment when chromosomes begin to move towards the centre of the mitotic spindle -- one of the crucial events in cell division. Due to the breadth and significance of their findings, the journal Nature Communications has published their discovery in two separate articles.
A more precise understanding of how the cell establishes order, and which molecular mechanisms "give the green light" for the correct distribution of DNA, is vital for developing new diagnostic approaches, identifying therapeutic targets, and designing strategies that could, in the future, prevent or correct errors associated with the onset of diseases, including cancer, the RBI emphasised.
"Our results show that the protein CENP-E, a key molecular player in the early stages of cell division, is not a mechanical motor that pulls chromosomes towards the centre of the cell, as long believed, but rather a crucial regulator that stabilises their initial attachments to microtubules," emphasises Vukušić, the study's first author. "Without this stabilisation, chromosomes remain blocked, and errors in their distribution are directly linked to the development of tumours and other diseases," he adds.
The discoveries made by the two scientists challenge a model that has been accepted for nearly twenty years. Instead of acting primarily as a motor, CENP-E has proven to be a key regulator in the initial phase of chromosome alignment. The new model provides a better explanation of how the cell coordinates the precise arrangement of DNA, which is fundamental to orderly cell division.
Closer to understanding -- and one day correcting -- what goes wrong in disease
The research, the RBI emphasises, is the result of many years of work supported by strong international and national collaboration, including the European Research Council (ERC), the Croatian Science Foundation, bilateral projects, and investments by the Croatian government and the EU through the European Regional Development Fund. The infrastructure of the University Computing Centre (Srce) also played a crucial role, with its technological support enabling the performance of complex analyses and simulations.
The RBI team has shed light on the key role of the CENP-E protein in chromosome division, contributing to a redefinition of the model of cell division in global science. "By learning how these microscopic proteins and their regulators interact, we are coming closer to understanding -- and, in the future, potentially correcting-- what goes wrong in disease," conclude Vukušić and Tolić.
