The centrosome is the main microtubule organizing center (MTOC) of the cell as well as a regulator of cell-cycle progression. It was discovered in 1888 by Theodor Boveri and was described as the 'special organ of cell division'. Although the centrosome has a key role in efficient cell division, it has been recently shown that it is not necessary.

Centrosomes are composed of two orthogonally arranged centrioles surrounded by an amorphous mass of pericentriolar material (PCM). The PCM contains proteins responsible for microtubule nucleation and anchoring including γ-tubulin, pericentrin and ninein. Each centriole is comprised of nine triplet microtubule blades in a pinwheel structure as well as centrin, cenexin and tektin.

Higher eukaryotic cells possess a centrosome. Yeast cells have a spindle pole body (SPB) which is equivalent to metazoan centrosomes. The spindle pole body differs from the centrosome in many ways, the major difference is the lack of centrioles. Typical angiosperm plant cells do not have centrosomes or anything analogous to them in size, function or organization, but have a number of noncentrosomal MTOCs that lack centrioles. One organism is used as a model organisim for the study of the centrosome - the algae chlamydomonas.

AKAP450

• also known as AKAP350, CG-NAP or Hyperion and pericentrin are large coiled-coil proteins found in mammalian centrosomes that serve to recruit structural and regulatory components including dynein and protein kinase A. PMID: 11263498
• By immunofluorecent labeling with specific antibodies it was demonstrated that AKAP450 localized to centrosomes. PMID: 10202149

CG-NAP

• centrosome and Golgi localized PKN-associated protein, was localized to the centrosome via the carboxyl-terminal region. PMID: 12221128
• CG-NAP was localized to centrosome throughout the cell cycle, the midbody at telophase, and the Golgi apparatus at interphase, where a certain population of PKN and RIIalpha were found to be accumulated. PMID: 10358086

CP309

• a Drosophila centrosome protein that shares homology with Kendrin and CG-NAP. PMID: 14565985

gamma-Tubulin

• a highly conserved component of the centrosome. PMID: 1840506
• integral centrosome protein that plays a role in microtubule nucleation and organization. PMID: 9531556
• present in Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens and is associated with the centrosome. PMID: 1904010

Kendrin

• a 10-kb kendrin transcript is found in most tissues, whereas smaller transcripts are detected in a limited subset of tissues. These analyses demonstrate that pericentrin and kendrin are encoded by one gene. PMID: 12906865
• Kendrin/pericentrin-B, a centrosome protein with homology to pericentrin that complexes with PCM-1. PMID: 11171385
• Kendrin localizes specifically to centrosomes throughout the cell cycle. N-terminal regions of kendrin share significant sequence homology with pericentrin, a previously identified murine centrosome component known to interact with gamma-tubulin. PMID: 10823944

Pericentrin (Pcnt)

• centrosomal protein. PMID: 16251193
• Pcnt is on or near basal bodies at the base of cilia. Pcnt is found in spermatocyte IFT fractions, and IFT proteins are found in isolated centrosome fractions. PMID: 15337773
• a critical centrosome component first identified in mouse, recruits factors required for assembly of the mitotic spindle apparatus. PMID: 12906865
• integral centrosome protein that plays a role in microtubule nucleation and organization. PMID: 9531556