How does the pericentriolar matrix function in centrosome biology?

A cell consists of an enormous number of components and has more than 10,000 different proteins as well as RNAs and other types of molecules. Processes in cells are often coordinated by protein complexes that direct other proteins to assemble or disassemble in specific locations at a particular time. Centrosomes are one such system that is critical in coordinating the network of proteins that give shape to the cell and coordinate separation of chromosomes during cell division. 

We will use a variety of techniques that allow us to look at centrosomes and their components at different levels of detail to understand their assembly and we will design altered components to test how their underlying structure drives their biological activity.

Our research will improve our understanding of how the centrosome is constructed at the molecular level and how its protein architecture facilitates cell division.