Humans, like several other organisms, have many types of cells in their body—blood cells, nerve cells, skin cells, and so on. These different types of cells work together to maintain the functions of the various organs in our body and play a vital role in our survival.

 

These cells multiply through a process called cell division or cytokinesis, a complex and continuously occurring process within our body. Any impediments in this process could result in diseases such as cancer or anaemia.

 

Within each specialised cell, there are a few spatial and functional differences that enable them to carry their functions. For example, a red blood cell would need to be able to travel through the body and bind to oxygen, while a nerve cell’s primary function would include transmitting electrical and chemical signals to neighbouring cells. Cell polarity refers to these spatial differences within a cell, including the shape, size, or organisation of the cellular components.

 

Several interacting molecular and biochemical processes are vital to establishing cell polarity. In a recentstudy, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, studied some of these signals in the centrosome—an organelle in the cell responsible for cellular organisation—of a single-cell embryo. They studied a fertilised embryo of the roundworm (Caenorhabditis elegans) to understand how polarity is established. C. elegans is widely used in research because its genome can be easily manipulated and it shares several genes and molecular pathways with humans. The study, published in the journalDevelopmentwas funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT)-Indian Institute of Science Partnership Program and the Wellcome Trust- DBT India Alliance Fellowship.

“In the one-cell C. elegans embryo, the centrosomes were known to be essential for polarity establishment,” says Dr Sachin Kotak from IISc, who led the study.

Previous research has found that there exists a direct correlation between the timing of polarity set-up and the distance between the centrosome and the cell cortex—the inner part of the cell membrane. The higher the distance, the longer it takes to establish polarity.

To know more visit: https://www.researchmatters.in/news/iisc-study-unravels-vital-proteins-behind-proper-cell-division

In a recentstudy, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, studied some of these signals in the centrosome—an organelle in the cell responsible for cellular organisation—of a single-cell embryo.