5/6 2️⃣ Softening may allow the PCM to expand. This could promote microtubule nucleation throughout a larger volume, which is critical for building a large mitotic spindle quickly, especially in big embryonic cells. A mechanical adaptation for cell division!

4/6 Why would centrosomes need to soften? 1️⃣ Softer material dampens force fluctuations from the astral microtubules, which could protect chromosome attachments. A stiff centrosome wouldn't do this.

3/6 But are mitotic centrosomes more deformed just because they have more microtubules, or also because they get softer? We used two methods to find out: AFM on isolated centrosomes and Brillouin microscopy in living cells. The result? They soften during mitosis!

2/6 This deformation isn't from cortical pulling forces. It's caused by microtubules inside the centrosome scaffold. These internal microtubules define centrosome size, making it scale with cell volume. Deformation is smaller in smaller cells!


1/6 Extremely happy to share my PhD work is out on bioRxiv! We discovered that microtubules deform mitotic centrosomes. When we removed them, the SPD-5 scaffold became denser but didn't lose material. This suggests it's an elastically deformable solid! This only happens in mitosis.

5/n 2️⃣ Softening may allow the PCM to expand. This could promote microtubule nucleation throughout a larger volume, which is critical for building a large mitotic spindle quickly, especially in big embryonic cells. A mechanical adaptation for cell division!

4/n Why would centrosomes need to soften? 1️⃣ Softer material dampens force fluctuations from the astral microtubules, which could protect chromosome attachments. A stiff centrosome wouldn't do this.

3/n But are mitotic centrosomes more deformed just because they have more microtubules, or also because they get softer? We used two methods to find out: AFM on isolated centrosomes and Brillouin microscopy in living cells. The result? They soften during mitosis!

2/n This deformation isn't from cortical pulling forces. It's caused by microtubules inside the centrosome scaffold. These internal microtubules define centrosome size, making it scale with cell volume. Deformation is smaller in smaller cells!

Excited to join the #CellBio2024 to present our novel investigations into the mechanical properties of the centrosome on Tuesday. It’ll be a pleasure to discuss the details of my project with you!