Summary

Centrin is a member of the calcium-binding EF-hand protein superfamily present in centrosomes of widely divergent species. Investigating the cellular distribution of human centrin by both immunofluorescence and cell fractionation, we report that centrin is biochemically complex in human cells, displaying as much as ten isoforms in 2-D electrophoresis. This suggests that centrin may be subject to multiple regulations. Strikingly, more than 90% of centrin is not associated with the centrosome fraction. The centrosome-associated centrin, however, displays a specific pattern in 2-D electrophoresis and is concentrated within the distal lumen of the centrioles, where a complex structure has been previously described. This precise localization allows the resolution of centrioles at the optical level throughout the cell cycle and provides a valuable tool for monitoring centriole duplication. To get insights on centrin function, we performed injection experiments of recombinant heterologous centrin in two-cell stage frog embryos in an attempt to produce dominant negative effects. We report that green algae and human centrin delay cleavage and promote the formation of abnormal blastomeres in which the distribution of microtubule asters and of nuclei is dramatically impaired. This suggests that centrin could be involved in the centrosome reproduction cycle, in the coordination of cytoplasmic and nuclear division or in cytokinesis.