A new phase in egg biology

Date

Sep 29, 2021

Time

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Speaker

Chun So

Affiliation

Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen

Language

en

Main Topic

Biologie

Host

Anthony Hyman

Description

Aneuploidy in human eggs is a leading cause of miscarriages and genetic disorders such as Down syndrome. Unlike somatic cells, mammalian eggs segregate chromosomes without centrosomes. How mammalian eggs assemble acentrosomal spindles and why spindle assembly in human eggs is error-prone remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will present our work on the discovery of the liquid-like meiotic spindle domain (LISD), a conserved subcellular structure that forms by phase separation in mammalian eggs. The LISD selectively concentrates multiple microtubule regulatory factors and allows them to diffuse rapidly within the spindle volume. Disruption of the LISD disperses these factors throughout the cytoplasm and leads to severe spindle assembly defects. Our data suggest a model whereby the LISD promotes acentrosomal spindle assembly by serving as a reservoir that sequesters and mobilizes microtubule regulatory factors in proximity to spindle microtubules. I will also present our recent findings on the cause of spindle instability in human eggs, and discuss potential strategies to restore the fidelity of chromosome segregation in human eggs.

Last modified: Sep 21, 2021, 12:06:46 AM