Centrosomes in the zebrafish (Danio rerio): a review including the related basal body

According to EB Wilson in his classic text, The Cell in Development and Heredity [1], Van Beneden first described the "polar corpuscle" in 1876 and Boveri later named it the "centrosome" in 1888. For more than a century, the centrosome has intrigued scientists and continues to do so today. Although much is now known about the centrosome, it remains somewhat mysterious, with many secrets left to reveal about its function and regulation. The zebrafish (Danio rerio), a small tropical freshwater teleost, has emerged as a model for cell and developmental biology because of its high fecundity, short generation time and rapid development of the externally fertilized and translucent embryos [2] (see also [3]). As a relatively new model organism, the zebrafish has attracted considerable attention in the scientific community due to its genetic tractability, speed of embryonic development and optical clarity. Many scientists espouse the hope that the advantages of the zebrafish model system will allow solutions to long-standing questions. For example, how is the centrosome regulated? Exactly what does it do in cell division? What is its relationship to basal bodies and ciliogenesis? It is the purpose of this review to summarize and outline the current state of knowledge about the centrosome and its relative, the basal body, in zebrafish.Centrosomes in animal cells usually consist of γ-tubulin ring complexes (γ-TuRCs), centrioles, pericentriolar material and tubulins, along with a number of other centrosome-associated proteins. A previous proteomic analysis of isolated human centrosomes indicated about 70 protein components and revealed the complexity of the centrosome [4]. The major components are briefly reviewed regarding our knowledge of most animal cells and then those of the zebrafish in particular. Centrosomes and the related basal bodies of cilia are important microtubule (MT)-organizing centers (MTOCs) of animal cells. A number of serious diseases have been linked to t