In research on cell division, new details about how centromeres, key structures in our cells, behave during cell division have been described, it was said on the cover of the prestigious journal Cell.
This research significantly advances the understanding of the biology of centromeres and highlights their role in ensuring proper division of chromosomes, which is crucial for cell health and the prevention of various diseases, according to the press release.
In addition to centromeres, microtubules also play an important role in the process of cell division. They are thin, hollow tubes that form part of the internal structure of cells, the cytoskeleton. They are important because they are involved in the maintenance of cell shape, intracellular transport, and separation of chromosomes during cell division.
Research has shown that in cancer cells, problems often arise when these parts are separated too much, leading to errors in the division of chromosomes. This can cause serious problems, because improper division of chromosomes can lead to further complications in the development of diseases.
Iva Tolić underscored the importance of international cooperation in research, which is the joint work of teams from the Netherlands and Great Britain, with the help of research teams from Japan, Germany and the IRB team.
"I am proud that my team contributed to the discovery that in cancer cells such as osteosarcoma and high-grade serous ovarian cancer, the remaining chromosomes often remain 'stuck' because two parts of their centromeres are connected by microtubules coming from opposite poles of the cell." said Iva Tolić and congratulated the team members Patrik Risteski and Kruno Vukušić for their "excellent work with super-resolution STED microscopy".
The results of another study, on the evolution of cell division, which brings together teams from Heidelberg, Lausanne, Groningen and scientists from the IRB, were published in the prestigious journal Nature.
In this study, it was discovered that there is a connection between the life cycle of an organism and the way its cells divide. Animals and fungi use two different modes of cell division, known as open and closed mitosis.
Monika Trupinić from the IRB analysed the architecture and chirality of spindles in protists, which was crucial for understanding the similarities and differences of these spindles compared to the spindles of various organisms from yeast to humans, it was said.
Both studies from the IRB were financed as part of the European Research Council (ERC) project, which was awarded to Iva Tolić together with Nenad Pavin from the Faculty of Science (PMF) in 2019.