Centrosomes at the crossroads of mitosis, cytokinesis, and genome integrity: mechanistic insights from model organisms to human diseass

The centrosome is the primary microtubule-organizing center in animal cells and a key orchestrator of cell division accuracy. Through tightly regulated duplication, maturation, and spatial positioning, centrosomes coordinate bipolar spindle assembly, chromosome segregation, and cytokinesis. Disruption of these interdependent processes has far-reaching consequences, including aneuploidy, genomic instability, ciliopathies, infertility, developmental disorders such as primary microcephaly, and tumorigenesis in somatic tissues.Despite major advances, critical mechanistic questions remain. These include how centrosome composition and activity are coupled to cell cycle transitions, how spindle–cortex interactions translate centrosome positioning into division-plane specification, and how cells detect and respond to centrosome dysfunction.Cutting-edge tools, from CRISPR-based genome editing and super-resolution imaging to proteomics and structural biology, are transforming our understanding of centrosome behavior. Studies across model systems such as C. elegans, Drosophila, zebrafish, and mammalian cells reveal new mechanistic links between centrosome regulation, genome maintenance, and disease, yet many integrative frameworks connecting molecular detail to physiological and pathological outcomes remain to be developed.This Research Topic aims to gather original research and reviews that advance mechanistic insight into how centrosomes ensure cell division fidelity, emphasizing pathways linking centrosome function to genome integrity, tissue organization, and human health. By integrating findings from complementary models and experimental systems, spanning in vivo, cellular, and organismal analyses, this Research Topic seeks to:o Highlight the molecular basis of centrosome control during mitosis and cytokinesiso Reveal how centrosome abnormalities drive aneuploidy, infertility, developmental disorders, and cancero Foster interdisciplinary dialogue between cell, developmental, genetic, and translational biologistso Identify emerging questions, conceptual advances, and enabling technologies shaping the next phase of centrosome researchSubmissions may address, but are not limited to:o Centrosome duplication, maturation, and inheritance: control of centriole number, SAS-6 and core component dynamics, and asymmetric inheritanceo Spindle assembly and positioning: bipolar spindle formation, spindle–cortex interplay, and division-plane specificationo Chromosome segregation fidelity: kinetochore–microtubule attachment, spindle assembly checkpoint, and aneuploidy sourceso Cytokinesis and abscission: central spindle and midbody organization, contractile ring regulation, and cytokinesis failure outcomeso Centrosomes and genome integrity: centrosomal roles in DNA damage response, polyploidy, and chromosomal instabilityo Centrosomes in development, fertility, and regeneration: functions in gametogenesis, embryonic cell divisions, and stem cell behavioro Centrosomes in disease: primary microcephaly, ciliopathies, cancer-associated centrosome amplification, and age-related cell division defectso Technological advances: live imaging, CRISPR/Cas9 editing, proteomics, and structural or computational approaches applied to centrosome researchStudies employing diverse model organisms (C. elegans, Drosophila, zebrafish, mouse, and yeast), organoid systems, or translational frameworks integrating cross-species evidence are particularly encouraged.Accepted article types include Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Methods, Hypothesis and Theory, and Perspective. Purely descriptive studies (e.g., isolated transcriptomic or proteomic profiles) will be considered only if they yield clear mechanistic insights into centrosome function, cell division dynamics, or genome stability. Analyses based solely on publicly available datasets without experimental validation fall outside this scope.This Research Topic supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being by advancing fundamental understanding of cell division mechanisms whose disruption underlies developmental disorders, infertility, and cancer. Topic editors: Jyoti Iyer, Sachin Kotak, Tapas Manna Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86122/centrosomes-at-the-crossroads-of-mitosis-cytokinesis-and-genome-integrity-mechanistic-insights-from-model-organisms-to-human-diseass