Centrosomes nucleate and organise the microtubule cytoskeleton in animal cells. These membraneless organelles are key structures for tissue organisation, polarity and growth. Centrosome dysfunction, defined as deviation in centrosome numbers and/or structural integrity, has major impact on brain size and functionality, as compared with other tissues of the organism. In this review, we discuss the contribution of centrosomes to brain growth during development. We discuss in particular the impact of centrosome dysfunction in Drosophila and mammalian neural stem cell division and fitness, which ultimately underlie brain growth defects.
Keywords: brain development and brain growth disorders; centrosomes; mitotic errors; mitotic spindle assembly and disorganisation; neural stem cell division and fitness.
© 2020 Société Française des Microscopies and Société de Biologie Cellulaire de France. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.