Invited Talk

Centrosome Positioning and Re-Positioning in Immune Cells

Saarland University, Theoretical Physics,, Campus E2 6, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany

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The centrosome position is tightly regulated during the cell cycle and during differentiated cellular functions. Because the centrosome organizes the microtubule network to coordinate both intracellular organization and cell signaling, centrosome positioning is crucial to determine either the axis of cell division, the direction of cell migration or the polarized immune response of lymphocytes. Here we focus on the repositioning of the centrosome during the formation of the immunological synapse (IS), the contact zone between T or NK cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs). We present a mechanical model, based on microtubule pulling dynein motors, that predicts quantitatively the dynamics of the experimentally observed centrosome repositioning to one IS and the stochastic movement between two ISs. The we analyze the role of centrosome positioning in dendritic cells with multiple centrosomes. Finally, we discuss the role of centrosome positioning during the migration of immune cells in complex environments.