Pericentriolar material (PCM, sometimes also called pericent matrix) is a highly structured, dense mass of

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

which makes up the part of the animal

centrosome In cell biology, the centrosome (Latin centrum 'center' + Greek sōma 'body') (archaically cytocentre) is an organelle that serves as the main microtubule organizing center (MTOC) of the animal cell, as well as a regulator of cell-cycle progres ...

that surrounds the two

centriole In cell biology a centriole is a cylindrical organelle composed mainly of a protein called tubulin. Centrioles are found in most eukaryotic cells, but are not present in conifers (Pinophyta), flowering plants (angiosperms) and most fungi, and a ...

s. The PCM contains proteins responsible for

microtubule nucleation In cell biology, microtubule nucleation is the event that initiates '' de novo'' formation of microtubules (MTs). These filaments of the cytoskeleton typically form through polymerization of α- and β-tubulin dimers, the basic building blocks of t ...

and

anchoring An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...

including

γ-tubulin Tubulin in molecular biology can refer either to the tubulin protein superfamily of globular proteins, or one of the member proteins of that superfamily. α- and β-tubulins polymerize into microtubules, a major component of the eukaryotic cytoske ...

pericentrin Pericentrin (kendrin), also known as PCNT and pericentrin-B (PCNTB), is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''PCNT'' gene on chromosome 21. This protein localizes to the centrosome and recruits proteins to the pericentriolar matrix (PCM) ...

and

ninein Ninein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NIN'' gene. Ninein, together with its paralog Ninein-like protein is one of the proteins important for centrosomal function. This protein is important for positioning and anchoring the micro ...

Although the PCM appears amorphous by

electron microscopy An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of accelerated electrons as a source of illumination. As the wavelength of an electron can be up to 100,000 times shorter than that of visible light photons, electron microscopes have a hi ...

super-resolution microscopy Super-resolution microscopy is a series of techniques in optical microscopy that allow such images to have resolutions higher than those imposed by the diffraction limit, which is due to the diffraction of light. Super-resolution imaging techni ...

finds that it is highly organized. The PCM have 9-fold symmetry that mimics the symmetry of the

. Some PCM proteins are organized such that one end of the protein is found near the centriole and the other end is farther away from the centriole. The PCM size is dynamic during the

cell cycle The cell cycle, or cell-division cycle, is the series of events that take place in a cell that cause it to divide into two daughter cells. These events include the duplication of its DNA (DNA replication) and some of its organelles, and subs ...

. After cell division, the PCM size is reduced in a process named centrosome reduction.Atypical centrioles during sexual reproduction Tomer Avidor-Reiss*, Atul Khire, Emily L. Fishman and Kyoung H. Jo Curr Biol. 2015 Nov 16;25(22):2956-63. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.09.045. Epub 2015 Oct 17. http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcell.2015.00021/full During the G2 phase of the cell cycle, the PCM grows in size in a process named centrosome maturation. According to the

Gene Ontology The Gene Ontology (GO) is a major bioinformatics initiative to unify the representation of gene and gene product attributes across all species. More specifically, the project aims to: 1) maintain and develop its controlled vocabulary of gene and g ...

, the following

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

proteins are associated with the PC

*

BBS4 Bardet–Biedl syndrome 4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''BBS4'' gene. This gene encodes a protein which contains tetratricopeptide repeats (TPR), similar to O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase. Mutations in this gene have be ...

, Bardet-Biedl syndrome 4 protein *

Lck Lck (or lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase) is a 56 kDa protein that is found inside specialized cells of the immune system called lymphocytes. The Lck is a member of Src kinase family (SFK), it is important for the activation of the T ...

, Proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase LCK *

PCM1 Pericentriolar material 1, also known as PCM1, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''PCM1'' gene. Function The PCM1 protein was originally identified by virtue of its distinct cell cycle-dependent association with the centrosome com ...

, Pericentriolar material 1 protein *

TNKS Tankyrase, also known as tankyrase 1, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''TNKS'' gene. It inhibits the binding of TERF1 to telomeric DNA. Tankyrase attracts substantial interest in cancer research through its interaction with AXIN1 a ...

, Tankyrase-1 *

TNKS2 Tankyrase-2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''TNKS2'' gene. Interactions TNKS2 has been shown to interact with GRB14, TERF1 Telomeric repeat-binding factor 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''TERF1'' gene. Gen ...

, Tankyrase-2 *

TUBE1 Tubulin, epsilon 1 is a protein in humans that is encoded by the TUBE1 gene. This gene encodes a member of the tubulin superfamily. This protein localizes to the centriolar sub-distal appendages that are associated with the older of the two centr ...

Tubulin Tubulin in molecular biology can refer either to the tubulin protein superfamily of globular proteins, or one of the member proteins of that superfamily. α- and β-tubulins polymerize into microtubules, a major component of the eukaryotic cytoske ...

epsilon chain *

PCNT Pericentrin (kendrin), also known as PCNT and pericentrin-B (PCNTB), is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''PCNT'' gene on chromosome 21. This protein localizes to the centrosome and recruits proteins to the pericentriolar matrix (PCM) ...

, pericentrin, a matrix scaffold protein * CDK5RAP2, cyclin dependant kinase receptor associated protein 2, binds gTubRCs that nucleate

microtubule Microtubules are polymers of tubulin that form part of the cytoskeleton and provide structure and shape to eukaryotic cells. Microtubules can be as long as 50 micrometres, as wide as 23 to 27 nm and have an inner diameter between 11 an ...

s *

NEDD1 Neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally down-regulated 1, also known as Nedd1, is a human gene and encodes the protein NEDD1. NEDD1 is localized in the centrosome and it plays a role in mitosis through its interaction with γ-tubulin. W ...

, binds gTubRCs that stabilise microtubules *

Gamma Tubulin Tubulin in molecular biology can refer either to the tubulin protein superfamily of globular proteins, or one of the member proteins of that superfamily. α- and β-tubulins polymerize into microtubules, a major component of the eukaryotic cytos ...

, nucleates microtubules

References

Cell biology {{Cell-biology-stub