PNAS: Sufu simultaneously negatively regulates the molecular mechanism of centrosome replication and DNA replication initiation

On July 13, 2021, the laboratory of Professor Zhang Chuanmao, School of Life Sciences, Peking University published a long article online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) ( https:// ) A research paper entitled "Sufu negatively regulates both initiations of centrosome duplication and DNA replication"

The centrosome is composed of two vertical cylindrical centrioles and a peripheral matrix

In this work, the team found that cells that knock out Sufu undergo centrosome amplification (centrosome overreplication) and multipolar spindle formation, while restoring Sufu expression can inhibit centrosome overreplication and restore the normal number of centrosomes.

The team further studied and found that the cells that knocked out Sufu had phenotypes such as increased nuclear volume, increased chromosome number, and abnormal cytokinesis

Schematic diagram of the molecular mechanism that Sufu negatively regulates centrosome replication and DNA replication initiation at the same time

In summary, this work identified the Hedgehog signaling pathway related protein Sufu as an upstream regulatory protein that regulates centrosome replication and DNA replication initiation, and is a master switch, and initially revealed that Sufu protein regulates centrosome replication initiation.

Professor Zhang Chuanmao, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, is the corresponding author of this thesis, 2014 PhD student Zhuang Tenghan is the first author of the thesis, several other members of the laboratory such as Zhang Boyan and Song Yihong, and collaborators Cheng Yan from Nanjing Medical University School of Basic Medicine Professors and others have contributed to this work

Laboratory introduction

Zhang Chuanmao:

Professor of the School of Life Sciences, Peking University, winner of the National Outstanding Youth Fund, academic leader of the "Innovative Research Group" of the National Foundation of China, chief of the stem cell project of the Ministry of Science and Technology, national outstanding scientific and technological worker, national model teacher, second prize of the National Natural Science Award, The first prize of the National University Science and Technology Award and the Bayer Scholar Award of Peking University

Laboratory research areas:

Professor Zhang Chuanmao’s laboratory has long used cell biology, molecular biology and biochemical methods and technologies as research methods, with cultured cells, mice, Xenopus laevis, and fruit flies as the main experimental materials.