TEM image of centriole, illustration of centriole. (Source: Alberts et al., 2008).
Episode 11 - The Centrosome and Centrioles
Centrioles are a type of MTOC (microtubule organizing center) only found in animal cells. Each is made up of a cylindrical structure of nine groups of triplet microtubules that makes up the basal bodies of flagella and cilia of Eukaryotic cells. In other words, flagella (undulipodia) grow out of the ends of the Centrioles.
During cell division, centrosomes (where a pair of centrioles exists in animal but not in plant cells) are the organelles responsible for coordinating the microtubules that divide the duplicated chromatin.
In cell division, Centrioles, along with microtubules, pull the chromatin into separate areas that are going to become two daughter cells. These are the main organelles the Centrioles interact with. During cell division, the pair of centrioles is referred to as a centrosome, and the microtubules that are attached to the centrosome and the centrosome itself is referred to as the Aster Complex. Spindle microtubules don’t attach directly to the centrioles of the centrosome.
TEM image of centriole, illustration of centriole. (Source: Alberts et al., 2008).
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