Hypoxia-Induced Centrosome Loss in Epithelial Cells

Abstract

Centrosome loss has recently been reported as a phenotype of prostate cancer. Hypoxia, an environmental condition seen commonly in prostate cancer, can cause centrosome loss in the immortalized prostate epithelial cell line, RWPE1. Little is known about hypoxia-induced centrosome loss, including how commonly it occurs in other cell types and the mechanism behind centrosome loss. This thesis further characterizes hypoxia-induced centrosome loss as seen in RWPE1 cells as well as in two other epithelial cell lines, MCF10A and HaCaT. Hypoxia-induced centrosome loss is affected by cell density and is reversible upon return to oxygen in some cell lines. Disassembly of centrosomes in hypoxia may happen through a two-step process, first with the removal of pericentriolar material and then this the disassembly of centrioles.