{
  "id": 9452201,
  "title": "Lack of centrosomes limits the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in human mammary cells",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/lack-of-centrosomes-limits-the-epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.18.752689v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Centrosomes, crucial for organizing microtubules in animal cells, play a significant role in various cellular processes. In cancer, their abnormal quantity or structure is often associated with the disease, but the exact impact during different stages of cancer is still being investigated. This study focuses on the function of centrosomes during the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process driving cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. Researchers began by eliminating centrosomes in a mesenchymal-like breast cancer model, leading to minimal cellular or nuclear changes. Next, they examined non-carcinogenic breast cells undergoing EMT through TGF{beta} signaling, removing centrosomes before initiating this transition. When stimulated, epithelial cells developed a mesenchymal phenotype and reorganized their cytoskeleton. However, cells lacking centrosomes maintained their epithelial structure, displayed minimal cytoskeletal remodeling, yet altered nuclear shape and upregulated key EMT markers. Transcriptome analysis showed reduced expression of genes crucial for extracellular matrix organization and cell junction components. Additionally, paxillin exhibited reduced colocalization with actin focal adhesions. The findings highlight the essential role of centrosomes in cytoskeletal remodeling during the EMT of breast cancer cells.",
  "summary": "As the main microtubule network organisers of animal cells, centrosomes orchestrate diverse cellular processes. Centrosomes have been linked to cancer when numerically or structurally aberrant, yet their precise roles at different cancer stages remains to be defined. Here, we study centrosome function in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a key driver of cancer initiation,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}