PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE CENTRIOLES AND PRIMARY CILIA DURING GROWTH AND EARLY DIFFERENTIATION IN THE MYOBLAST CO25 CELL LINE

CO25 cells, a mouse myoblast line, contain multiple centrioles and primary cilia. A most unusual feature has been the finding of large numbers of separate structures in single cells—up to a maximum of nine centrioles, six primary cilia, and 12 of both organelles together. Aberrant multipolar spindles were occasionally seen containing variable numbers of centrioles. This strongly suggests that cells containing supernumerary centrioles and cilia are lost during mitosis, and that additional centriolar structures are generated during each interphase. No change in centriole or primary cilium frequency was detected after inducing the differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes. However, a significant migration of these structures occurred from a perinuclear to a supranuclear position prior to and during the phase of myoblast elongation. This shift was not maintained during cell fusion, when a net migration back to the periphery was observed, suggesting that it may have some function in relation to cell elongation and the change in the pattern of microtubule distribution which occurs as part of the process.