Centriole elimination in Drosophila melanogaster oogenesis

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Cellular Biology

The centriole is a Eukaryotic organelle involved in a variety of processes. Within the cytoplasm the centriole is part of the centrosome, the major microtubule (MT) organizing center in animal cells. The centrosome is involved in the regulation of cell motility and polarity in interphase and the organization of the mitotic spindle in mitosis. Each centrosome is composed of two centrioles surrounded by a protein-rich matrix, the pericentriolar material (PCM) (reviewed by Bettencourt-Dias and Glover, 2007) .(...)