Centrosome, microtubule and DNA damage response

Centrosomes are the major microtubule-organizing center (MTOC), which are important cytoplasmic organelles regulating cell cycle, cell morphology, genomic stability, etc. The role of centrosomes on genomic stability has been reported in different conditions. Centrosomal proteins such as centrin2, pericentrin (PCNT), CEP164 have been reported to facilitate DNA damage repair. Various DNA damage response (DDR) proteins locate on centrosomes or microtubules, such as ATM, ATR, DNA-PKcs, 53BP1, etc. Meanwhile, microtubules serve as the “highway” for the transportation of DNA damage proteins into the nucleus. Microtubules have also been discovered to regulate the DNA double strands breaks (DSBs) mobility in DSBs repair. In this review, we first summarize the association between centrosome, microtubules, and DDR. Further, we discuss the new progression on how cells coordinate DDR with microtubule dynamics to facilitate DSBs repair.