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The Centrosome

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The centrosome is a microtubule-organizing structure near an animal cell's nucleus, built from a pair of centrioles set at right angles.

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The centrosome duplicates before a cell divides, and its centrioles help pull duplicated chromosomes toward opposite ends.

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A centriole's exact role stays unclear — cells missing the centrosome, and plant cells that lack it, still divide.