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Updated: May 21, 2026

Isolation and Fluorescence Imaging for Single-particle Reconstruction of Chlamydomonas Centrioles
Published on: September 21, 2018
Towards a molecular architecture of centriole assembly
1Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) Lausanne, Switzerland. pierre.gonczy@epfl.ch
Abstract:
The centriole is an evolutionarily conserved macromolecular structure that is crucial for the formation of flagella, cilia and centrosomes. The ultrastructure of the centriole was first characterized decades ago with the advent of electron microscopy, revealing a striking ninefold radial arrangement of microtubules. However, it is only recently that the molecular mechanisms governing centriole assembly have begun to emerge, including the elucidation of the crucial role of spindle assembly abnormal 6 (SAS-6) proteins in imparting the ninefold symmetry. These advances have brought the field to an exciting era in which architecture meets function.
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