C. elegans SSNA-1 is required for the structural integrity of centrioles and bipolar spindle assembly

Centrioles play key roles in mitotic spindle assembly. Once assembled, centrioles exhibit long-term stability, but how stability is achieved and how it is regulated are not completely understood. In this study we show that SSNA-1, the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of Sjogren's Syndrome Nuclear Antigen 1, is a constituent of centrioles and centriole satellite-like structures. A deletion of ssna-1 results in the formation of extra centrioles. We show that SSNA-1 genetically interacts with the centriole stability factor SAS-1 and is required post assembly for centriole structural integrity. In SSNA-1's absence, centrioles assemble but fracture leading to extra spindle poles. However, if the efficiency of cartwheel assembly is reduced, the absence of SSNA-1 results in daughter centriole loss and monopolar spindles, indicating that the cartwheel and SSNA-1 cooperate to stabilize centrioles during assembly. Our work thus shows that SSNA-1 contributes to centriole stability during and after assembly, thereby ensuring proper centriole number.