Centriole Assembly and Function

Centrioles are small cylindrical organelles whose distinguishing feature is  an outer wall composed of a nine-fold symmetric array of stabilized microtubules. Centrioles perform two distinct functions in eukaryotic cells: 1) they recruit pericentriolar material to form centrosomes that organize the microtubule cytoskeleton and 2) they template cilia, cellular projections that perform critical sensory and motile functions. Centrosome and cilia abnormailities have been linked to aneuploidy and tumorigenesis as well as developmental disorders including ciliopathies and microcephaly. Despite their importance to human physiology and pathology, centrioles have remained poorly understood at the molecular level, largely due to the technical challenges posed by the small size of this organelle. In our lab, we are using a combination of biochemical, cell biological and genetic approaches in the nematode C. elegans to investigate the fundamental and conserved molecular mechanisms underlying centriole assembly and function.