A Hidden Key to Centriole Structural Integrity and Duplication

A new study from the Guichard/Hamel lab reveals how centrioles, tiny barrel‑shaped structures within human cells that are essential for cell division and for building cellular projections called cilia, maintain their integrity and ensure proper duplication. A little‑understood structural element called the A‑C linker, which tethers neighboring microtubule triplets in the centriole’s proximal region, had previously lacked molecular definition.

By using Ultrastructure expansion microscopy, the team discovered that the A‑C linker complex acts like a molecular glue that keeps the centriole’s wall intact and helps manage how centrioles duplicate during cell cycles. Losing that glue causes structural collapse and impairs centriole duplication.

more info here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62154-6