Spotlights on Centrioles

Centrioles are small organelles composed primarily of tubulin proteins, typically arranged in nine sets of microtubule triplets. They play a critical role in organizing the mitotic spindle during cell division and in forming cilia. These structures, approximately 200–400 nm in size, are usually visualized by expressing exogenous fluorescent‑protein (FP) fusions of centriolar proteins.

The article describes CenSpark, a novel fluorescent probe that selectively labels centrioles and cilia by simultaneously binding to two specific sites on the microtubule triplets and doublets unique to these structures. Unlike previous tools, this small‑molecule probe functions across diverse eukaryotic systems without requiring genetic manipulation and enables long‑term live‑cell imaging with negligible toxicity.

CenSpark is poised to accelerate centriole and cilia imaging, particularly in systems and organisms where FP tagging and genetic manipulation are difficult or impossible.

The BSF/PTCB research core facility, through its on‑demand chemical synthesis service led by Luc Reymond, supported and contributed to the project by performing the initial chemical synthesis and later guiding Cédric Pourroy from the group of Pierre Gönczy through the highly challenging synthetic steps required.

For more information please see this news release.