Centrioles organise centrosomes and cilia, and these organelles have an important role in many cell processes. In flies, the centriole protein Ana1 is required for the assembly of functional centrosomes and cilia. It has recently been shown that Cep135 (also known as Bld10) initially recruits Ana1 to newly formed centrioles, and that Ana1 then recruits Asl (known as Cep152 in mammals) to promote the conversion of these centrioles into centrosomes. Here, we show that ana1 mutants lack detecta...

Centrioles are highly structured organelles whose size is remarkably consistent within any given cell type. New centrioles are born when Polo-like kinase 4 (Plk4) recruits Ana2/STIL and Sas-6 to the side of an existing “mother” centriole. These two proteins then assemble into a cartwheel, which grows outwards to form the structural core of a new daughter. Here, we show that in early Drosophila melanogaster embryos, daughter centrioles grow at a linear rate during early S-phase and abruptly st...