Scientists at EPFL have developed CenSpark, a fluorescent probe that makes centrioles and cilia visible inside living cells, helping researchers study cell division, development, and immunity like never before.
Inside every human cell lies a world of microscopic structures that control movement, division, and communication. Among them are centrioles and cilia, crucial components of cell signaling, motility, and division.
Centrioles organize cellular architecture and guide cell division, while cilia act as sensory and motile antennae. Defects in their formation or function are associated with a wide range of diseases, including ciliopathies and cancer.
Scientists have struggled to study centrioles and cilia in many living cells due to the lack of precise imaging tools. Although fluorescent probes have transformed cell biology by allowing us to observe cellular structures in real time, existing fluorescent probes lack the structural selectivity needed to distinguish the specialized microtubule arrangements that define centrioles and cilia.
A team led by Pierre Gönczy at EPFL has now developed CenSpark, a fluorescent probe engineered to bind specifically to microtubule arrangements unique to centrioles and cilia, and thereby allow their selective labeling across eukaryotic systems. Published in Nature Chemical Biology, the probe is a versatile tool that allows scientists to visualize and track these structures without genetic manipulation.
Testing CenSpark
The researchers validated the probe using advanced imaging techniques, including super-resolution microscopy and live-cell imaging. They tested CenSpark across a wide range of biological systems, from human cells to unicellular organisms, demonstrating its versatility and reliability.
The team also used CenSpark to uncover novel biological insights. For example, they quantified the dynamics of primary cilium formation in human cells, revealing an initial rapid growth phase that is followed by slower elongation until a steady length is reached.
They also used CenSpark to track centrioles during an immune response. In engineered Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) -T cells, CenSpark revealed how centrioles rapidly polarize toward cancer cells at the immunological synapse, providing means to gain new insight into cancer immunotherapy.
CenSpark gives scientists a long-sought tool to observe structures that play central roles in human health and disease. By enabling precise visualization of centrioles and cilia across species, it opens new avenues for research into developmental disorders, cancer, infertility, and genetic diseases known as ciliopathies.
Other contributors
- EPFL Biomolecular Screening Facility
- Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV)
- University of Lausanne (UNIL)
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne Branch
- EPFL School of Basic Science
- Utrecht University
