The Formation of Centrioles

A blog entry from Science Sampler opens with this sentence: "A big question in cell biology has been if centrioles can be formed de novo or they required a template." Centrioles play a key role in cell division. Science Sampler discusses a paper from 'Science' entitled Revisiting the Role of the Mother Centriole in Centriole Biogenesis. The paper notes the following:

"Thus, centriole biogenesis is a template-free self-assembly process triggered and regulated by molecules that ordinarily associate with the existing centriole. The mother centriole is not a bona fide template but a platform for a set of regulatory molecules that catalyzes and regulates daughter centriole assembly."