Surface-catalyzed SAS-6 self-assembly directs centriole formation through kinetic and structural mechanisms

Discovering the physical principles directing organelle assembly is a fundamental pursuit in biology. Centrioles are evolutionarily conserved organelles with a 9-fold rotational symmetry of chiral microtubules imparted onto the cilia they template1. Centriole assemble from likewise symmetrical ring polymers of SAS-6 proteins, orthogonal to a toroidal surface surrounding the resident centriole2-4. How surface properties ensure ring assembly with proper symmetry and orthogonal arrangement is not known. Here, we deployed photothermally-actuated off-resonance tapping high-speed atomic force microscopy (PORT-HS-AFM) to decipher physical principles of surface-guided SAS-6 self-assembly. Using machine learning to quantify the polymerization reaction and developing a coagulation-fragmentation model, we discovered that the surface shifts the reaction equilibrium by [~]104 compared to the solution situation, explaining orthogonal organelle emergence. Moreover, molecular dynamics and PORT-HS-AFM revealed that the surface converts helical SAS-6 polymers into 9-fold ring polymers with residual asymmetry, which may impart chiral features to centrioles and cilia. Overall, we discovered two fundamental physical principles directing robust centriole organelle assembly.