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Showing SASS6SAS6 is a alias.

SASS6

Spindle assembly abnormal protein 6 homolog · UniProt Q6UVJ0

Length
657 aa
Mass
74.4 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
53 papers in source corpus 28 papers cited in narrative 28 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 7/7 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

SASS6/SAS-6 is a highly conserved centriolar scaffold protein that self-assembles to impose the nine-fold symmetry of the centriolar cartwheel and is required for centriole duplication (PMID:15665853, PMID:18082404). Its N-terminal head domain self-associates into oligomers whose geometry instructs cartwheel symmetry: high-resolution structures of the N-terminal domain reveal cartwheel-center-like assemblies, point mutations disrupting these interfaces impair centriole formation, and engineering the oligomerization properties of SAS-6 directly reprograms cartwheel symmetry from five- to ten-fold (PMID:21273447, PMID:26002084, PMID:26999736). SAS-6 self-assembly alone is sufficient to generate a nine-fold symmetric cartwheel in vitro (PMID:24596152), and an asymmetric coiled-coil interaction confers polarity that drives ring stacking along the proximal-distal axis (PMID:35240058). Recruitment of SAS-6 to the mother centriole is initiated through direct, kinase-activity-independent binding of its coiled coil to ZYG-1/Plk4 and to SAS-5/Ana2/STIL, with Plk4-mediated sequential phosphorylation of Ana2/STIL (first a single ANST-motif serine, then four STAN-motif serines) constituting the earliest trigger for SAS-6 loading and procentriole formation (PMID:23673331, PMID:25264260, PMID:29263250); ZYG-1 also phosphorylates SAS-6 itself at serine 123 to maintain it at the emerging centriole (PMID:20059959). Once incorporated, the SAS-6 C-terminal tail nucleates centriolar microtubule assembly by binding α/β-tubulin and the γ-tubulin ring complex (PMID:26422590, PMID:32442461). SAS-6 abundance is tightly controlled to limit centriole number, via CDK-2-dependent transcriptional input (PMID:35377871) and via ubiquitin-dependent degradation by APC/C-Cdh1 and by FBXW7, the latter acting on the same Plk4-phosphorylated STIL sites that promote assembly (PMID:41453690, PMID:40825584); CDK-1 phosphorylation of the SAS-6 C-terminus inhibits its phase separation to drive centrosome elimination during oogenesis (PMID:40410380). Dysregulated, non-degradable SAS-6 promotes excess ciliation, YAP/TAZ activation, and cell invasion (PMID:40825584), and SAS-6 is required for centriole formation in mouse embryos, where its loss arrests development at mid-gestation (PMID:38407237).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 27 steps
  1. 2005 High

    Established that human SAS-6 is a bona fide centrosomal duplication factor and placed it in a conserved recruitment pathway, answering whether SAS-6 acts in centriole biogenesis and with what partners.

    Evidence siRNA knockdown and GFP localization in human U2OS cells, C. elegans genetics and co-immunoprecipitation

    PMID:15665853

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not define the structural basis of SAS-6 assembly
    • Mechanism of ZYG-1/SAS-5-dependent recruitment not resolved at the molecular level
  2. 2007 High

    Located SAS-6 to the cartwheel center and showed it is essential to establish nine-fold symmetry, answering what structural element imposes centriole symmetry.

    Evidence Chlamydomonas bld12 null mutant analysis with EM and immunolocalization

    PMID:18082404

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not show how SAS-6 molecular geometry translates into nine-fold symmetry
    • No atomic structure of the assembling protein
  3. 2009 High

    Identified a direct kinase modification of SAS-6 (ZYG-1 phosphorylation at S123) required for its maintenance at the emerging centriole, linking a centriolar kinase to SAS-6 stability.

    Evidence In vitro kinase assay with C. elegans phospho-mutant rescue

    PMID:20059959

    Open questions at the time
    • Whether S123 is the essential ZYG-1 substrate for duplication was later questioned
    • Did not address recruitment versus retention
  4. 2010 Medium

    Provided the first biochemical model for how SAS-6 builds the cartwheel by showing it self-assembles into defined oligomers that template the central tubule.

    Evidence Gel filtration, native PAGE, EM of recombinant protein and overexpression in Drosophila cells

    PMID:20083610

    Open questions at the time
    • The specific tetramer model was complemented by later ring/spiral structures
    • No high-resolution structure of the assembly interfaces
  5. 2011 High

    Resolved the structural basis of cartwheel-center formation, showing SAS-6 N-terminal self-association generates cartwheel-like assemblies whose interfaces are functionally required.

    Evidence Zebrafish SAS-6 N-terminal X-ray crystallography with point mutagenesis and in vivo centriole formation assay

    PMID:21273447

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not explain how the symmetry number is fixed at nine
    • Did not address ring stacking or polarity
  6. 2013 High

    Dissected the recruitment interactions, showing ZYG-1 binds the SAS-6 coiled coil independently of kinase activity and an adjacent segment binds SAS-5, both required for cartwheel assembly.

    Evidence Pulldown, co-IP, in vitro binding and C. elegans alanine-substitution genetics

    PMID:23673331

    Open questions at the time
    • The essential ZYG-1 kinase substrate for cartwheel assembly remained unidentified
    • Stoichiometry of the ZYG-1/SAS-5/SAS-6 assembly not defined
  7. 2013 High

    Revealed an alternative SAS-6 spiral architecture consistent with the same nine-fold output, showing distinct oligomerization modes can specify identical symmetry.

    Evidence X-ray crystallography and EM of C. elegans SAS-6

    PMID:23798409

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not establish what selects spiral versus ring assembly in vivo
    • Link between spiral and central tube versus cartwheel not mechanistically resolved
  8. 2014 High

    Established Plk4 phosphorylation of the Ana2/STIL STAN motif as the earliest upstream trigger enabling Ana2 to bind and recruit SAS-6, defining the kinase-controlled gate for procentriole assembly.

    Evidence In vitro kinase assay and Drosophila phospho-mutant rescue with live imaging

    PMID:25264260

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not resolve the full ordered sequence of Ana2 phosphorylation events
    • Structural basis of phospho-dependent Ana2-SAS-6 binding not shown
  9. 2014 High

    Provided a definitive structure proving SAS-6 self-assembly alone imposes nine-fold cartwheel symmetry and showed the assembly is druggable.

    Evidence 3.5 Å X-ray structure of a nine-fold symmetric Leishmania SAS-6 cartwheel and in vitro small-molecule inhibition

    PMID:24596152

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not address how the cartwheel stacks or acquires polarity
    • Did not test the inhibitor in cells
  10. 2014 Medium

    Uncovered a luminal SAS-6 recruitment route in human centrioles, showing initial recruitment uses the luminal wall rather than self-oligomerization and that Plk4/STIL-dependent release governs subsequent assembly.

    Evidence Live-cell fluorescence, siRNA knockdown and structured illumination microscopy

    PMID:25017693

    Open questions at the time
    • Single lab; the luminal pathway needs independent confirmation
    • Molecular identity of the luminal wall binding site not defined
  11. 2015 Medium

    Identified the SAS-6 C-terminal tail as a direct microtubule-nucleating module, connecting cartwheel assembly to centriolar microtubule formation.

    Evidence In vitro tubulin polymerization, microtubule pulldown, ITC and co-IP from S-phase HeLa lysates

    PMID:26422590

    Open questions at the time
    • Single lab in vitro biochemistry
    • In vivo requirement of the tail for microtubule nucleation not yet shown at this stage
  12. 2015 High

    Showed both SAS-6 N-terminal homo-oligomerization and Ana2 tetramerization are individually required for centriole assembly, with high-resolution structures of each module.

    Evidence 0.8 Å and 2.9 Å X-ray structures, in vitro oligomerization assays and Drosophila point-mutant genetics

    PMID:26002084

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not define how the two oligomerization activities are coordinated temporally
    • Structure of the combined SAS-6–Ana2 assembly not solved
  13. 2015 Medium

    Challenged the strict requirement for SAS-6 self-assembly by showing de novo centriole formation can proceed without it, refining the role of self-oligomerization in fidelity rather than absolute biogenesis.

    Evidence Reconstitution of de novo centriole synthesis in human cells with oligomerization-deficient mutants and EM

    PMID:26609813

    Open questions at the time
    • Single lab; paradigm-challenging result needs replication
    • What substitutes for SAS-6 self-assembly during de novo formation is unknown
  14. 2016 High

    Demonstrated causally that SAS-6 self-assembly properties instruct cartwheel symmetry and that cartwheel and microtubule wall assemble interdependently.

    Evidence Engineered SAS-6 symmetry mutants expressed in Chlamydomonas and human cells with EM

    PMID:26999736

    Open questions at the time
    • In vivo symmetry buffering toward nine-fold not fully explained
    • Contribution of additional factors to symmetry correction unresolved
  15. 2017 High

    Resolved the ordered Plk4 phosphorylation logic on Ana2, showing an initial ANST-motif phosphorylation promotes Ana2 recruitment before STAN-motif phosphorylation enables SAS-6 recruitment.

    Evidence In vitro kinase assay, mass spectrometry and Drosophila phospho-mutant rescue with live imaging

    PMID:29263250

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not establish how phosphorylation timing is controlled in the cycle
    • Phosphatase counter-regulation not addressed
  16. 2017 Medium

    Identified Cdc6 as a negative regulator that binds SAS-6 to block its STIL interaction, with Plk4 phosphorylation of Cdc6 relieving this inhibition to license duplication.

    Evidence Co-IP, co-localization, siRNA and overexpression with centrosome duplication readout

    PMID:28447620

    Open questions at the time
    • Single lab; physiological contribution to duplication timing not quantified
    • Direct competition between Cdc6 and STIL for SAS-6 not structurally defined
  17. 2018 Medium

    Captured the kinetics of SAS-6 ring formation, showing assembly proceeds via multiple routes driven by weak surface interactions to reach nine-fold symmetry.

    Evidence High-speed atomic force microscopy (PORT) with kinetic analysis

    PMID:29784964

    Open questions at the time
    • Single-method study; in-cell relevance of surface-driven kinetics not tested
    • How the cell biases assembly toward correct symmetry not addressed
  18. 2019 Medium

    Showed pericentrin (Pcp1) directly binds and recruits SAS-6, linking the pericentriolar material to cartwheel assembly and centriole elongation.

    Evidence Ectopic expression in fission yeast, co-IP and genetic assays in animal cells

    PMID:31182187

    Open questions at the time
    • Single lab; recruitment hierarchy relative to ZYG-1/STIL unclear
    • Structural basis of the Pcp1–SAS-6 interface not resolved
  19. 2020 Medium

    Mapped SAS-6 C-terminus to γ-TuRC interaction required for centriolar microtubule formation in daughter centrioles, mechanistically linking the cartwheel hub to microtubule nucleation in vivo.

    Evidence Co-IP, deletion mutant analysis, siRNA and high-resolution fluorescence microscopy

    PMID:32442461

    Open questions at the time
    • Single lab; direct versus indirect γ-TuRC binding not fully separated
    • Relationship between tubulin-binding and γ-TuRC-binding activities of the tail unresolved
  20. 2020 Medium

    Defined the Ana2–SAS-6 interaction surfaces in the C-terminal regions of both proteins and showed SAS-6 can simultaneously engage Ana2 and Gorab through distinct sites.

    Evidence HDX-MS, in vitro complex formation, mutagenesis and co-IP

    PMID:33171067

    Open questions at the time
    • Single lab interface mapping
    • Functional consequence of simultaneous Ana2/Gorab binding not quantified
  21. 2021 High

    Defined the Gorab–SAS-6 heterotrimer structurally and showed a single SAS-6 residue in the Gorab-binding site is essential for centriole duplication, connecting Golgi-associated Gorab to the centriole.

    Evidence HDX-MS, EM, mutagenesis with in vivo duplication assay and binding assays

    PMID:33704067

    Open questions at the time
    • Functional role of the Golgi-versus-centriole Gorab equilibrium not fully defined
    • How Gorab binding contributes to cartwheel function mechanistically unresolved
  22. 2021 High

    Used designed monobodies to separate SAS-6 ring assembly from ring stacking and to drive a ring-to-helix conformational switch that impairs centriole biogenesis, dissecting distinct assembly steps.

    Evidence X-ray crystallography, AFM, cryo-EM and a human-cell centriole biogenesis assay

    PMID:34155202

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not define the endogenous regulator of the ring-helix transition
    • Physiological signal controlling stacking not identified
  23. 2022 High

    Identified an asymmetric coiled-coil homo-oligomerization interaction that imparts polarity to the cartwheel and supports ring stacking, providing a structural basis for the centriolar proximal-distal axis.

    Evidence X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM reconstitution and site-directed mutagenesis

    PMID:35240058

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct demonstration that this polarity sets the in vivo proximal-distal axis not completed
    • How many stacked rings the asymmetry permits unresolved
  24. 2022 Medium

    Connected centriole number control to SAS-6 abundance, showing CHD-1 and EFL-1/DPL-1 downregulate CDK-2 to limit SAS-6 protein levels.

    Evidence C. elegans genetic epistasis, RNAi, Western blot and centriole counting

    PMID:35377871

    Open questions at the time
    • Single lab; whether the axis is transcriptional or post-translational not fully separated
    • Conservation in mammalian cells not tested
  25. 2024 High

    Established the in vivo requirement for SASS6 in mammalian centriole formation and revealed a context-dependent dispensability in stem cells with high PLK4 activity, defining when SAS-6 is essential.

    Evidence Mouse knockout genetics, immunofluorescence, centriole ultrastructure and cell death pathway assays

    PMID:38407237

    Open questions at the time
    • Molecular basis of SAS-6-independent biogenesis in mESCs incompletely defined
    • Relationship to the mitotic surveillance pathway downstream of centriole loss unresolved
  26. 2025 Medium

    Showed SAS-6 phase separation, modulated by CDK-1 phosphorylation of its C-terminus, governs centrosome assembly and elimination across meiotic prophase, adding a material-state layer to SAS-6 regulation.

    Evidence In vitro phase separation and kinase assays, mass spectrometry and C. elegans phospho-mutant genetics with live imaging

    PMID:40410380

    Open questions at the time
    • Single lab; in vivo relevance of droplet formation beyond oogenesis untested
    • Relationship between phase separation and cartwheel polymerization not resolved
  27. 2025 Medium

    Defined ubiquitin-dependent degradation pathways (APC/C-Cdh1 and FBXW7) that limit SAS-6 and STIL-SAS6 abundance, and linked non-degradable SAS-6 to ciliation, YAP/TAZ activation and invasion.

    Evidence Co-IP, siRNA, ubiquitination and invasion assays, YAP/TEAD reporters, non-degradable mutant expression and Plk4 inhibitor treatment

    PMID:40825584 PMID:41453690

    Open questions at the time
    • Single labs; in vivo tumor relevance of SAS-6-driven invasion untested
    • How the same Plk4 phosphosites coordinate assembly then FBXW7 destruction temporally not fully resolved

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • How SAS-6 assembly state, post-translational regulation, and abundance are integrated in real time to ensure exactly one cartwheel of correct symmetry and polarity per duplication cycle remains unresolved.
  • No unified model linking phase separation, ring stacking polarity, and degradation timing
  • Endogenous trigger of the ring-to-helix conformational switch unknown
  • Mechanism of SAS-6-independent centriole biogenesis in high-PLK4 contexts undefined

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0005198 structural molecule activity 5 GO:0060090 molecular adaptor activity 4 GO:0008092 cytoskeletal protein binding 2
Localization
GO:0005815 microtubule organizing center 4 GO:0005856 cytoskeleton 2
Pathway
R-HSA-1852241 Organelle biogenesis and maintenance 4 R-HSA-1640170 Cell Cycle 3
Complex memberships
STIL-SAS6 cartwheel assembly complexcentriolar cartwheel

Evidence

Reading pass · 28 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
2005 HsSAS-6 (SASS6) localizes to centrosomes and is required for centrosome duplication in human cells: siRNA-mediated inactivation in U2OS cells abrogates centrosome overduplication following aphidicolin treatment and interferes with the normal centrosome duplication cycle. In C. elegans, SAS-6 is recruited to centrioles at the onset of the centrosome duplication cycle, associates with SAS-5, and requires both the SAS-5 interaction and ZYG-1 function for centriolar recruitment. siRNA knockdown in human U2OS cells, GFP localization, C. elegans genetics, co-immunoprecipitation Nature cell biology High 15665853
2007 In Chlamydomonas, SAS-6 localizes to the central part of the cartwheel and is required to establish nine-fold centriolar symmetry. A null mutant (bld12) lacking the cartwheel central part frequently produces centrioles with non-canonical triplet numbers (7, 8, 10, or 11), demonstrating that SAS-6 is an essential cartwheel component that stabilizes the 9-triplet structure. Chlamydomonas null mutant analysis, electron microscopy, immunolocalization Current biology : CB High 18082404
2009 The kinase ZYG-1 phosphorylates SAS-6 at serine 123 in vitro, and this phosphorylation event is critical for centriole formation in C. elegans embryos in vivo. Phosphorylation ensures maintenance of SAS-6 at the emerging centriole. In vitro kinase assay, C. elegans genetics with phospho-mutant rescue, fluorescence microscopy Developmental cell High 20059959
2010 Drosophila SAS-6 self-assembles into stable tetramers in vitro, which serve as building blocks for the central tubule of the centriolar cartwheel. SAS-6 concentrates at the core of the cartwheel, and elevated SAS-6 levels in Drosophila cells produce higher-order structures resembling central tubule morphology. Biochemistry (gel filtration, native PAGE), electron microscopy of centrosomes and recombinant protein, cell overexpression The Journal of biological chemistry Medium 20083610
2011 X-ray crystal structure of the zebrafish SAS-6 N-terminal domain reveals that recombinant SAS-6 self-associates in vitro into assemblies resembling cartwheel centers. Point mutations disrupting the self-assembly interfaces impair centriole formation in vivo, establishing that these interactions are essential for cartwheel center organization. X-ray crystallography, in vitro reconstitution, point mutagenesis with in vivo centriole formation assay Science (New York, N.Y.) High 21273447
2013 In C. elegans, ZYG-1 recruits SAS-6 to the mother centriole via a direct binding interaction between ZYG-1 and the SAS-6 coiled coil, independently of ZYG-1 kinase activity. Separately, an adjacent segment of the SAS-6 coiled coil interacts with SAS-5, and both interactions are required for SAS-6 recruitment and cartwheel assembly. ZYG-1 kinase activity is subsequently required for cartwheel assembly, but its essential substrate is unlikely to be SAS-6 itself. Pulldown, co-immunoprecipitation, in vitro binding assays, C. elegans genetics with alanine-substitution mutants Developmental cell High 23673331
2013 C. elegans SAS-6 self-assembles into a spiral arrangement (rather than rings) as shown by crystallography and EM, yet this spiral is consistent with nine-fold symmetry, suggesting two distinct SAS-6 oligomerization architectures can direct the same output symmetry. Spiral arrangement is correlated with the presence of a central tube instead of a cartwheel in nematode centriole assembly. X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America High 23798409
2014 Drosophila Plk4 phosphorylates four conserved serines in the STAN motif of Ana2 (STIL ortholog) to enable Ana2 to bind and recruit its Sas6 partner. Non-phosphorylatable Ana2 localizes to the centriole but cannot recruit Sas6, causing failure of centriole duplication. Thus, Plk4-mediated phosphorylation of Ana2/STIL is the earliest upstream step for Sas6 recruitment and procentriole architecture establishment. In vitro kinase assay, Drosophila genetics with phospho-mutant rescue, live imaging, immunofluorescence Current biology : CB High 25264260
2014 Leishmania major SAS-6 crystallizes as a nine-fold symmetric cartwheel, providing a 3.5 Å X-ray structure of this assembly and firmly establishing that SAS-6 self-assembly alone can impose cartwheel symmetry. Small-molecule inhibition of SAS-6 oligomerization is feasible in vitro. X-ray crystallography at 3.5 Å, in vitro small-molecule inhibition assay eLife High 24596152
2014 During S phase, SAS-6 molecules are first recruited to the proximal lumen of the mother centriole, adopting a cartwheel-like organization through interactions with the luminal wall rather than via self-oligomerization. Removal/release of luminal SAS-6 requires Plk4 and STIL. Abolishing either recruitment or removal of luminal SAS-6 hinders SAS-6/centriole assembly at the outside wall. After duplication, the lumen of engaged mother centrioles becomes inaccessible to SAS-6, correlating with a block for reduplication. Live cell fluorescence microscopy, siRNA knockdown, structured illumination microscopy Developmental cell Medium 25017693
2015 The C-terminal tail of human SAS-6 (residues 470–657) nucleates and promotes microtubule polymerization in vitro, binds to microtubules along their lengths, and interacts with α/β-tubulin dimers. The N-terminal domain has no effect on microtubule polymerization. Endogenous HsSAS-6 co-precipitates with microtubules from S-phase HeLa cell lysates. In vitro tubulin polymerization assay, microtubule pulldown, co-immunoprecipitation from cell lysate, isothermal calorimetry, size-exclusion chromatography Biochemistry Medium 26422590
2015 In vitro, both Drosophila Sas-6 N-terminal domain homo-oligomerization and Ana2 CCCD tetramerization are required for efficient centriole assembly in vivo. Point mutations that perturb Sas-6 homo-oligomerization in vitro strongly impair centriole assembly in Drosophila. The Ana2 CCCD forms a tetramer with an unusual parallel-coil topology (structure solved to 0.8 Å), and the Sas-6 N-terminal domain forms higher-order oligomers through canonical interactions (structure at 2.9 Å). X-ray crystallography (0.8 Å and 2.9 Å), in vitro oligomerization assays, in vivo Drosophila genetics with point mutants eLife High 26002084
2015 De novo centriole formation in human cells can occur in the absence of SAS-6 self-oligomerization, demonstrating that centriole biogenesis does not strictly depend on SAS-6 self-assembly. Canonically duplicated centrioles always form correctly, whereas de novo centrioles are prone to structural errors even when SAS-6 self-oligomerization is intact. Reconstitution of de novo centriole synthesis in human cells, SAS-6 oligomerization-deficient mutants, electron microscopy eLife Medium 26609813
2016 Engineering Chlamydomonas SAS-6 to form oligomers with symmetries ranging from five- to ten-fold showed that SAS-6 self-assembly properties instruct cartwheel symmetry. A SAS-6 mutant forming six-fold symmetric cartwheels in vitro produced eight- or nine-fold cartwheels in vivo, and with Bld10 mutants weakening cartwheel-microtubule interactions, produced six- to eight-fold cartwheels. The microtubule wall maintained eight- and nine-fold symmetries, indicating cartwheel and microtubule wall assemble interdependently. Human cells expressing analogous SAS-6 mutations formed nine-fold centrioles with impaired length and organization. In vitro oligomerization assays, Chlamydomonas and human cell expression of engineered SAS-6 mutants, electron microscopy Nature cell biology High 26999736
2017 Drosophila Plk4 first phosphorylates a single serine (S38) in the conserved ANST motif of Ana2 to promote Ana2 recruitment to the centriole, and then phosphorylates four serines in the STAN motif to enable Ana2 to recruit Sas6. Non-phosphorylatable S38A Ana2 fails to load onto the procentriole and blocks centriole duplication, establishing a sequential two-step phosphorylation mechanism for Sas6 recruitment. In vitro kinase assay, mass spectrometry, Drosophila genetics with phospho-mutant rescue, live imaging Open biology High 29263250
2017 The DNA replication licensing factor Cdc6 is recruited to the proximal side of centrioles via cyclin A and negatively regulates centrosome duplication by binding Sas-6 and inhibiting its interaction with STIL. Plk4 phosphorylates Cdc6, disrupting the Sas-6–Cdc6 interaction and thereby counteracting the inhibitory effect of Cdc6 on Sas-6. Overexpression of wild-type Cdc6 or a Plk4-unphosphorylatable Cdc6 mutant reduces centrosome over-duplication. Co-immunoprecipitation, co-localization, siRNA knockdown, overexpression with functional centrosome duplication readout Nature communications Medium 28447620
2018 High-speed atomic force microscopy (photothermal off-resonance tapping) reveals the kinetics of SAS-6 ring formation and demonstrates that distinct biogenesis routes can be followed to assemble a nine-fold symmetrical ring structure, showing the assembly reaction is driven by weak interactions on a surface. High-speed atomic force microscopy (PORT), kinetic analysis of self-assembly Nature nanotechnology Medium 29784964
2019 The conserved PCM component Pcp1/pericentrin directly interacts with and recruits SAS-6. This interaction is conserved and important for centriole assembly, particularly centriole elongation. Calmodulin-binding region of Pcp1/pericentrin is critical for SAS-6 interaction. Ectopic expression in fission yeast, co-immunoprecipitation, genetic assays in animal cells eLife Medium 31182187
2020 Human SAS-6 C-terminus is required for centriolar microtubule formation by interacting with the γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC). Deletion of HsSAS-6 C-terminus disrupts microtubule formation in daughter centrioles, resulting in cells with only two centrioles at a single site. SAS-6 associates with γ-TuRC proteins at the centrosome, and high-resolution microscopy reveals γ-tubulin as multiple lobes surrounding the HsSAS-6-containing central hub. Co-immunoprecipitation, deletion mutant analysis, siRNA knockdown, high-resolution fluorescence microscopy Current biology : CB Medium 32442461
2020 Interaction surfaces between Drosophila Ana2 and Sas6 lie in the C-terminal parts of both proteins, as identified by hydrogen-deuterium exchange coupled with mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and confirmed by mutagenesis. The Sas6 site required for Ana2 binding is distinct from the site required for Gorab binding, and Sas6 can simultaneously bind both Ana2 and Gorab. HDX-MS, in vitro complex formation, mutagenesis, co-immunoprecipitation Open biology Medium 33171067
2021 Monomeric Drosophila Gorab binds Sas6 via an antiparallel interaction between a segment of Gorab's coiled-coil and the parallel coiled-coil dimer of Sas6, forming a stable heterotrimer visible by EM. Mutation of a single leucine in Sas6's Gorab-binding domain reduces affinity 16-fold and abolishes centriole duplication, demonstrating this interaction is essential. Gorab dimers at the Golgi exist in equilibrium with Sas6-associated Gorab monomers at the centriole. HDX-MS, electron microscopy, mutagenesis with in vivo centriole duplication assay, biochemical binding assays eLife High 33704067
2021 Monobodies against Chlamydomonas SAS-6 characterized by X-ray crystallography, AFM, and cryo-EM reveal distinct interaction modes that specifically impair ring assembly or ring stacking. Monobody MBCRS6-15 induces a conformational change converting CrSAS-6 from ring to helix conformation, and this alteration impairs centriole biogenesis in human cells. X-ray crystallography, atomic force microscopy, cryo-EM, human cell centriole biogenesis assay Nature communications High 34155202
2022 Crystallographic structures of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii SAS-6 coiled-coil domain reveal an asymmetric homo-oligomerization interaction. Using cryo-EM reconstitution, amino acid substitutions disrupting this asymmetric association impair SAS-6 ring stacking, suggesting the coiled-coil asymmetric interaction provides polarity to the cartwheel and may assist establishment of the centriolar proximal-distal axis. X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM reconstitution assay, site-directed mutagenesis Structure (London, England : 1993) High 35240058
2022 In C. elegans, the chromatin remodeling protein CHD-1 and the transcription factor EFL-1/DPL-1 cooperate to downregulate CDK-2, which in turn controls SAS-6 protein levels. Loss of CHD-1 increases SAS-6 levels and produces extra centrioles, revealing a transcriptional/post-translational axis for controlling centriole number via SAS-6 abundance. C. elegans genetics (epistasis), RNAi, Western blot for protein levels, centriole counting PLoS genetics Medium 35377871
2024 In mouse embryos, Sass6 (SASS6) is required for centriole formation, and Sass6-mutant embryos lack centrioles, activate the mitotic surveillance cell death pathway, and arrest at mid-gestation. In mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), SAS-6 is not required for de novo centriole formation but is essential to maintain centriole architecture. High PLK4 activity and elevated centrosomal protein levels in mESCs enable SAS-6-independent centriole biogenesis. Mouse knockout genetics, immunofluorescence, centriole ultrastructure analysis, cell death pathway assays eLife High 38407237
2025 SAS-6 undergoes phase separation in vitro and forms droplets when overexpressed in cells. CDK-1 directly phosphorylates SAS-6 at its C-terminus (identified by mass spectrometry and kinase assays), which inhibits SAS-6 phase separation and weakens interactions between centriolar proteins. Phospho-mimetic and phospho-deficient mutants demonstrate that dynamic SAS-6 phosphorylation is essential for centrosome assembly during early meiotic prophase and for centrosome elimination during late meiotic prophase (oogenesis) in C. elegans. In vitro phase separation assay, mass spectrometry, in vitro kinase assay, C. elegans genetics with phospho-mutants, live imaging EMBO reports Medium 40410380
2025 FBXW7 E3 ubiquitin ligase mediates degradation of the STIL-SAS6 cartwheel assembly complex. Plk4 kinase activity is required for FBXW7-mediated STIL-SAS6 degradation. The same Plk4-phosphorylated sites in STIL that promote STIL-SAS6 interaction for centriole assembly also stabilize FBXW7 binding to STIL, creating a dual mechanism: phosphorylation promotes assembly and then triggers destruction to prevent centriole overduplication. Depletion of FBXW7 induces premature centriole duplication through excessive STIL-SAS6 stabilization. Co-immunoprecipitation, siRNA knockdown, overexpression with centriole counting, ubiquitination assay, Plk4 inhibitor treatment The Journal of biological chemistry Medium 41453690
2025 Non-degradable SAS-6 (SAS-6ND, escaping APCCdh1-targeted degradation) increases ciliation and cell invasion and upregulates the YAP/TAZ pathway. SAS-6-mediated invasion is prevented by YAP downregulation or by blocking ciliogenesis, placing SAS-6 upstream of YAP/TAZ-dependent transcription in the invasion pathway. SAS-6 levels are subject to APCCdh1-targeted degradation at the end of mitosis and G1. Non-degradable SAS-6 mutant expression, siRNA knockdown, invasion assays, YAP nuclear translocation imaging, TEAD reporter assay Life science alliance Medium 40825584

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 53 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2005 SAS-6 defines a protein family required for centrosome duplication in C. elegans and in human cells. Nature cell biology 329 15665853
2011 Structures of SAS-6 suggest its organization in centrioles. Science (New York, N.Y.) 263 21273447
2007 SAS-6 is a cartwheel protein that establishes the 9-fold symmetry of the centriole. Current biology : CB 217 18082404
2014 Plk4 phosphorylates Ana2 to trigger Sas6 recruitment and procentriole formation. Current biology : CB 148 25264260
2016 The PLK4-STIL-SAS-6 module at the core of centriole duplication. Biochemical Society transactions 123 27911707
2018 High-speed photothermal off-resonance atomic force microscopy reveals assembly routes of centriolar scaffold protein SAS-6. Nature nanotechnology 85 29784964
2007 The zebrafish maternal-effect gene cellular atoll encodes the centriolar component sas-6 and defects in its paternal function promote whole genome duplication. Developmental biology 68 17950723
2016 SAS-6 engineering reveals interdependence between cartwheel and microtubules in determining centriole architecture. Nature cell biology 61 26999736
2014 Structure of the SAS-6 cartwheel hub from Leishmania major. eLife 58 24596152
2013 A SAS-6-like protein suggests that the Toxoplasma conoid complex evolved from flagellar components. Eukaryotic cell 58 23687115
2017 Two-step phosphorylation of Ana2 by Plk4 is required for the sequential loading of Ana2 and Sas6 to initiate procentriole formation. Open biology 55 29263250
2014 SAS-6 assembly templated by the lumen of cartwheel-less centrioles precedes centriole duplication. Developmental cell 54 25017693
2013 Direct binding of SAS-6 to ZYG-1 recruits SAS-6 to the mother centriole for cartwheel assembly. Developmental cell 53 23673331
2013 Caenorhabditis elegans centriolar protein SAS-6 forms a spiral that is consistent with imparting a ninefold symmetry. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 52 23798409
2009 Phosphorylation of SAS-6 by ZYG-1 is critical for centriole formation in C. elegans embryos. Developmental cell 52 20059959
2015 The homo-oligomerisation of both Sas-6 and Ana2 is required for efficient centriole assembly in flies. eLife 48 26002084
2015 De novo centriole formation in human cells is error-prone and does not require SAS-6 self-assembly. eLife 46 26609813
2015 The Centriole Cartwheel Protein SAS-6 in Trypanosoma brucei Is Required for Probasal Body Biogenesis and Flagellum Assembly. Eukaryotic cell 38 26116214
2017 DNA replication licensing factor Cdc6 and Plk4 kinase antagonistically regulate centrosome duplication via Sas-6. Nature communications 37 28447620
2010 Self-assembling SAS-6 multimer is a core centriole building block. The Journal of biological chemistry 36 20083610
2014 An essential role of the basal body protein SAS-6 in Plasmodium male gamete development and malaria transmission. Cellular microbiology 32 25154861
2016 SAS6-like protein in Plasmodium indicates that conoid-associated apical complex proteins persist in invasive stages within the mosquito vector. Scientific reports 28 27339728
2019 Pericentrin-mediated SAS-6 recruitment promotes centriole assembly. eLife 24 31182187
2024 Mouse SAS-6 is required for centriole formation in embryos and integrity in embryonic stem cells. eLife 14 38407237
2019 Poc1B and Sas-6 Function Together during the Atypical Centriole Formation in Drosophila melanogaster. Cells 14 31387336
2024 The Ruminococcus bromii amylosome protein Sas6 binds single and double helical α-glucan structures in starch. Nature structural & molecular biology 12 38177679
2020 Drosophila Sas-6, Ana2 and Sas-4 self-organise into macromolecular structures that can be used to probe centriole and centrosome assembly. Journal of cell science 11 32409564
2020 SAS-6 Association with γ-Tubulin Ring Complex Is Required for Centriole Duplication in Human Cells. Current biology : CB 11 32442461
2019 Novel SASS6 compound heterozygous mutations in a Chinese family with primary autosomal recessive microcephaly. Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry 11 30639237
2023 A primary microcephaly-associated sas-6 mutation perturbs centrosome duplication, dendrite morphogenesis, and ciliogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 10 37279547
2022 The chromatin remodeling protein CHD-1 and the EFL-1/DPL-1 transcription factor cooperatively down regulate CDK-2 to control SAS-6 levels and centriole number. PLoS genetics 10 35377871
2020 CCDC61/VFL3 Is a Paralog of SAS6 and Promotes Ciliary Functions. Structure (London, England : 1993) 10 32375023
2021 SASS6 promotes proliferation of esophageal squamous carcinoma cells by inhibiting the p53 signaling pathway. Carcinogenesis 9 32671379
2015 Human SAS-6 C-Terminus Nucleates and Promotes Microtubule Assembly in Vitro by Binding to Microtubules. Biochemistry 9 26422590
2021 Knockdown of SASS6 reduces growth of MDA‑MB‑231 triple‑negative breast cancer cells through arrest of the cell cycle at the G2/M phase. Oncology reports 8 33907854
2009 Centriole assembly in CHO cells expressing Plk4/SAS6/SAS4 is similar to centriogenesis in ciliated epithelial cells. Cell motility and the cytoskeleton 8 19402176
2022 Structures of SAS-6 coiled coil hold implications for the polarity of the centriolar cartwheel. Structure (London, England : 1993) 7 35240058
2021 Tuning SAS-6 architecture with monobodies impairs distinct steps of centriole assembly. Nature communications 7 34155202
2018 Identification and localization of SAS-6 in the microsporidium Nosema bombycis. Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases 5 30244093
2021 The dimeric Golgi protein Gorab binds to Sas6 as a monomer to mediate centriole duplication. eLife 4 33704067
2020 Identification of compounds that bind the centriolar protein SAS-6 and inhibit its oligomerization. The Journal of biological chemistry 4 32873708
2020 Interaction interface in the C-terminal parts of centriole proteins Sas6 and Ana2. Open biology 4 33171067
2020 The Singularity of the Drosophila Male Germ Cell Centriole: The Asymmetric Distribution of Sas4 and Sas6. Cells 3 31947732
2019 A dynamically interacting flexible loop assists oligomerisation of the Caenorhabditis elegans centriolar protein SAS-6. Scientific reports 3 30837637
2025 Dynamic SAS-6 phosphorylation aids centrosome duplication and elimination in C. elegans oogenesis. EMBO reports 2 40410380
2024 Novel biallelic SASS6 variants associated with primary microcephaly and fetal growth restriction. American journal of medical genetics. Part A 2 38501757
2023 Case Report: Prenatal Recurrent Microcephaly and Corpus Callosum Abnormalities in a Chinese Family with Novel Biallelic SASS6 Mutations. Fetal diagnosis and therapy 2 36739862
2021 Optimization strategies for expression and purification of soluble N-terminal domain of human centriolar protein SAS-6 in Escherichia coli. Protein expression and purification 2 33640460
2025 Dysregulated SASS6 expression promotes increased ciliogenesis and cell invasion phenotypes. Life science alliance 1 40825584
2022 Targeting Drosophila Sas6 to mitochondria reveals its high affinity for Gorab. Biology open 1 36331102
2025 CDT1 induces the formation of polyploid giant cancer cells and promotes centrosome amplification through the PLK4/SASS6 axis. Cancer letters 0 41319860
2025 FBXW7 E3 ligase prevents centriole overduplication by degrading the Plk4 phosphorylated STIL-SAS6 cartwheel assembly. The Journal of biological chemistry 0 41453690
2023 Grand canonical Brownian dynamics simulations of adsorption and self-assembly of SAS-6 rings on a surface. The Journal of chemical physics 0 36859084

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