WDR90 is a centriolar microtubule wall protein important for centriole architecture integrity

Summary Centrioles are characterized by a nine-fold arrangement of long-lived microtubule triplets that are held together by an inner protein scaffold. These structurally robust organelles experience strenuous cellular processes such as cell division or ciliary beating while performing their function. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the stability of microtubule triplets, as well as centriole architectural integrity remain poorly understood. Here, using ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM) for nanoscale protein mapping, we reveal that POC16 and its human homolog WDR90 are components of the centriolar microtubule wall along the central core region of the centriole. We further found that WDR90 is an evolutionary microtubule associated protein with a predicted structurally homology with the ciliary inner junction protein FAP20. Finally, we demonstrate that WDR90 depletion impairs the localization of inner scaffold components, leading to centriole structural abnormalities in both human and Chlamydomonas cells. Altogether, this work highlights that POC16/WDR90 is a crucial evolutionary conserved molecular player participating in centriole architecture integrity.