Synthetic beads programmed to recruit any one of several core centrosome assembly proteins at sufficient concentrations can generate functionally authentic, self-duplicating centrosome-like particles through a Seed-Scaffold-Self-Assemble mechanism that requires canonical centriole assembly pathway interactions and Plk4 activity but does not require a pre-existing structural template, demonstrating that complex organelle biogenesis can emerge from self-organizing molecular interactions initiated by simple molecular inputs.

Centrosomes are complex organelles that comprise multiple copies of hundreds of different proteins, yet they can precisely duplicate every cell cycle. Here we reconstitute centrosome duplication on synthetic beads programmed to recruit core centrosome assembly proteins when injected into Drosophila embryos. These beads generate structures that are functionally indistinguishable from centrosomes: they recruit centriole/centrosome proteins, organise microtubules (MTs) and proceed through multiple rounds of high-fidelity duplication, all in synchrony with the endogenous centrosomes. The beads function as seeds that recruit biogenesis-promoting proteins to stimulate the assembly of relatively simple scaffolds that direct centrosome self-assembly. This “Seed—Scaffold—Self-Assemble” mechanism may represent a general principle of organelle biogenesis, explaining how simple molecular inputs can generate complex structures without the need to copy a pre-existing template.