WDHD1 modulates the post-transcriptional step of the centromeric silencing pathway.

ABSTRACT: The centromere is a highly specialized chromosomal element that is essential for chromosome segregation during mitosis. Centromere integrity must therefore be properly preserved and is strictly dependent upon the establishment and maintenance of surrounding chromatin structure. Here we identify WDHD1, a WD40-domain and HMG-domain containing protein, as a key regulator of centromere function. We show that WDHD1 associates with centromeres in a cell cycle-dependent manner, coinciding with mid-to-late S phase. WDHD1 down-regulation compromises HP1α localization to pericentric heterochromatin and leads to altered expression of epigenetic markers associated with this chromatin region. As a consequence, such reduced epigenetic silencing is manifested in disrupted heterochromatic state of the cen

SUBMITTER: Hsieh CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3105424 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature