The centromere comes into focus: from CENP-A nucleosomes to kinetochore connections with the spindle.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic chromosome segregation relies upon specific connections from DNA to the microtubule-based spindle that forms at cell division. The chromosomal locus that directs this process is the centromere, where a structure called the kinetochore forms upon entry into mitosis. Recent crystallography and single-particle electron microscopy have provided unprecedented high-resolution views of the molecular complexes involved in this process. The centromere is epigenetically specified by nucleosomes harbouring a histone H3 variant, CENP-A, and we review recent progress on how it differentiates centromeric chromatin from the rest of the chromosome, the biochemical pathway that mediates its assembly and how two non-histone components of the centromere specifically recognize CENP-A nucleosomes. T

SUBMITTER: Kixmoeller K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7333888 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature