Direct observation of coordinated assembly of individual native centromeric nucleosomes.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic chromosome segregation requires the kinetochore, a megadalton-sized machine that forms on specialized centromeric chromatin containing CENP-A, a histone H3 variant. CENP-A deposition requires a chaperone protein HJURP that targets it to the centromere, but it has remained unclear whether HJURP has additional functions beyond CENP-A targeting and why high AT DNA content, which disfavors nucleosome assembly, is widely conserved at centromeres. To overcome the difficulties of studying nucleosome formation in vivo, we developed a microscopy assay that enables direct observation of de novo centromeric nucleosome recruitment and maintenance with single molecule resolution. Using this assay, we discover that CENP-A can arrive at centromeres without its dedicated centromere-specific cha

SUBMITTER: Popchock AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9882320 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature