The presence of a single centromere on each chromosome that signals formation of a mitotic kinetochore is central to accurate chromosome segregation. The histone H3 variant centromere protein-A (CENP-A) is critical for centromere identity and function; CENP-A chromatin acts as an epigenetic mark to direct both centromere and kinetochore assembly. Interpreting the centromere epigenetic mark ensu...

A locus for von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (NF1) has recently been mapped near the chromosome 17 centromere. We have extended these linkage studies by genotyping 45 NF1 families with three DNA probes known to be linked to the chromosome 17 centromeric region. Of 34 families informative for NF1 and at least one of the three probes, 28 families show no recombinants with the disease gene. Th...

During the eukaryotic cell cycle, genetic material must be accurately duplicated and faithfully segregated to each daughter cell. Segregation of chromosomes is dependent on the centromere, a region of the chromosome which interacts with mitotic spindle microtubules during cell division. Centromere function in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, can be regulated by placing an inducible ...

Molecular cytogenetics provides a visual, pictorial record of the tree of life, and in this respect the fusion origin of human chromosome 2 is a well-known paradigmatic example. Here we report on a variant chromosome 6 in which the centromere jumped to 6p22.1. ChIP-chip experiments with antibodies against the centromeric proteins CENP-A and CENP-C exactly defined the neocentromere as lying at c...

The relationship between the nucleolus and the centromere, although documented, remains one of the most elusive aspects of centromere assembly and maintenance. Here we identify the nucleolar protein, Modulo, in complex with CAL1, a factor essential for the centromeric deposition of the centromere-specific histone H3 variant, CID, in Drosophila. Notably, CAL1 localizes to both centromeres and th...

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors selection papers published in Journal Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Joanna Wenda author on ‘ Mitotic chromosome condensation requires phosphorylation centromeric protein KNL-2 C. elegans’, JCS. PhD student (in process graduating) lab Florian Steiner at Department Mo...

The centromere is an essential chromosomal structure that is required for the faithful distribution of replicated chromosomes to daughter cells. Defects in the centromere can compromise the stability of chromosomes resulting in segregation errors. We have characterised the centromeric structure of the spontaneous mutant mouse strain, BALB/cWt, which exhibits a high rate of Y chromosome instabil...

Centromeres are the structural and functional foundation for kinetochore formation, spindle attachment, and chromosome segregation. In this study, we isolated factors required for centromere propagation using genome-wide RNA interference screening for defects in centromere protein A (CENP-A; centromere identifier [CID]) localization in Drosophila melanogaster. We identified the proteins CAL1 an...

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe centromere-linked genes, LYS1 and CYH1 on chromosome I and TPS13 and RAN1 on chromosome II, have been isolated. The genetic order of these markers with respect to their centromeres was determined to establish relative directionality on the genetic and physical maps. Chromosome walking toward the centromeres reveals a group of repetitive sequences that occur only in...

Proper chromosome segregation is of paramount importance for proper genetic inheritance. Defects in chromosome segregation can lead to aneuploidy, which is a hallmark of cancer cells. Eukaryotic chromosome segregation is accomplished by the bipolar spindle. Additional mechanisms, such as the spindle assembly checkpoint and centromere positioning, further help to ensure complete segregation fide...