Journal
ANNUAL REVIEW OF GENETICS, VOL 55
Volume 55, Issue -, Pages 331-348Publisher
ANNUAL REVIEWS
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-071719-020924
Keywords
centromere; CENP-A; heterochromatin; transcription; chromosome; genome engineering
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R21 CA238758-01A1, R01 GM124041]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Centromeres are crucial for genome inheritance, with abnormal function linked to various diseases. Ectopic centromeres can form at new genomic locations, impacting genome stability and disease development. While certain genome regions influence neocentromere activation, the universal mechanism remains unclear.
Centromeres are essential to genome inheritance, serving as the site of kinetochore assembly and coordinating chromosome segregation during cell division. Abnormal centromere function is associated with birth defects, infertility, and cancer. Normally, centromeres are assembled and maintained at the same chromosomal location. However, ectopic centromeres form spontaneously at new genomic locations and contribute to genome instability and developmental defects as well as to acquired and congenital human disease. Studies in model organisms have suggested that certain regions of the genome, including pericentromeres, heterochromatin, and regions of open chromatin or active transcription, support neocentromere activation. However, there is no universal mechanism that explains neocentromere formation. This review focuses on recent technological and intellectual advances in neocentromere research and proposes future areas of study. Understanding neocentromere biology will provide a better perspective on chromosome and genome organization and functional context for information generated from the Human Genome Project, ENCODE, and other large genomics consortia.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available