Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sheng Zuo, Ramakrishna Yadala, Fen Yang, Paul Talbert, Joerg Fuchs, Veit Schubert, Ulkar Ahmadli, Twan Rutten, Ales Pecinka, Martin A. Lysak, Inna Lermontova
Summary: The evolutionary history of the KNL2 gene in plants has been reconstructed, revealing three ancient duplications and differentiation among different plant groups. The study also suggests that the KNL2 gene is involved in centromere and/or kinetochore assembly for preserving genome stability.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Tejas Thondehaalmath, Dilsher Singh Kulaar, Ramesh Bondada, Ravi Maruthachalam
Summary: Uniparental genome elimination is a phenomenon observed in distant hybridization in plants, and efforts to understand its molecular mechanism have been hindered by a lack of genetic tools in species exhibiting UGE. However, recent studies in Arabidopsis thaliana have successfully simulated the genetic consequences of distant crosses, offering potential benefits for crop breeding and genetics.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Huan Ma, Wentao Ding, Yiqian Chen, Jingwei Zhou, Wei Chen, Caixia Lan, Hailiang Mao, Qiang Li, Wenhao Yan, Handong Su
Summary: In this study, we investigated the genetics and epigenetics of centromeres in a population of wheat lines. We found that the highly repetitive DNA sequences associated with CENH3 exhibit phylogenetic homogenization across different wheat lines, while the less-associated repeat sequences diverge on their own way in each wheat line. We also observed that CENH3 nucleosome structures show looser wrapping of DNA termini on complex centromeric repeats and that strict CENH3 nucleosome positioning and intrinsic DNA features play a role in determining centromere identity among different lines.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Julio C. Flores C. Servin, Rachel R. Brown, Aaron F. Straight
Summary: Flores Servin, Brown, and Straight discovered that vertebrate CENP-A assembly is restricted to G1 phase due to the inhibitory activities of HJURP phosphorylation and M18BP1.S competitive binding to CENP-C. These inhibitory activities prevent the metaphase centromere localization of HJURP and thus hinder CENP-A assembly. Removal of these inhibitory activities allows CENP-A assembly in metaphase.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ulkar Ahmadli, Manikandan Kalidass, Lucie Crhak Khaitova, Joerg Fuchs, Maria Cuacos, Dmitri Demidov, Sheng Zuo, Jana Pecinkova, Martin Mascher, Mathieu Ingouff, Stefan Heckmann, Andreas Houben, Karel Riha, Inna Lermontova
Summary: Double haploid production is a highly effective method to establish true-breeding lines in a single generation. This study focuses on haploid induction in Arabidopsis and identifies a mutant of the cenH3 assembly factor KNL2 as a potential haploid inducer. The efficiency of haploid induction was increased by 10-fold when the mutant was exposed to short-term temperature stress. Furthermore, a point mutation in the KNL2 gene was found to be sufficient to generate haploid-inducing lines. This research provides insights into the factors affecting haploid induction and offers new possibilities for the development of haploid-inducing lines in crops.
PLANT COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Fioranna Renda, Alexey Khodjakov
Summary: The kinetochore plays a crucial role in facilitating chromosome segregation during cell division by attaching chromosomes to spindle microtubules. It also acts as a signaling hub to regulate cell cycle progression and ensures the accuracy of chromosome segregation. Despite being large and robust molecular assemblies, kinetochores undergo dynamic structural and organizational changes throughout the cell cycle.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pavel Neumann, Ludmila Oliveira, Tae-Soo Jang, Petr Novak, Andrea Koblizkova, Veit Schubert, Andreas Houben, Jiri Macas
Summary: The transition from monocentric to holocentric organization in Cuscuta was associated with loss or truncation of kinetochore-related genes, disruption of centromeric localization of kinetochore proteins, and degeneration of the spindle assembly checkpoint. This indicates that holocentric Cuscuta species lack a standard kinetochore and do not employ the SAC to control microtubule attachment to chromosomes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lin Yin, Aleksandar I. Mihajlovic, Gongshe Yang, Greg FitzHarris
Summary: Age-related oocyte aneuploidy is caused by chromosome segregation errors in female meiosis, which occurs due to the deterioration of the chromosome segregation machinery with age. In this study, we investigate the impact of age on the kinetochore, a multi-protein structure connecting the chromosome and spindle microtubules. We find that older oocytes have a smaller and weaker outer kinetochore, which is associated with a thinner microtubule bundle and increased mis-attachments. This suggests that the progressive loss of centromere with advancing maternal age contributes to chromosome segregation fallibility in older females.
Article
Cell Biology
Hyuk-Joon Jeon, Jeong Su Oh
Summary: The study revealed that TRF1 is essential for inner centromere and kinetochore assembly in addition to its role in telomere protection in mouse oocytes. TRF1 depletion caused premature chromosome segregation, increased aneuploidy incidence, disrupted the localization of key proteins at inner centromeres and kinetochores, and affected chromosome cohesion and condensation. Furthermore, inhibition of inner centromere or kinetochore function led to decreased TRF1 levels and telomere shortening, indicating mutual regulation between telomeres and centromeres.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Miaomiao Han, Yae Yang, Muqing Zhang, Kai Wang
Summary: Identifying centromeric regions through ChIP-seq mapping can indicate the quality of a whole-genome assembly, with the assembly quality of centromeres reflecting the overall assembly quality. Discussions are focused on achieving a 'high-quality' centromere assembly through centromere ChIP-seq mapping.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Harsh Nagpal, Beat Fierz
Summary: The centromere is an indispensable chromatin domain in eukaryotes, necessary for chromosome segregation; its unique structure relies on nucleosomes containing CENP-A; CENP-A binding proteins play a crucial role in modulating the structure of centromeric chromatin.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Andre Marques, Barbara Hufnagel, Alexandre Soriano, Benjamin Peret
Summary: Plant genomes are predominantly comprised of repetitive DNA sequences, which play crucial roles in chromosome structure and stability during the cell cycle. This study focused on the white lupin genome and identified a highly diverse and abundant class of satellite DNAs, some of which were closely associated with specific chromatin protein CENH3. A repeat-based chromosome map was constructed using a strategy of re-hybridization with different probes, revealing the localization of various retrotransposons in pericentromeric and centromeric regions. Incongruences between the FISH mapping of repeat DNA and the reference genome were observed, suggesting the potential for improving the current genome version. These findings highlight the rapid evolution of repeat sequences in plant genomes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sunbin Deng, Jiaxi Cai, Stephen C. Harrison, Huilin Zhou, Stephen M. Hinshaw
Summary: Successful mitosis relies on the correct attachment of chromosomes to microtubules. The kinetochore plays a crucial role in this process by recognizing specific chromatin and ensuring the formation of only one kinetochore per chromatid at the correct location. The crystal structure of the Cse4 peptide bound to the inner kinetochore Okp1-Ame1 complex provides insights into centromere recognition and the organization of the inner kinetochore.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qianhua Dong, Xue-lei Liu, Xiao-hui Wang, Yu Zhao, Yu-hang Chen, Fei Li
Summary: CENP-T interacts with Ccp1 to regulate centromere binding throughout the cell cycle, involving phosphorylation of a specific domain CIM. Competitive exclusion between Ccp1 and Ndc80 at the N terminus of CENP-T via phosphorylation ensures precise kinetochore assembly during mitosis, uncovering a previously unrecognized mechanism for kinetochore assembly through the cell cycle.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Radhika Koranne, Kayla Brown, Hannah Vandenbroek, William R. R. Taylor
Summary: C9ORF78 is a poorly characterized protein found in diverse eukaryotes. It has been suggested to be involved in growth regulatory pathways in malignant tissues. This study discovers a potential function of regulating the spliceosome, new subcellular localization in nuclei and association with kinetochores/centromeres in mitotic cells.
EXPERIMENTAL CELL RESEARCH
(2022)
