Holocentromeres are dispersed point centromeres localized at transcription factor hotspots
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Caenorhabditis elegans
PROVIDER: GSE44412 | GEO | 2014/04/08
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA191143
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:The centromere is a defining feature of eukaryotic chromosomes and is essential for the segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Centromeres are universally marked by the histone variant cenH3 and are restricted to specialized chromatin that most commonly localized to a single position along the chromosome. However, the DNA on which centromeric nucleosomes assemble is not conserved and varies greatly in size and composition. It ranges from genetically defined point centromeres that assemble a single cenH3-containing nucleosome to epigenetically defined regional centromeres embedded in megabases of tandemly repeated DNA to holocentromeres that extend along the length of the entire chromosomes. The organization of regional and holocentric centromeres has so far been elusive, as the precise locations of cenH3-containing sequences could not be determined. Our results show that the point centromere is the basic unit of holocentromeres and provide a basis for understanding how centromeric chromatin is maintained. We use high-resolution mapping of cenH3-associated DNA to show that Caenorhabditids elegans holocentromeres are organized as dispersed but discretely localized point centromeres.
2014-04-08 | E-GEOD-44412 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Accurate chromosome segregation requires centromeres (CENs), the chromosomal sites where kinetochores form, to bridge DNA and attach to microtubules. In contrast to most eukaryotes, Saccharomyces cerevisiae possesses sequence-defined point centromeres. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-Seq) of four kinetochore components reveals regions of overlapping, extra-centromeric protein localization upon overproduction of the centromeric histone, Cse4 (CENP-A or CenH3). These identified sequences enhance proper plasmid and chromosome segregation, and are termed Centromere-like Regions (CLRs). CLRs form in close proximity to S. cerevisiae CENs and share characteristics typical of point and regional centromeres. CLR sequences are conserved among related budding yeasts, suggesting a role in vivo. These studies provide new insights into the origin and evolution of centromeres.
2013-01-18 | GSE31466 | GEO
Project description:Accurate chromosome segregation requires centromeres (CENs), the chromosomal sites where kinetochores form, to bridge DNA and attach to microtubules. In contrast to most eukaryotes, Saccharomyces cerevisiae possesses sequence-defined point centromeres. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-Seq) of four kinetochore components reveals regions of overlapping, extra-centromeric protein localization upon overproduction of the centromeric histone, Cse4 (CENP-A or CenH3). These identified sequences enhance proper plasmid and chromosome segregation, and are termed Centromere-like Regions (CLRs). CLRs form in close proximity to S. cerevisiae CENs and share characteristics typical of point and regional centromeres. CLR sequences are conserved among related budding yeasts, suggesting a role in vivo. These studies provide new insights into the origin and evolution of centromeres. ChIP-Seq analysis of the kinetochore components Cse4, Mif2, Ndc10 and Ndc80 in budding yeast strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) with normal and elevated levels of Cse4
2013-01-18 | E-GEOD-31466 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Despite the essentiality for faithful chromosome segregation, centromere architectures are diverse among eukaryotes and embody two main configurations: mono- and holocentromeres, referring respectively to localized or unrestricted distribution of centromeric activity. Of the two, some holocentromeres offer the curious condition of having arisen independently in multiple insects, most of which have lost the otherwise essential centromere-specifying factor CenH3 (first described as CENP-A in humans). The loss of CenH3 raises intuitive questions about how holocentromeres are organized and regulated in CenH3-lacking insects. Here, we report the first chromatin-level description of CenH3-deficient holocentromeres by leveraging recently-identified centromere components and genomics approaches to map and characterize the holocentromeres of the silk moth Bombyx mori, a representative lepidopteran insect lacking CenH3. This uncovered a robust correlation between the distribution of centromere sites and regions of low chromatin activity along B. mori chromosomes. Transcriptional perturbation experiments recapitulated the exclusion of B. mori centromeres from active chromatin. Based on reciprocal centromere occupancy patterns observed along differentially-expressed orthologous genes of Lepidoptera, we further found that holocentromere formation in a manner that is recessive to chromatin dynamics is evolutionarily conserved. Our results help us discuss the plasticity of centromeres in the context of a role for the chromosome-wide chromatin landscape in conferring centromere identity rather than the presence of CenH3. Given the co-occurrence of CenH3 loss and holocentricity in insects, we further propose that the evolutionary establishment of holocentromeres in insects was facilitated through the loss of a CenH3-specified centromere.
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