Project description:A chromosome-level genome sequence of S. glauca provides new insights into the salt stress tolerance of halophytes
| PRJNA1057445 | ENA
Project description:The chromosome-level genome of miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) provides new insights into the evolution and function of miraculin
Project description:Accurate chromosome segregation requires assembly of the multiprotein kinetochore complex at centromeres. In most eukaryotes, kinetochore assembly is primed by the histone H3 variant CenH3, which physically interacts with components of the inner kinetochore constitutive-centromere-associated-network (CCAN). Unexpected to its critical function, previous work identified that select eukaryotic lineages, including several insects, have lost CenH3, while having retained homologs of the CCAN. These findings imply alternative CCAN assembly pathways in these organisms that function in CenH3-independent manners. Here, we study the composition and assembly of CenH3-independent kinetochores of Lepidoptera. We show that lepidopteran kinetochores consist of previously identified CCAN homologs as well as additional components including a divergent CENP-T homolog, which are required for accurate mitotic progression. Our study focuses on CENP-T that we find both necessary and sufficient to recruit the Mis12 outer kinetochore complex. In addition, CRISPR-mediated gene editing in Bombyx mori establishes an essential function of CENP-T in vivo. Finally, the retention of CENP-T homologs in other independently-derived CenH3-deficient insects indicates a conserved mechanism of kinetochore assembly between these lineages. Our study provides the first functional insights into CCAN-based kinetochore assembly pathways that function independently of CenH3, thus contributing to the emerging picture of an unexpected plasticity to build a kinetochore.
Project description:The centromere-specific Histone H3-variant CENH3 (also known as CENP-A) is considered to be an epigenetic mark for establishment and propagation of centromere identity. Pulse-induction of CENH3 (Drosophila CID) in Schneider S2 cells incorporates into noncentromeric regions and generates CID islands that resist clearing from chromosome arms for multiple cell generations. We demonstrate that CID islands represent functional ectopic kinetochores, which are non-randomly distributed on the chromosome and display a preferential localization near telomeres and pericentric heterochromatin in transcriptionally silent, intergenic chromatin domains. Although overexpression of heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) or increasing Histone acetylation interferes with CID islands formation on a global scale, induction of a locally defined region of synthetic heterochromatin by targeting HP1-LacI fusions to stably integrated Lac Operator arrays produces a proximal hotspot for CID islands formation. These data suggest that the characteristics of regions bordering heterochromatin promote de novo kinetochore assembly and thereby contribute to centromere identity.