TY - JOUR
T1 - Vertebrate centromere architecture
T2 - from chromatin threads to functional structures
AU - Andrade Ruiz, Lorena
AU - Kops, Geert J P L
AU - Sacristan, Carlos
N1 - © 2024. The Author(s).
PY - 2024/7
Y1 - 2024/7
N2 - Centromeres are chromatin structures specialized in sister chromatid cohesion, kinetochore assembly, and microtubule attachment during chromosome segregation. The regional centromere of vertebrates consists of long regions of highly repetitive sequences occupied by the Histone H3 variant CENP-A, and which are flanked by pericentromeres. The three-dimensional organization of centromeric chromatin is paramount for its functionality and its ability to withstand spindle forces. Alongside CENP-A, key contributors to the folding of this structure include components of the Constitutive Centromere-Associated Network (CCAN), the protein CENP-B, and condensin and cohesin complexes. Despite its importance, the intricate architecture of the regional centromere of vertebrates remains largely unknown. Recent advancements in long-read sequencing, super-resolution and cryo-electron microscopy, and chromosome conformation capture techniques have significantly improved our understanding of this structure at various levels, from the linear arrangement of centromeric sequences and their epigenetic landscape to their higher-order compaction. In this review, we discuss the latest insights on centromere organization and place them in the context of recent findings describing a bipartite higher-order organization of the centromere.
AB - Centromeres are chromatin structures specialized in sister chromatid cohesion, kinetochore assembly, and microtubule attachment during chromosome segregation. The regional centromere of vertebrates consists of long regions of highly repetitive sequences occupied by the Histone H3 variant CENP-A, and which are flanked by pericentromeres. The three-dimensional organization of centromeric chromatin is paramount for its functionality and its ability to withstand spindle forces. Alongside CENP-A, key contributors to the folding of this structure include components of the Constitutive Centromere-Associated Network (CCAN), the protein CENP-B, and condensin and cohesin complexes. Despite its importance, the intricate architecture of the regional centromere of vertebrates remains largely unknown. Recent advancements in long-read sequencing, super-resolution and cryo-electron microscopy, and chromosome conformation capture techniques have significantly improved our understanding of this structure at various levels, from the linear arrangement of centromeric sequences and their epigenetic landscape to their higher-order compaction. In this review, we discuss the latest insights on centromere organization and place them in the context of recent findings describing a bipartite higher-order organization of the centromere.
KW - Centromere/metabolism
KW - Animals
KW - Chromatin/metabolism
KW - Humans
KW - Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone/metabolism
KW - Vertebrates/genetics
KW - Centromere Protein A/metabolism
KW - Cohesins
KW - Multiprotein Complexes/metabolism
KW - Centromere Protein B/metabolism
KW - DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
KW - Cell Cycle Proteins/metabolism
KW - Adenosine Triphosphatases
U2 - 10.1007/s00412-024-00823-z
DO - 10.1007/s00412-024-00823-z
M3 - Article
C2 - 38856923
SN - 0009-5915
VL - 133
SP - 169
EP - 181
JO - Chromosoma
JF - Chromosoma
IS - 3
ER -