Chapter title |
Artificial Chromosomes and Strategies to Initiate Epigenetic Centromere Establishment
|
---|---|
Chapter number | 8 |
Book title |
Centromeres and Kinetochores
|
Published in |
Progress in molecular and subcellular biology, August 2017
|
DOI | 10.1007/978-3-319-58592-5_8 |
Pubmed ID | |
Book ISBNs |
978-3-31-958591-8, 978-3-31-958592-5
|
Authors |
Evelyne J. Barrey, Patrick Heun |
Abstract |
In recent years, various synthetic approaches have been developed to address the question of what directs centromere establishment and maintenance. In this chapter, we will discuss how approaches aimed at constructing synthetic centromeres have co-evolved with and contributed to shape the theory describing the determinants of centromere identity. We will first review lessons learned from artificial chromosomes created from "naked" centromeric sequences to investigate the role of the underlying DNA for centromere formation. We will then discuss how several studies, which applied removal of endogenous centromeres or over-expression of the centromere-specific histone CENP-A, helped to investigate the contribution of chromatin context to centromere establishment. Finally, we will examine various biosynthetic approaches taking advantage of targeting specific proteins to ectopic sites in the genome to dissect the role of many centromere-associated proteins and chromatin modifiers for centromere inheritance and function. Together, these studies showed that chromatin context matters, particularly proximity to heterochromatin or repetitive DNA sequences. Moreover, despite the important contribution of centromeric DNA, the centromere-specific histone H3-variant CENP-A emerges as a key epigenetic mark to establish and maintain functional centromeres on artificial chromosomes or at ectopic sites of the genome. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 11 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 4 | 36% |
Researcher | 3 | 27% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 2 | 18% |
Student > Master | 1 | 9% |
Other | 1 | 9% |
Other | 0 | 0% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 6 | 55% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 3 | 27% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 1 | 9% |
Unknown | 1 | 9% |