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First published online September 2, 2003

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Journal of Cell Science 116, e1903 (2003)
Copyright © 2003 The Company of Biologists Limited

In this issue

Centromere activation


Functional centromeres are essential for the correct segregation of eukaryotic chromosomes during cell division but it is unclear exactly how centromeric sites are specified in higher eukaryotes. To find out, Hiroshi Masumoto and co-workers have investigated the reactivation of a functionally inactive centromere in human cells (see p. 4021). The researchers isolated a cell line in which a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) containing alphoid DNA - repetitive sequences present in the centromeric region of human chromosomes - had stably integrated at one end of chromosome 16. In this position, the alphoid YAC had no centromeric activity, as indicated by the disassembly of centromeric proteins. Treatment of the cells with a histone deacetylase inhibitor led to reassembly of centromeric proteins on the alphoid array and minichromosome release. These changes were accompanied by an increase in histone H3 acetylation and transcription of a marker gene on the YAC, leading the researchers to conclude that the alterations in chromatin structure brought about by these processes are involved in the epigenetic activation of the ectopic alphoid DNA.


Related articles in JCS:

Epigenetic assembly of centromeric chromatin at ectopic {alpha}-satellite sites on human chromosomes
Megumi Nakano, Yasuhide Okamoto, Jun-ichirou Ohzeki, and Hiroshi Masumoto
JCS 2003 116: 4021-4034. [Abstract] [Full Text]  




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