This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ngan, V. K.
Right arrow Articles by Clarke, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ngan, V. K.
Right arrow Articles by Clarke, L.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Mol. Cell. Biol., Jun 1997, 3305-3314, Vol 17, No. 6
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology

The centromere enhancer mediates centromere activation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

VK Ngan and L Clarke
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106, USA.

The centromere enhancer is a functionally important DNA region within the Schizosaccharomyces pombe centromeric K-type repeat. We have previously shown that addition of the enhancer and cen2 centromeric central core to a circular minichromosome is sufficient to impart appreciable centromere function. A more detailed analysis of the enhancer shows that it is dispensable for centromere function in a cen1- derived minichromosome containing the central core and the remainder of the K-type repeat, indicating that the critical centromeric K-type repeat, like the central core, is characterized by functional redundancy. The centromeric enhancer is required, however, for a central core-carrying minichromosome to exhibit immediate centromere activity when the circular DNA is introduced via transformation into S. pombe. This immediate activation is probably a consequence of a centromere-targeted epigenetic system that governs the chromatin architecture of the region. Moreover, our studies show that two entirely different DNA sequences, consisting of elements derived from two native centromeres, can display centromere function. An S. pombe CENP-B-like protein, Abp1p/Cbp1p, which is required for proper chromosome segregation in vivo, binds in vitro to sites within and adjacent to the modular centromere enhancer, as well as within the centromeric central cores. These results provide direct evidence in fission yeast of a model, similar to one proposed for mammalian systems, whereby no specific sequence is necessary for centromere function but certain classes of sequences are competent to build the appropriate chromatin foundation upon which the centromere/kinetochore can be formed and activated.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Casola, C., Hucks, D., Feschotte, C. (2008). Convergent Domestication of pogo-like Transposases into Centromere-Binding Proteins in Fission Yeast and Mammals. Mol Biol Evol 25: 29-41 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pidoux, A. L, Allshire, R. C (2005). The role of heterochromatin in centromere function. Phil Trans R Soc B 360: 569-579 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sanyal, K., Baum, M., Carbon, J. (2004). Centromeric DNA sequences in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans are all different and unique. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101: 11374-11379 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • ALLSHIRE, R.C. (2004). RNA Interference, Heterochromatin, and Centromere Function. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 69: 389-396 [Abstract]  
  • Smirnova, J. B., McFarlane, R. J. (2002). The Unique Centromeric Chromatin Structure of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Is Maintained during Meiosis. J. Biol. Chem. 277: 19817-19822 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Irelan, J. T., Gutkin, G. I., Clarke, L. (2001). Functional Redundancies, Distinct Localizations and Interactions Among Three Fission Yeast Homologs of Centromere Protein-B. Genetics 157: 1191-1203 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ayoub, N., Goldshmidt, I., Lyakhovetsky, R., Cohen, A. (2000). A Fission Yeast Repression Element Cooperates With Centromere-like Sequences and Defines a mat Silent Domain Boundary. Genetics 156: 983-994 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Baum, M., Clarke, L. (2000). Fission Yeast Homologs of Human CENP-B Have Redundant Functions Affecting Cell Growth and Chromosome Segregation. Mol. Cell. Biol. 20: 2852-2864 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pidoux, A., Uzawa, S, Perry, P., Cande, W., Allshire, R. (2000). Live analysis of lagging chromosomes during anaphase and their effect on spindle elongation rate in fission yeast. J. Cell Sci. 113: 4177-4191 [Abstract]  
  • Ekwall, K., Cranston, G., Allshire, R. C. (1999). Fission Yeast Mutants That Alleviate Transcriptional Silencing in Centromeric Flanking Repeats and Disrupt Chromosome Segregation. Genetics 153: 1153-1169 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Theis, J. F., Yang, C., Schaefer, C. B., Newlon, C. S. (1999). DNA Sequence and Functional Analysis of Homologous ARS Elements of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and S. carlsbergensis. Genetics 152: 943-952 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Patterson, T. E., Albrecht, E. B., Nurse, P., Sazer, S., Stark, G. R. (1999). Effects of Genome Position and the DNA Damage Checkpoint on the Structure and Frequency of sod2 Gene Amplification in Fission Yeast. Mol. Biol. Cell 10: 2199-2208 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»