Retention of Latent Centromeres in the Mammalian Genome

Retention of Latent Centromeres in the Mammalian Genome

The centromere is a cytologically defined entity that possesses a conserved and restricted function in the cell: it is the site of kinetochore assembly and spindle attachment. Despite its conserved function, the centromere is a highly mutable portion of the chromosome, carrying little sequence conse...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of heredity Vol. 96; no. 3; pp. 217 - 224
Main Authors: Ferreri, G. C, Liscinsky, D. M, Mack, J. A, Eldridge, M. D. B, O'Neill, R. J
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Oxford University Press 01-05-2005
Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
Subjects:
Animals
Blotting, Southern
Cells
Centromere - genetics
Chromosome Banding
Chromosomes
Chromosomes, Mammalian - genetics
DNA - genetics
DNA - metabolism
DNA Restriction Enzymes - metabolism
Evolution, Molecular
Evolutionary biology
Genome - genetics
Genomics
In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
Karyotyping
Macropus eugenii
Mammals
Marsupialia - genetics
Models, Genetic
Mutation
Phylogeny
Synteny
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Summary:The centromere is a cytologically defined entity that possesses a conserved and restricted function in the cell: it is the site of kinetochore assembly and spindle attachment. Despite its conserved function, the centromere is a highly mutable portion of the chromosome, carrying little sequence conservation across taxa. This divergence has made studying the movement of a centromere, either within a single karyotype or between species, a challenging endeavor. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the permutability of centromere location within a chromosome. This permutability is termed "centromere repositioning" when described in an evolutionary context and "neocentromerization" when abnormalities within an individual karyotype are considered. Both are characterized by a shift in location of the functional centromere within a chromosome without a concomitant change in linear gene order. Evolutionary studies across lineages clearly indicate that centromere repositioning is not a rare event in karyotypic evolution and must be considered when examining the evolution of chromosome structure and syntenic order. This paper examines the theories proposed to explain centromere repositioning in mammals. These theories are interpreted in light of evidence gained in human studies and in our presented data from the marsupial model species Macropus eugenii, the tammar wallaby.
Bibliography:Address correspondence to R. J. O'Neill at the address above, or email: roneill@uconnvm.uconn.edu.
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ISSN:0022-1503
1465-7333
DOI:10.1093/jhered/esi029