The yeast kinetochore — structural insights from optical microscopy

• Published in: Current opinion in chemical biology Vol. 20; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Cieśliński, Konstanty, Ries, Jonas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2014
• Subjects: Humans; Kinetochores; Microscopy; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - cytology; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Schizosaccharomyces - cytology
• ISSN: 1367-5931; 1879-0402
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2014.03.020

•Calibrated imaging revealed cell-cycle dependent changes in Cse4 abundance.•Two-color fluorescence microscopy showed contraction of the kinetochore in anaphase.•TIRF microscopy revealed that the DAM1 complex has the ability to track the (+)-end of the microtubule.•Superresolution microscopy showed presence of 20 copies of Cnp1 per centromere in fission yeast.
In eukaryotic organisms each chromosome is captured by spindle microtubules. This interaction is mediated by an evolutionarily conserved, multi-protein complex called kinetochore. The main function of the kinetochore is to maintain correct chromosome segregation during cell division by transporting each sister chromatid to the spindle pole bodies localized at the opposite sites of the yeast nucleus. The kinetochore of budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is often used as a model system due to its simple composition compared to higher eukaryotes. This review highlights results obtained using optical imaging that revealed relative positions and stoichiometry of the major components of the budding yeast kinetochore.