Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2010 Apr;20(2):118-26. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2010.01.006. Epub 2010 Mar 4.
Centromere assembly and propagation is governed by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. A centromere-specific histone H3 variant, CENP-A is strongly favored as the epigenetic mark that specifies centromere identity. Despite the critical importance of centromere function, centromeric sequences are not conserved. This has prompted exploration of other genomic and chromatin features to gain an understanding of where CENP-A is deposited. In this review we highlight recent papers that advance our understanding of how the cell builds a centromere. We focus on what influences the choice of site for CENP-A deposition and therefore the site of centromere formation. We then briefly discuss how centromeres are propagated once the site of centromere assembly is chosen.
着丝粒的组装和复制由遗传和表观遗传机制控制。一种特异性的组蛋白 H3 变体 CENP-A 作为表观遗传标记强烈支持决定着丝粒的身份。尽管着丝粒的功能非常重要，但着丝粒序列并不保守。这促使人们探索其他基因组和染色质特征，以了解 CENP-A 的沉积位置。在这篇综述中，我们强调了最近的一些论文，这些论文增进了我们对细胞如何构建着丝粒的理解。我们重点讨论了哪些因素影响 CENP-A 沉积的位点选择，从而影响着丝粒形成的位点。然后，我们简要讨论了一旦选择了着丝粒组装的位点，着丝粒是如何复制的。
