Who is CENP-A?
CENP-A: epigenetics since before it was popular.
Epigenetics has many definitions these days. The model for CENP-A is that it is very stable, so some of the protein itself is inherited, along with the DNA, when a daughter cell receives new chromosomes.
Sometimes, the location of CENP-A, and therefore the centromere, can change.
My current model (see above, and also the Publications and Plans pages) is based on the idea that while specific proteins may be involved in restricting CENP-A to centromeres, DNA damage can be sufficient to recruit CENP-A onto chromosomes.
Converting an ectopic site of CENP-A assembly into a centromere would involve at least one additional stabilizing component, e.g. post-translational modifications, non-coding RNA, additional proteins.
What’s a centromere
and why should I care?
The model
that got me interested
in CENP-A (circa 1997)
My current model
Ode to a centromere
A centromere is a dot, a spot
on your chromosomes
That keeps your genome
from falling apart
When sisters part
at cell division
They go their separate ways, and should-
Too much togetherness, for chromosomes,
Is never good.
Centromeres
are the location on the chromosome where the protein complex called the kinetochore forms during mitosis (shown in red).
Chromosomes (DNA) are shown in blue; the mitotic spindle (tubulin) is shown in green. Scalebar = 10 microns (~5000x magnification).
