title: Centromere separation and aneuploidy: a lesson from multicentric chromosomes.
abstract: Premature centromere separation somehow nullifies the deposition of kinetochore proteins in multicentric chromosomes, is associated with early DNA replication of the centromere and the pericentric region and results in a lack of functionality of the centromere. It is conceivable that monocentric chromosomes which show premature separation, like the X chromosome as found in elderly human females (Fitzgerald et al, 1975), may have similar properties which result in a failure of centromere function and, hence, aneuploidy. This may be one of the general mechanisms by which chromosomes malsegregate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno 89557.
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Vig
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Paweletz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Broccoli
mesh_terms: D000782:Aneuploidy; D000818:Animals; D002503:Centromere / Q000502:physiology*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004261:DNA Replication; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D006570:Heterochromatin