title: Recruitment of cohesin to heterochromatic regions by Swi6/HP1 in fission yeast.
abstract: Fission yeast centromeres, like those of higher eukaryotes, are composed of repeated DNA structures and associated heterochromatin protein complexes, that have a critical function in the faithful segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Cohesin protein complexes, which are essential for sister-chromatid cohesion and proper chromosome segregation, are enriched at centromeric repeats. We have identified a functional and physical link between heterochromatin and cohesin. We find that the preferential localization of cohesins at the centromeric repeats is dependent on Swi6, a conserved heterochromatin protein that is required for proper kinetochore function. Cohesin is also enriched at the mating-type heterochromatic region in a manner that depends on Swi6 and is required to preserve the genomic integrity of this locus. We provide evidence that a cohesin subunit Psc3 interacts with Swi6 and its mouse homologue HP1. These data define a conserved function of Swi6/HP1 in recruitment of cohesin to heterochromatic regions, promoting the proper segregation of chromosomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitajima
authors.forename: Shihori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yokobayashi
authors.forename: Guoping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Shiv I S
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Grewal
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002503:Centromere / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020090:Chromosome Segregation; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000097722:Cohesins
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D006570:Heterochromatin; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000097722:Cohesins; C075111:SWI6 protein, S cerevisiae; C540906:psc3 protein, S pombe