Early-replicating heterochromatin.
Euchromatin, which has an open structure and is frequently transcribed, tends to replicate in early S phase. Heterochromatin, which is more condensed and rarely transcribed, usually replicates in late S phase. Here, we report significant deviation from this correlation in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We found that heterochromatic centromeres and silent mating-type cassettes replicate in early S phase. Only heterochromatic telomeres replicate in late S phase. Research in other laboratories has shown that occasionally other organisms also replicate some of their heterochromatin in early S phase. Thus, late replication is not an obligatory feature of heterochromatin.
Kim
Soo-Mi
SM
Department of Cancer Genetics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York 14263, USA.
Dubey
Dharani D
DD
Huberman
Joel A
JA
D002503:Centromere / Q000235:genetics; D004261:DNA Replication; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000235:genetics*; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics*; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics
D006570:Heterochromatin