The rapidly evolving field of plant centromeres.
Meiotic and mitotic chromosome segregation are highly conserved in eukaryotic organisms, yet centromeres--the chromosomal sites that mediate segregation--evolve extremely rapidly. Plant centromeres have DNA elements that are shared across species, yet they diverge rapidly through large- and small-scale changes. Over evolutionary time-scales, centromeres migrate to non-centromeric regions and, in plants, heterochromatic knobs can acquire centromere activity. Discerning the functional significance of these changes will require comparative analyses of closely related species. Combined with functional assays, continued efforts in plant genomics will uncover key DNA elements that allow centromeres to retain their role in chromosome segregation while allowing rapid evolution.
Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Anne E
AE
Hall
Kevin C
KC
Keith
Sarah E
SE
Hall
Gregory P
GP
Copenhaver
Daphne
D
Preuss
D002503:Centromere / Q000235:genetics*; D032461:Chromosomes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular
D018744:DNA, Plant