Emerging roles for centromeres in meiosis I chromosome segregation.
Centromeres are an essential and conserved feature of eukaryotic chromosomes, yet recent research indicates that we are just beginning to understand the numerous roles that centromeres have in chromosome segregation. During meiosis I, in particular, centromeres seem to function in many processes in addition to their canonical role in assembling kinetochores, the sites of microtubule attachment. Here we summarize recent advances that place centromeres at the centre of meiosis I, and discuss how these studies affect a variety of basic research fields and thus hold promise for increasing our understanding of human reproductive defects and disease states.
Brar
Gloria A
GA
David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, E17-233, 40 Ames Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Amon
Angelika
A
D000818:Animals; D002503:Centromere / Q000502:physiology*; D020090:Chromosome Segregation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018386:Kinetochores / Q000502:physiology; D008540:Meiosis / Q000502:physiology*