title: DNA content of a functioning chicken kinetochore.
abstract: In order to understand the three-dimensional structure of the functional kinetochore in vertebrates, we require a complete list and stoichiometry for the protein components of the kinetochore, which can be provided by genetic and proteomic experiments. We also need to know how the chromatin-containing CENP-A, which makes up the structural foundation for the kinetochore, is folded, and how much of that DNA is involved in assembling the kinetochore. In this MS, we demonstrate that functioning metaphase kinetochores in chicken DT40 cells contain roughly 50 kb of DNA, an amount that corresponds extremely closely to the length of chromosomal DNA associated with CENP-A in ChIP-seq experiments. Thus, during kinetochore assembly, CENP-A chromatin is compacted into the inner kinetochore plate without including significant amounts of flanking pericentromeric heterochromatin.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Michael Swann Building, King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JR, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Susana Abreu
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vagnarelli
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Earnshaw
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000737:chemistry; D002460:Cell Line; D000076247:Centromere Protein A; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics*; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000737:chemistry; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D018386:Kinetochores / Q000737:chemistry*; D017510:Protein Folding
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D000076247:Centromere Protein A; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D004247:DNA