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1: Science. 1995 Dec 8;270(5242):1591-4.Click here to read Links

The centromere: hub of chromosomal activities.

Pluta AF, Mackay AM, Ainsztein AM, Goldberg IG, Earnshaw WC.

Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

Centromeres are the structures that direct eukaryotic chromosome segregation in mitosis and meiosis. There are two major classes of centromeres. Point centromeres, found in the budding yeasts, are compact loci whose constituent proteins are now beginning to yield to biochemical analysis. Regional centromeres, best described in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, encompass many kilobases of DNA and are packaged into heterochromatin. Their associated proteins are as yet poorly understood. In addition to providing the site for microtubule attachment, centromeres also have an important role in checkpoint regulation during mitosis.

PMID: 7502067 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]