Publications by authors named "Reito Watanabe"
Centromeres are essential chromosomal components that ensure proper cell division by serving as assembly sites for kinetochores, which connect chromosomes to spindle microtubules. Centromeres are marked by the evolutionarily conserved centromere-specific histone H3 variant, CENP-A, which is deposited into centromere nucleosomes during G1 in human cells. Centromeres retain cohesin, a ring-like protein complex during mitosis, protecting sister chromatid cohesion and centromere transcription to prevent chromosome missegregation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCentromere protein A (CENP-A) nucleosomes containing the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CENP-A represent an epigenetic mark that specifies centromere position. The Mis18 complex is a licensing factor for new CENP-A deposition via the CENP-A chaperone, Holliday junction recognition protein (HJURP), on the centromere chromatin. Chicken KINETOCHORE NULL2 (KNL2) (ggKNL2), a Mis18 complex component, has a CENP-C-like motif, and our previous study suggested that ggKNL2 directly binds to the CENP-A nucleosome to recruit HJURP/CENP-A to the centromere.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMobility of kinetochore proteins measured by FRAP analysis in living cells.
Chromosome Res
March 2022
Article Synopsis
- The kinetochore is crucial for proper chromosome separation in mitosis and is built through complex interactions among various proteins.
- Researchers used fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) in chicken DT40 cells to study the movement and assembly of kinetochore proteins, finding that CENP-C was mobile in interphase but not during mitosis.
- Mutations in CENP-C affected its mobility, while other proteins like CENP-T and CENP-H remained immobile throughout both stages, indicating the dynamic nature of kinetochore assembly.
Article Synopsis
- Accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis relies on the kinetochore, a key protein complex linking chromosomes to spindle microtubules, with CENP-C being crucial for its function.
- Cyclin-B-CDK1, a vital kinase for mitosis, phosphorylates CENP-C to ensure proper kinetochore assembly.
- The presented CDK1 kinase assay utilizes Phos-tag SDS-PAGE for detecting CENP-C phosphorylation safely and easily, making it a better alternative to traditional methods using [γ-P]-ATP, while also applicable to other kinases and phospho-site analyses.
The CENP-A nucleosome is a key structure for kinetochore assembly. Once the CENP-A nucleosome is established in the centromere, additional proteins recognize the CENP-A nucleosome to form a kinetochore. CENP-C and CENP-N are CENP-A binding proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe kinetochore is essential for faithful chromosome segregation during mitosis. To form a functional kinetochore, constitutive centromere-associated network (CCAN) proteins are assembled on the centromere chromatin that contains the centromere-specific histone CENP-A. CENP-C, a CCAN protein, directly interacts with the CENP-A nucleosome to nucleate the kinetochore structure.
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