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Updated: Oct 3, 2026

Super-Resolution Live Cell Imaging of Subcellular Structures
Published on: January 13, 2021
Neo-centromere formation on a 2.6 Mb mini-chromosome in DT40 cells
1MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK. minghong.shen@hgu.mrc.ac.uk
Abstract:
We describe a mammalian artificial mini-chromosome lacking human alphoid DNA and mouse minor and major satellite DNA repeats. This mini-chromosome, initially recovered in a mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell line (CGR8), is 2.6 Mb in size and consists of sequences derived from the human Y chromosome and mouse chromosomes 12 and 15. It is not stable in the CGR8 cells but replicates and segregates with high fidelity after transfer into chicken DT40 cells. Combined analysis by immunocytochemistry/fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) on metaphase spreads detected an active neo-centromere on the mini-chromosome in these cells. Further analysis by immunocytochemistry/FISH on stretched chromatin allowed the localisation of the CENP-C protein to the DNA sequence derived from interval 5 of the human Y chromosome.
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