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Molecular structures and interactions in the yeast kinetochore
U-S Cho1, K D Corbett, J Al-Bassam
1Jack and Eileen Connors Structural Biology Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology
|April 7, 2011
Summary
Kinetochore structure, crucial for chromosome attachment during cell division, is being elucidated through studies of yeast models. Research reveals how protein assemblies organize centromeric DNA and attach to microtubules.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Kinetochores are essential protein complexes mediating chromosome attachment to spindle microtubules during mitosis and meiosis.
- Budding-yeast kinetochores serve as a fundamental model, with repeating modules found in more complex regional centromeres.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reveal principles of kinetochore architecture using structural analyses of protein subcomplexes.
- To uncover molecular mechanisms of kinetochore functions, including tension transmission and bipolar attachment establishment.
Main Methods:
- Structural analyses of discrete protein subcomplexes within the budding-yeast kinetochore.
- Investigating the organization of centromeric DNA by nucleosomes and other DNA-bound components.
Main Results:
- Kinetochore structure reveals principles of architecture and molecular mechanisms for chromosome-microtubule attachment.
- The Ndc80 complex, a key component, spans from DNA-proximal regions to microtubule plus ends.
Conclusions:
- Structural studies of budding-yeast kinetochore subcomplexes provide insights into fundamental mechanisms of chromosome segregation.
- Further research on well-defined complexes will continue to clarify kinetochore assembly and function.
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