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Related Concept Videos

Histone Variants at the Centromere02:30

Histone Variants at the Centromere

Histone variants are the histone proteins with structural and sequence variations. These variants may be regarded as “mutant” forms that replace their canonical histone counterparts in the nucleosomes. Specific post-translational modifications on the histone variants enable further chromatin complexity and regulate tissue-specific gene expression. The most common histone variants are from histone H2A, H2B, and linker histone H1 families. However, several variants of histone H3 variants are also...
Inheritance of Chromatin Structures03:17

Inheritance of Chromatin Structures

Epigenetics is the study of inherited changes in a cell's phenotype without changing the DNA sequences. It provides a form of memory for the differential gene expression pattern to maintain cell lineage, position-effect variegation, dosage compensation, and maintenance of chromatin structures such as telomeres and centromeres. For example, the structure and location of the centromere on chromosomes are epigenetically inherited. Its functionality is not dictated or ensured by the underlying DNA...
Chromosome Structure02:40

Chromosome Structure

A functional eukaryotic chromosome must contain three elements: a centromere, telomeres, and numerous origins of replication.
The centromere is a DNA sequence that links sister chromatids. This is also where kinetochores, protein complexes to which spindle microtubules attach, are constructed after the chromosome is replicated. The kinetochores allow the spindle microtubules to move the chromosomes within the cell during cell division.
Telomeres consist of non-coding repetitive nucleotide...
Chromosome Structure02:40

Chromosome Structure

A functional eukaryotic chromosome must contain three elements: a centromere, telomeres, and numerous origins of replication.
The centromere is a DNA sequence that links sister chromatids. This is also where kinetochores, protein complexes to which spindle microtubules attach, are constructed after the chromosome is replicated. The kinetochores allow the spindle microtubules to move the chromosomes within the cell during cell division.
Telomeres consist of non-coding repetitive nucleotide...
Histone Modification02:32

Histone Modification

The histone proteins have a flexible N-terminal tail extending out from the nucleosome. These histone tails are often subjected to post-translational modifications such as acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination. Particular combinations of these modifications form “histone codes” that influence the chromatin folding and tissue-specific gene expression.
Acetylation
The enzyme histone acetyltransferase adds acetyl group to the histones. Another enzyme, histone deacetylase,...
Histone Modification02:32

Histone Modification

The histone proteins have a flexible N-terminal tail extending out from the nucleosome. These histone tails are often subjected to post-translational modifications such as acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination. Particular combinations of these modifications form “histone codes” that influence the chromatin folding and tissue-specific gene expression.
Acetylation
The enzyme histone acetyltransferase adds acetyl group to the histones. Another enzyme, histone deacetylase,...

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Author Correction: Heterochromatin boundaries maintain centromere position, size and number.

Nature structural & molecular biology·2026
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Heterochromatin boundaries maintain centromere position, size and number.

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A brief historical perspective on cell cycle control of CENP-A assembly and inheritance.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Immunofluorescence Analysis of Endogenous and Exogenous Centromere-kinetochore Proteins
05:35

Immunofluorescence Analysis of Endogenous and Exogenous Centromere-kinetochore Proteins

Published on: March 3, 2016

Basic properties of epigenetic systems: lessons from the centromere.

Mariluz Gómez-Rodríguez1, Lars E T Jansen

  • 1Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal.

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
|December 11, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Epigenetic inheritance relies on histone proteins, but their propagation is debated. Centromeric nucleosomes with CENP-A are stable across cell divisions, offering insights into chromatin transmission.

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Mass Spectrometry Analysis to Identify Ubiquitylation of EYFP-tagged CENP-A (EYFP-CENP-A)
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Immunofluorescence Analysis of Endogenous and Exogenous Centromere-kinetochore Proteins
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Mass Spectrometry Analysis to Identify Ubiquitylation of EYFP-tagged CENP-A (EYFP-CENP-A)
09:02

Mass Spectrometry Analysis to Identify Ubiquitylation of EYFP-tagged CENP-A (EYFP-CENP-A)

Published on: June 10, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Epigenetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Epigenetic inheritance propagates gene expression and chromosome structure via chromatin and DNA sequences.
  • Histone proteins and their modifications are key to epigenetic systems, yet their transmission mechanisms remain under investigation.
  • Centromeric nucleosomes, characterized by the histone H3 variant CENP-A, exhibit remarkable stability across mitotic divisions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the inheritance mechanism of centromeric nucleosomes.
  • To understand how locus-specific and cell-cycle-controlled assembly of CENP-A chromatin influences epigenetic inheritance.
  • To explore the implications of centromeric nucleosome transmission for general nucleosome propagation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of histone variant CENP-A dynamics.
  • Cell cycle progression studies in relation to centromere function.
  • Chromatin assembly and inheritance assays.

Main Results:

  • Centromeric nucleosomes marked by CENP-A are stably inherited across mitotic divisions.
  • Assembly of CENP-A nucleosomes occurs in a locus-specific and cell cycle-controlled manner.
  • The unique inheritance of centromeric chromatin provides a model for understanding broader nucleosome transmission.

Conclusions:

  • The stable inheritance of CENP-A nucleosomes highlights a specialized mechanism for epigenetic information transfer.
  • Understanding centromeric chromatin inheritance offers critical insights into the spatial and temporal regulation of general nucleosome transmission.
  • This study advances the understanding of how epigenetic states are maintained across cell generations.