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Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Quantitative Immunofluorescence Assay to Measure the Variation in Protein Levels at Centrosomes
Published on: December 20, 2014
Quantitative Microscopy Reveals Centromeric Chromatin Stability, Size, and Cell Cycle Mechanisms to Maintain
Ana Stankovic1, Lars E T Jansen2
1Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal.
Abstract:
Centromeres are chromatin domains specified by nucleosomes containing the histone H3 variant, CENP-A. This unique centromeric structure is at the heart of a strong self-templating epigenetic mechanism that renders centromeres heritable. We review how specific quantitative microscopy approaches have contributed to the determination of the copy number, architecture, size, and dynamics of centromeric chromatin and its associated centromere complex and kinetochore. These efforts revealed that the key to long-term centromere maintenance is the slow turnover of CENP-A nucleosomes, a critical size of the chromatin domain and its cell cycle-coupled replication. These features come together to maintain homeostasis of a chromatin locus that directs its own epigenetic inheritance and facilitates the assembly of the mitotic kinetochore.
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