Function of Junk: Pericentromeric Satellite DNA in Chromosome Maintenance

Satellite DNAs are simple tandem repeats that exist at centromeric and pericentromeric regions on eukaryotic chromosomes. Unlike the centromeric satellite DNA that comprises the vast majority of natural centromeres, function(s) for the much more abundant pericentromeric satellite repeats are poorly understood. In fact, the lack of coding potential allied with rapid divergence of repeat sequences across eukaryotes has led to their dismissal as "junk DNA" or "selfish parasites." Although implicated in various biological processes, a conserved function for pericentromeric satellite DNA remains unidentified. We have addressed the role of satellite DNA through studying chromocenters, a cytological aggregation of pericentromeric satellite DNA from multiple chromosomes into DNA-dense nuclear foci. We have shown that multivalent satellite DNA-binding proteins cross-link pericentromeric satellite DNA on chromosomes into chromocenters. Disruption of chromocenters results in the formation of micronuclei, which arise by budding off the nucleus during interphase. We propose a model that satellite DNAs are critical chromosome elements that are recognized by satellite DNA-binding proteins and incorporated into chromocenters. We suggest that chromocenters function to preserve the entire chromosomal complement in a single nucleus, a fundamental and unquestioned feature of eukaryotic genomes. We speculate that the rapid divergence of satellite DNA sequences between closely related species results in discordant chromocenter function and may underlie speciation and hybrid incompatibility.