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Localisation of centromeric proteins to a fraction of mouse minor satellite DNA on a mini-chromosome in human, mouse and chicken cells

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Abstract

Centromeres are required for faithful segregation of chromosomes in cell division. It is not clear how centromere sites are specified on chromosomes in vertebrates. We have previously introduced a mini-chromosome, named ST1, into a variety of cell lines including human HT1080, mouse LA9 and chicken DT40. This mini-chromosome, segregating faithfully in these cells, contains mouse minor and major, and human Y α-satellite DNA repeats. In this study, after determining the organisation of the satellite repeats, we investigated the location of the centromere on the mini-chromosome by combined immunocytochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridisation analysis. Centromeric proteins were consistently co-localised with the minor satellite repeats in all three cell lines. When chromatin fibres were highly stretched, centromeric proteins were only seen on a small portion of the minor satellite repeats. These results indicate that a fraction of the minor satellite repeats is competent in centromere function not only in mouse but also in human and chicken cells.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust in the UK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK

    Kang Zeng, Jose I. de las Heras, Andrew Ross, Howard Cooke & Ming Hong Shen

  2. Institute for Stem Cell Research, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JQ, UK

    Jian Yang

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  1. Kang Zeng
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  2. Jose I. de las Heras
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  3. Andrew Ross
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  4. Jian Yang
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  5. Howard Cooke
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  6. Ming Hong Shen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ming Hong Shen.

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Communicated by E.A. Nigg

Kang Zeng and Jose I. de las Heras contributed equally to this work

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Zeng, K., de las Heras, J.I., Ross, A. et al. Localisation of centromeric proteins to a fraction of mouse minor satellite DNA on a mini-chromosome in human, mouse and chicken cells. Chromosoma 113, 84–91 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00412-004-0299-z

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