Genomic size of CENP-A domain is proportional to total alpha satellite array size at human centromeres and expands in cancer cells.
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2011-05
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Human centromeres contain multi-megabase-sized arrays of alpha satellite DNA, a family of satellite DNA repeats based on a tandemly arranged 171 bp monomer. The centromere-specific histone protein CENP-A is assembled on alpha satellite DNA within the primary constriction, but does not extend along its entire length. CENP-A domains have been estimated to extend over 2,500 kb of alpha satellite DNA. However, these estimates do not take into account inter-individual variation in alpha satellite array sizes on homologous chromosomes and among different chromosomes. We defined the genomic distance of CENP-A chromatin on human chromosomes X and Y from different individuals. CENP-A chromatin occupied different genomic intervals on different chromosomes, but despite inter-chromosomal and inter-individual array size variation, the ratio of CENP-A to total alpha satellite DNA size remained consistent. Changes in the ratio of alpha satellite array size to CENP-A domain size were observed when CENP-A was overexpressed and when primary cells were transformed by disrupting interactions between the tumor suppressor protein Rb and chromatin. Our data support a model for centromeric domain organization in which the genomic limits of CENP-A chromatin varies on different human chromosomes, and imply that alpha satellite array size may be a more prominent predictor of CENP-A incorporation than chromosome size. In addition, our results also suggest that cancer transformation and amounts of centromeric heterochromatin have notable effects on the amount of alpha satellite that is associated with CENP-A chromatin.
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Sullivan, Lori L, Christopher D Boivin, Brankica Mravinac, Ihn Young Song and Beth A Sullivan (2011). Genomic size of CENP-A domain is proportional to total alpha satellite array size at human centromeres and expands in cancer cells. Chromosome Res, 19(4). pp. 457–470. 10.1007/s10577-011-9208-5 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12806.
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Lori Sullivan
I serve as Lab Manager and research technician in the Sullivan lab, where we study the structural dynamics, stability, and function of human chromosomes, with particular interest in the chromosomal locus known as the centromere.
Our focused studies contribute to a greater understanding of chromosome instability and inheritance associated with reproductive abnormalities, birth defects, and cancer.
Beth Ann Sullivan
Beth Sullivan is the Vice Dean for Basic and Preclinical Science in the School of Medicine. In this role, she provides strategic leadership for the School of Medicine’s basic and preclinical science enterprise. She oversees planning and alignment across basic science departments, research centers, and institutes and work with clinical and administrative leaders to strengthen the school’s research portfolio, support faculty recruitment and development, and ensure that the school’s infrastructure, training programs, and resources position Duke at the forefront of discovery. She is also a James B. Duke Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, overseeing a research program that studies the genetics and genomics of human chromosome inheritance.
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