The impact of centromeres on spatial genome architecture

Héloïse Muller (1) , Ines Anna Drinnenberg (1) , José Gil Jr. (2)

1 Dynamique du noyau [Institut Curie]
2 Institut Curie [Paris]

The development of new technologies and experimental techniques is enabling researchers to see what was once unable to be seen. For example, the centromere was first seen as the mediator between spindle fiber and chromosome during mitosis and meiosis. Although this continues to be its most prominent role, we now know that the centromere functions beyond cellular division with important roles in genome organization and chromatin regulation. Here we aim to share the structures and functions of centromeres in various organisms beginning with the diversity of their DNA sequence anatomies. We zoom out to describe their position in the nucleus and ultimately detail the different ways they contribute to genome organization and regulation at the spatial level.

Mots clés: Hi-C; centromere; chromosome architecture; microscopy; nuclear compartments

Domaines: Génomique, Transcriptomique et Protéomique [q-bio.GN]; Organisation et fonctions cellulaires [q-bio.SC]

Héloïse Muller, Ines Anna Drinnenberg, José Gil Jr.. The impact of centromeres on spatial genome architecture. Trends in Genetics, 2019, 35 (8), pp.565-578. ⟨10.1016/j.tig.2019.05.003⟩. ⟨hal-02189346⟩