- THIS ARTICLE
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
-
All Versions of this Article:
genetics.105.046458v1
171/4/1463 most recent - Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- SERVICES
- Email this article to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Alert me to new issues of the journal
- Download to citation manager
- Reprints & Permissions
- CITING ARTICLES
- Citing Articles via HighWire
- Citing Articles via Google Scholar
- GOOGLE SCHOLAR
- Articles by Baker, R. E.
- Articles by Rogers, K.
- Search for Related Content
- PUBMED
- PubMed Citation
- Articles by Baker, R. E.
- Articles by Rogers, K.
Originally published as Genetics Published Articles Ahead of Print on August 3, 2005.
Genetics, Vol. 171, 1463-1475, December 2005, Copyright © 2005
doi:10.1534/genetics.105.046458
Genetic and Genomic Analysis of the AT-Rich Centromere DNA Element II of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Richard E. Baker1 and Kelly Rogers
Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655
1 Corresponding author: Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Ave. North, Worcester, MA 01655.
E-mail: richard.baker{at}umassmed.edu
Centromere DNA element II (CDEII) of budding yeast centromeres is an AT-rich sequence essential for centromere (CEN) function. Sequence analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CDEIIs revealed that A5–7/T5–7 tracts are statistically overrepresented at the expense of AA/TT and alternating AT. To test the hypothesis that this nonrandom sequence organization is functionally important, a CEN library in which the CDEII sequences were randomized was generated. The library was screened for functional and nonfunctional members following centromere replacement in vivo. Functional CENs contained CDEIIs with the highly biased An/Tn run distribution of native centromeres, while nonfunctional CDEIIs resembled those picked from the library at random. Run content, defined as the fraction of residues present in runs of four or more nucleotides, of the functional and nonfunctional CDEII populations differed significantly (P < 0.001). Computer searches of the genome for regions with an A + T content comparable to CDEIIs revealed that such loci are not unique to centromeres, but for 14 of the 16 chromosomes the AT-rich locus with the highest An
4 + Tn4 run content was the centromere. Thus, the distinctive and nonrandom sequence organization of CDEII is important for centromere function and possesses informational content that could contribute to the determination of centromere identity.
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  D. Bensasson, M. Zarowiecki, A. Burt, and V. Koufopanou Rapid Evolution of Yeast Centromeres in the Absence of Drive Genetics, April 1, 2008; 178(4): 2161 - 2167. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. E. Baker and K. Rogers Phylogenetic Analysis of Fungal Centromere H3 Proteins Genetics, November 1, 2006; 174(3): 1481 - 1492. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Hajra, S. K. Ghosh, and M. Jayaram The centromere-specific histone variant Cse4p (CENP-A) is essential for functional chromatin architecture at the yeast 2-{micro}m circle partitioning locus and promotes equal plasmid segregation J. Cell Biol., September 11, 2006; 174(6): 779 - 790. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|