CENPA

Last update 08 May 2025

Basic Info

Synonyms

CenH3, CENP-A, CENPA

+ [3]

Introduction

Histone H3-like nucleosomal protein that is specifically found in centromeric nucleosomes (PubMed:11756469, PubMed:14667408, PubMed:15282608, PubMed:15475964, PubMed:15702419, PubMed:17651496, PubMed:19114591, PubMed:20739937, PubMed:27499292, PubMed:7962047, PubMed:9024683). Replaces conventional H3 in the nucleosome core of centromeric chromatin that serves as an assembly site for the inner kinetochore (PubMed:18072184). The presence of CENPA subtly modifies the nucleosome structure and the way DNA is wrapped around the nucleosome and gives rise to protruding DNA ends that are less well-ordered and rigid compared to nucleosomes containing histone H3 (PubMed:26878239, PubMed:27499292). May serve as an epigenetic mark that propagates centromere identity through replication and cell division (PubMed:15282608, PubMed:15475964, PubMed:20739937, PubMed:21478274, PubMed:26878239). Required for recruitment and assembly of kinetochore proteins, and as a consequence required for progress through mitosis, chromosome segregation and cytokinesis (PubMed:11756469, PubMed:14667408, PubMed:18072184, PubMed:23818633, PubMed:25556658, PubMed:27499292).

100 Clinical Results associated with CENPA

100 Translational Medicine associated with CENPA

0 Patents (Medical) associated with CENPA

1,538

Literatures (Medical) associated with CENPA

01 Dec 2025·Chromosoma

Towards identification of a holocentromere marker in the lepidopteran model Spodoptera frugiperda

Article

Author: Legeai, Fabrice ; d'Alençon, Emmanuelle ; Gamble, Sally ; Gimenez, Sylvie ; Eychenne, Magali

Some insects have holocentric chromosomes, with multiple kinetochores rather than a single centromere. They also lack the CENP-A and CENP-C proteins, suggesting a kinetochore assembly process different from that of monocentric chromosomes. The homolog of CENP-T was recently shown to bind silent chromatin and to play a key role in kinetochore assembly in Bombyx mori, but its role in other insects with holocentric chromosomes is unknown. We identified kinetochore genes and analyzed their expression in Spodoptera frugiperda. We silenced the kinetochore genes cenp-L, cenp-S, cenp-X and ndc80 and searched for chromosome segregation defects in Sf9 cells. All kinetochore genes except cenp-S were more strongly expressed in gonadal than in somatic tissues. Immunofluorescence microscopy and RT-qPCR demonstrated the effective silencing of the target genes by transfection with dsRNA. In Sf9 cells depleted of CENP-L and NDC80, immunofluorescence microscopy revealed increases in mitotic index and in the proportion of cells with unaligned chromosomes or multipolar spindles. The depletion of CENP-S and CENP-X had no effect on mitotic index and no division defects were observed. This suggests that CENP-L and NDC80 play key roles in chromosome segregation, whereas the functions of CENP-S and CENP-X remain unknown. We have begun to characterize the kinetochore proteins (CENP-L, CENP-S, CENP-X, NDC80), a prerequisite for holocentromere identification in S. frugiperda. This study also provides the first information about the role, in Lepidoptera, of CENP-L, a protein essential to the structure of the constitutive centromere-associated network in species with monocentric chromosomes.

01 Jul 2025·Biotechnology Advances

Advances in gene editing-led route for hybrid breeding in crops

Review

Author: Farooq, Muhammad Awais ; Ehsan, Aiman ; Hensel, Goetz ; Buzdar, Muhammad Ismail ; Zia, Asma ; Awan, Muhammad Jawad Akbar ; Mansoor, Shahid ; Amin, Imran ; Waqas, Muhammad Abu Bakar

With the global demand for sustainable agriculture on the rise, RNA-guided nuclease technology offers transformative applications in crop breeding. Traditional hybrid breeding methods, like three-line and two-line systems, are often labor-intensive, transgenic, and economically burdensome. While chemical mutagens facilitate these systems, they not only generate weak alleles but also produce strong alleles that induce permanent sterility through random mutagenesis. In contrast, RNA-guided nuclease system, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)- associated protein (Cas) system, facilitates more efficient hybrid production by inducing male sterility through targeted genome modifications in male sterility genes, such as MS8, MS10, MS26, and MS45 which allows precise manipulation of pollen development or pollen abortion in various crops. Moreover, this approach allows haploid induction for the rapid generation of recombinant and homozygous lines from hybrid parents by editing essential genes, like CENH3, MTL/NLD/PLA, and DMP, resulting in high-yield, transgene-free hybrids. Additionally, this system supports synthetic apomixis induction by employing the MiMe (Mitosis instead of Meiosis) strategy, coupled with parthenogenesis in hybrid plants, to create heterozygous lines and retain hybrid vigor in subsequent generations. RNA-guided nuclease-induced synthetic apomixis also enables genome stacking for autopolyploid progressive heterosis via clonal gamete production for trait maintenance to enhance crop adaptability without compromising yield. Additionally, CRISPR-Cas-mediated de novo domestication of wild relatives, along with recent advances to circumvent tissue culture- recalcitrance and -dependency through heterologous expression of morphogenic regulators, holds great promise for incorporating diversity-enriched germplasm into the breeding programs. These approaches aim to generate elite hybrids adapted to dynamic environments and address the anticipated challenges of food insecurity.

05 May 2025·Journal of Cell Biology

Interactions with multiple inner kinetochore proteins determine mitotic localization of FACT

Article

Author: Hoffmann, Ingrid ; Mulay, Bhagyashree ; Vogt, Doro ; Musacchio, Andrea ; Pesenti, Marion E. ; Schweighofer, Julia

The FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription (FACT) complex is a dimeric histone chaperone that operates on chromatin during transcription and replication. FACT also interacts with a specialized centromeric nucleosome containing the histone H3 variant centromere protein A (CENP-A) and with CENP-TW, two subunits of the constitutive centromere–associated network (CCAN), a 16-protein complex associated with CENP-A. The significance of these interactions remains elusive. Here, we show that FACT has multiple additional binding sites on CCAN. The interaction with CCAN is strongly stimulated by casein kinase II phosphorylation of FACT. Mitotic localization of FACT to kinetochores is strictly dependent on specific CCAN subcomplexes. Conversely, CENP-TW requires FACT for stable localization. Unexpectedly, we also find that DNA readily displaces FACT from CCAN, supporting the speculation that FACT becomes recruited through a pool of CCAN that is not stably integrated into chromatin. Collectively, our results point to a potential role of FACT in chaperoning CCAN during transcription or in the stabilization of CCAN at the centromere during the cell cycle.

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