Abstract
Meiotic and mitotic chromosome segregation are highly conserved in eukaryotic organisms, yet centromeres - the chromosomal sites that mediate segregation - evolve extremely rapidly. Plant centromeres have DNA elements that are shared across species, yet they diverge rapidly through large- and small-scale changes. Over evolutionary time-scales, centromeres migrate to non-centromeric regions and, in plants, heterochromatic knobs can acquire centromere activity. Discerning the functional significance of these changes will require comparative analyses of closely related species. Combined with functional assays, continued efforts in plant genomics will uncover key DNA elements that allow centromeres to retain their role in chromosome segregation while allowing rapid evolution.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 108-114 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Current Opinion in Plant Biology |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 1 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- BAC
- Bacterial artificial chromosome
- CEN4
- CENP-A
- CRM
- CRR
- Centromere protein-A
- Centromere-specific retrotransposon of maize
- Centromere-specific retrotransposon of rice
- Centromere4
- FISH
- Fluorescent in situ hybridization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Plant Science