Construction of neocentromere-based human minichromosomes by telomere-associated chromosomal truncation

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 May 8;98(10):5705-10. doi: 10.1073/pnas.091468498. Epub 2001 May 1.

Abstract

Neocentromeres (NCs) are fully functional centromeres that arise ectopically in noncentromeric regions lacking alpha-satellite DNA. Using telomere-associated chromosome truncation, we have produced a series of minichromosomes (MiCs) from a mardel(10) marker chromosome containing a previously characterized human NC. These MiCs range in size from approximately 0.7 to 1.8 Mb and contain single-copy intact genomic DNA from the 10q25 region. Two of these NC-based Mi-Cs (NC-MiCs) appear circular whereas one is linear. All demonstrate stability in both structure and mitotic transmission in the absence of drug selection. Presence of a functional NC is shown by binding a host of key centromere-associated proteins. These NC-MiCs provide direct evidence for mitotic segregation function of the NC DNA and represent examples of stable mammalian MiCs lacking centromeric repeats.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line
  • Centromere*
  • Chromosomes, Human*
  • Gene Transfer Techniques
  • Humans
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
  • Telomere*