Formation of Centromeres in vivo

Dalal, Yamini Praful

Abstract

Our goal is to dissect the mechanism by which kinetochore proteins binds the centromeric chromatin in the genome and creates the basis for a functional centromere. We have published 2 papers on this work, and have 2 more manuscripts that detail more cenRNAs invovled in centromere function. We also have unpublished work with EM and biochemical data demonstrating how CENP-A nucleosomes can be altered in the presence or absence of various proteins. These data demonstrate how various epigenetic factors, namely lncRNAs and kinetochore proteins, can modulate CENP-A structure to uniquely define how functional centromere domains are formed and maintained.

Funding Agency

• Agency: National Institute of Health (NIH)
• Institute: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Type: Investigator-Initiated Intramural Research Projects (ZIA)
• Project #: 1ZIABC011209-08
• Application #: 9343842
• Support Year: 8
• Fiscal Year: 2016

Institution

• Name: Basic Sciences

Publications

Quénet, Delphine; Dalal, Yamini (2015) Correction: a long non-coding RNA is required for targeting centromeric protein A to the human centromere. Elife 4:

Athwal, Rajbir K; Walkiewicz, Marcin P; Baek, Songjoon et al. (2015) CENP-A nucleosomes localize to transcription factor hotspots and subtelomeric sites in human cancer cells. Epigenetics Chromatin 8:2

Dalal, Yamini; McNally, James G (2014) Now you see it, now you don't: a biochemist's primer for advances in high-resolution microscopy: comment on ""Biomolecular dynamics and binding studies in the living cell"" by Stephan Diekmann and Christian Hoischen. Phys Life Rev 11:36-7; discussion 38

Volle, Catherine; Dalal, Yamini (2014) Histone variants: the tricksters of the chromatin world. Curr Opin Genet Dev 25:8-14,138

Bui, Minh; Walkiewicz, Marcin P; Dimitriadis, Emilios K et al. (2013) The CENP-A nucleosome: a battle between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Nucleus 4:37-42

Bui, Minh; Dimitriadis, Emilios K; Hoischen, Christian et al. (2012) Cell-cycle-dependent structural transitions in the human CENP-A nucleosome in vivo. Cell 150:317-26

Quénet, Delphine; McNally, James G; Dalal, Yamini (2012) Through thick and thin: the conundrum of chromatin fibre folding in vivo. EMBO Rep 13:943-4

Quénet, Delphine; Dalal, Yamini (2012) The CENP-A nucleosome: a dynamic structure and role at the centromere. Chromosome Res 20:465-79

Dimitriadis, Emilios K; Weber, Christian; Gill, Rajbir K et al. (2010) Tetrameric organization of vertebrate centromeric nucleosomes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107:20317-22

Dalal, Yamini; Bui, Minh (2010) Down the rabbit hole of centromere assembly and dynamics. Curr Opin Cell Biol 22:392-402