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Centromeres: genetic input to calibrate an epigenetic feedback loop
Author(s) -
Berg Sebastiaan JW,
Jansen Lars ET
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.15252/embj.2020106638
Subject(s) - biology , epigenetics , genetics , centromere , evolutionary biology , computational biology , chromosome , gene
Centromeres are chromatin domains maintained by a self‐templating feedback loop based on nucleosomes bearing the histone H3 variant CENP ‐A. The underlying centromeric DNA sequence is largely dispensable, yet paradoxically, it has highly conserved features. Hoffmann et al (2020) now uncover that when the epigenetic chromatin cycle falters, a genetically hardwired mechanism offers robustness to a dynamic epigenetic feedback loop ensuring long‐term centromere inheritance.