CTCF CENPE

Mitosis is an essential process in which the duplicated genome is segregated equally into two daughter cells. CTCF has been reported to be present in mitosis and has a role in localizing CENP-E, but its importance for mitotic fidelity remains to be determined. To evaluate the importance of CTCF in mitosis, we tracked mitotic behaviors in wild-type and two different CTCF CRISPR-based genetic knockdowns. We find that knockdown of CTCF results in prolonged mitoses and failed anaphase segregation via time-lapse imaging of SiR-DNA...

Faithful chromosome segregation is essential for the maintenance of genomic integrity and requires functional centromeres. Centromeres are epigenetically defined by the histone H3 variant, centromere protein A (CENP-A). Here we highlight current knowledge regarding CENP-A-containing chromatin structure, specification of centromere identity, regulation of CENP-A deposition and possible contribution to cancer formation and/or progression. CENP-A overexpression is common among many cancers and predicts poor prognosis...

The role of CTCF in stabilizing long-range interactions between chromatin sites essential for maintaining nuclear architecture is well established. Most of these interactions involve recruitment of the cohesin complex to chromatin via CTCF. We find that CTCF also interacts with the centromeric protein CENP-E both in vitro and in vivo. We identified CTCF sites in pericentric/centromeric DNA and found that, early in mitosis, CTCF binds and recruits CENP-E to these sites. Unlike most known CTCF genomic sites, the CTCF-binding sites in the pericentric/centromeric regions interact strongly with the C-terminal fingers of CTCF...

Centromeres are essential for ensuring proper chromosome segregation in eukaryotes. Their definition relies on the presence of a centromere-specific H3 histone variant CenH3, known as CENP-A in mammals. Its overexpression in aggressive cancers raises questions concerning its effect on chromatin dynamics and contribution to tumorigenesis. We find that CenH3 overexpression in human cells leads to ectopic enrichment at sites of active histone turnover involving a heterotypic tetramer containing CenH3-H4 with H3...