{"id":631692,"date":"2024-12-10T14:55:16","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T19:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=631692"},"modified":"2024-12-10T16:17:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T21:17:00","slug":"what-is-centromeres-reorganization-definition-biology-631692","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-centromeres-reorganization-definition-biology-631692\/","title":{"rendered":"Centromeres could be \u2018hotspots\u2019 for evolutionary innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

New research with fruit flies reveals that centromeres, which are responsible for proper cell division, can rapidly reorganize over short time scales.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Biologists at the University of Rochester<\/a> are calling a discovery they made in a mysterious region of the chromosome known as the centromere a potential game-changer in the field of chromosome biology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really excited about this work,\u201d says Amanda Larracuente<\/a>, the Nathaniel and Helen Wisch Professor of Biology<\/a>, whose lab<\/a> oversaw the research that led to the findings, which appear in PLOS Biology<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The discovery involves an intricate and seemingly carefully choreographed genetic tug-of-war between elements in the centromere, which is responsible for proper cell division. Instead of storing genes, centromeres anchor proteins that move chromosomes around the cell as it splits. If a centromere fails to function, cells may divide with too few or too many chromosomes.<\/p>\n

These critical structures are rich in what biologists call \u201cselfish\u201d genetic material\u2014transposable elements that move within the genome, and thousands of repeated segments of DNA known as \u201csatellite DNAs\u201d\u2014that often compete during cell division to ensure their own transmission.<\/p>\n

For centromeres to function effectively, though, these competing elements must also cooperate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn biology, we\u2019re used to thinking about things that have essential roles as being highly conserved,\u201d Larracuente says. \u201cSo, it\u2019s fascinating that they are the opposite of highly conserved. They are rapidly evolving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Amanda
RAPID REORG:<\/strong> \u201cThe rapid reorganization of centromeric sequences over short evolutionary timescales highlights their potential as hotspots for evolutionary innovation,\u201d says Larracuente. (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Dramatic\u2019 centromere reorganization<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To learn more about the interplay between these elements, researchers studied closely related species of fruit flies, or Drosophila<\/em>, and found that centromeres frequently switched between types of transposable elements and satellite DNA in short spans of evolutionary time.<\/p>\n

\u201cRepetitive sequences are known to evolve rapidly in general,\u201d Larracuente says. \u201cBut what we found was a dramatic centromere reorganization over two short evolutionary timescales.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t just see different variants of the same sequence in different species, we found categorical shifts in the types of elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

The researchers used chromatin profiling and high-resolution imaging on stretched chromatin fibers to observe these shifts in detail.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of the evolutionary forces driving this turnover,\u201d reads the study, \u201cthe rapid reorganization of centromeric sequences over short evolutionary timescales highlights their potential as hotspots for evolutionary innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lab is interested in understanding the roles these DNA sequences play in centromere function and stability in future work. Larracuente says the discovery and subsequent study of centromere dynamics could have potential applications in the long-term for how we treat diseases and disorders characterized by genome instability, such as cancer, and other aging-related diseases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose can be related to centromere defects,\u201d Larracuente says. \u201cLearning how DNA sequences contribute to centromere organization and function could help us understand abnormal centromere behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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