The partitioning locus STB of the selfish plasmid, the 2μm circle, of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is essential for the propagation of this multi-copy extra-chromosomal DNA element with nearly chromosome-like stability. The functional competence of STB requires the plasmid-coded partitioning proteins Rep1 and Rep2 as well as host-coded proteins. Host factors that associate with STB in a Rep1- and Rep2-dependent manner also interact with centromeres, and play important roles in chromosome segregation. They include the cohesin complex and the centromere-specific histone H3 variant Cse4. The genetically defined point centromere of S. cerevisiae differs starkly from the much more widespread epigenetically specified regional centromeres of eukaryotes. The particularly small size of the S. cerevisiae centromere and the association of chromosome segregation factors with STB raise the possibility of an evolutionary link between these two partitioning loci. The unusual positive supercoiling harboured by the S. cerevisiae centromere and STB in vivo in their functional states, unveiled by recent experiments, bolsters the notion of their potential descent from an ancestral plasmid partitioning locus.
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Conference Article|
March 21 2013
Topological similarity between the 2μm plasmid partitioning locus and the budding yeast centromere: evidence for a common evolutionary origin?
Makkuni Jayaram;
Makkuni Jayaram
1
1Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, U.S.A.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (emailJayaram@asutin.utexas.edu).
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Keng-Ming Chang;
Keng-Ming Chang
1Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, U.S.A.
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Chien-Hui Ma;
Chien-Hui Ma
1Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, U.S.A.
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Chu-Chun Huang;
Chu-Chun Huang
1Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, U.S.A.
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Yen-Ting Liu;
Yen-Ting Liu
1Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, U.S.A.
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Soumitra Sau
Soumitra Sau
1Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, U.S.A.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
September 04 2012
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2013 Biochemical Society
2013
Biochem Soc Trans (2013) 41 (2): 501–507.
Article history
Received:
September 04 2012
Citation
Makkuni Jayaram, Keng-Ming Chang, Chien-Hui Ma, Chu-Chun Huang, Yen-Ting Liu, Soumitra Sau; Topological similarity between the 2μm plasmid partitioning locus and the budding yeast centromere: evidence for a common evolutionary origin?. Biochem Soc Trans 1 April 2013; 41 (2): 501–507. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20120224
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