• Abstract Centromeres ensure accurate chromosome segregation, yet their DNA evolves rapidly across eukaryotes leaving the origins of new centromere architectures unclear1,2,3,4. • The brewer’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae exemplifies this long-standing puzzle. • Its centromeres shifted ancestrally from large, repeat-rich, epigenetically specified forms to the compact, genetically defined ‘point’ centromeres1,5. • How this transition occurred has remained unresolved6. • Here we identify evolutionarily related ‘proto-point’ centromeres that provide a resolution to the evolutionary origins of point centromeres. • Proto-point centromeres contain a single centromeric nucleosome positioned over an AT-rich core, accompanied by relaxed organization and sequence variability of flanking cis-elements.
Article Summaries:
- Abstract Centromeres ensure accurate chromosome segregation, yet their DNA evolves rapidly across eukaryotes leaving the origins of new centromere architectures unclear1,2,3,4. The brewer’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae exemplifies this long-standing puzzle. Its centromeres shifted ancestrally from large, repeat-rich, epigenetically specified forms to the compact, genetically defined ‘point’ centromeres1,5. How this transition occurred has remained unresolved6. Here we identify evolutionarily related ‘proto-point’ centromeres that provide a resolution to the evolutionary origins of point cent
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