Centromere is the chromosomal site of kinetochore assembly and microtubule attachment for chromosome segregation. Given its importance, markers that allow specific labeling of centromeric chromatin throughout the cell cycle and across all chromosome types are sought for facilitating various centromere studies. Antibodies against the N-terminal region of CENH3 are commonly used for this purpose, since CENH3 is the near-universal marker of functional centromeres. However, because the N-terminal region of CENH3 is highly variable among plant species, antibodies directed against this region usually function only in a small group of closely related species. As a more versatile alternative, we present here antibodies targeted to the conserved domains of two outer kinetochore proteins, KNL1 and NDC80. Sequence comparison of these domains across more than 350 plant species revealed a high degree of conservation, particularly within a six amino acid motif, FFGPVS in KNL1, suggesting that both antibodies would function in a wide range of plant species. This assumption was confirmed by immunolabeling experiments in angiosperm (monocot and dicot) and gymnosperm species, including those with mono-, holo-, and meta-polycentric chromosomes. In addition to centromere labeling on condensed chromosomes during cell division, both antibodies detected the corresponding regions in the interphase nuclei of most species tested. These results demonstrated that KNL1 and NDC80 are better suited for immunolabeling centromeres than CENH3, because antibodies against these proteins offer incomparably greater versatility across different plant species which is particularly convenient for studying the organization and function of the centromere in non-model species.

• Klíčová slova
• CENH3, Centromere, KNL1, NDC80, immunolabeling, kinetochore,
• MeSH
• centromera * MeSH
• chromatin MeSH
• kinetochory * MeSH
• rostlinné proteiny * genetika   MeSH
• segregace chromozomů MeSH
• sekvence aminokyselin MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• chromatin MeSH
• rostlinné proteiny * MeSH

The segregation of chromosomes depends on the centromere. Most species are monocentric, with the centromere restricted to a single region per chromosome. In some organisms, the monocentric organization changed to holocentric, in which the centromere activity is distributed over the entire chromosome length. However, the causes and consequences of this transition are poorly understood. Here, we show that the transition in the genus Cuscuta was associated with dramatic changes in the kinetochore, a protein complex that mediates the attachment of chromosomes to microtubules. We found that in holocentric Cuscuta species, the KNL2 genes were lost; the CENP-C, KNL1, and ZWINT1 genes were truncated; the centromeric localization of CENH3, CENP-C, KNL1, MIS12, and NDC80 proteins was disrupted; and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) degenerated. Our results demonstrate that holocentric Cuscuta species lost the ability to form a standard kinetochore and do not employ SAC to control the attachment of microtubules to chromosomes.

• Klíčová slova
• Cuscuta, centromere, holocentric, kinetochore, monocentric,
• MeSH
• centromera genetika   MeSH
• Cuscuta * MeSH
• kinetochory * MeSH
• mikrotubuly metabolismus   MeSH
• segregace chromozomů MeSH
• struktury chromozomu MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH