The Flexible Ends of CENP-A Nucleosome Are Required for Mitotic Fidelity

  • Yohan Roulland
  • , Khalid Ouararhni
  • , Mladen Naidenov
  • , Lorrie Ramos
  • , Muhammad Shuaib
  • , Sajad Hussain Syed
  • , Imtiaz Nizar Lone
  • , Ramachandran Boopathi
  • , Emeline Fontaine
  • , Gabor Papai
  • , Hiroaki Tachiwana
  • , Thierry Gautier
  • , Dimitrios Skoufias
  • , Kiran Padmanabhan
  • , Jan Bednar
  • , Hitoshi Kurumizaka
  • , Patrick Schultz
  • , Dimitar Angelov*
  • , Ali Hamiche
  • , Stefan Dimitrov
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

CENP-A is a histone variant, which replaces histone H3 at centromeres and confers unique properties to centromeric chromatin. The crystal structure of CENP-A nucleosome suggests flexible nucleosomal DNA ends, but their dynamics in solution remains elusive and their implication in centromere function is unknown. Using electron cryo-microscopy, we determined the dynamic solution properties of the CENP-A nucleosome. Our biochemical, proteomic, and genetic data reveal that higher flexibility of DNA ends impairs histone H1 binding to the CENP-A nucleosome. Substituting the 2-turn αN-helix of CENP-A with the 3-turn αN-helix of H3 results in compact particles with rigidified DNA ends, able to bind histone H1. In vivo replacement of CENP-A with H3-CENP-A hybrid nucleosomes leads to H1 recruitment, delocalization of kinetochore proteins, and significant mitotic and cytokinesis defects. Our data reveal that the evolutionarily conserved flexible ends of the CENP-A nucleosomes are essential to ensure the fidelity of the mitotic pathway.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)674-685
Number of pages12
JournalMolecular Cell
Volume63
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Aug 2016
Externally publishedYes

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