Conservation of the Centromere/Kinetochore Protein ZW10

摘要: Mutations in the essential Drosophila melanogaster gene zw10 disrupt chromosome segregation, producing chromosomes that lag at metaphase plate during anaphase of mitosis and both meiotic divisions. Recent evidence suggests product this gene, DmZW10, acts kinetochore as part a tension-sensing checkpoint onset. DmZW10 displays an intriguing cell cycle-dependent intracellular distribution, apparently moving from centromere/kinetochore prometaphase to microtubules metaphase, back (Williams, B.C., M. Gatti, M.L. Goldberg. 1996. J. Cell Biol. 134:1127-1140). We have identified ZW10-related proteins widely diverse species with divergent centromere structures, including several Drosophilids, Caenorhabditis elegans, Arabidopsis thaliana, Mus musculus, humans. Antibodies against human ZW10 protein display staining pattern HeLa cells strikingly similar previously observed for dividing cells. Injections C. elegans antisense RNA phenocopies important aspects mutant phenotype Drosophila: these include strong decrease brood size, suggesting defects meiosis or germline mitosis, high percentage lethality among embryos are produced, appearance chromatin bridges anaphase. These results indicate least some functional role ensuring proper segregation conserved across large evolutionary distances.