Summary information and primary citation

PDB-id
7r5s; SNAP-derived features in text and JSON formats; DNAproDB
Class
cell cycle
Method
cryo-EM (2.83 Å)
Summary
Structure of the human ccan bound to alpha satellite DNA
Reference
Yatskevich S, Muir KW, Bellini D, Zhang Z, Yang J, Tischer T, Predin M, Dendooven T, McLaughlin SH, Barford D (2022): "Structure of the human inner kinetochore bound to a centromeric CENP-A nucleosome." Science, 376, 844-852. doi: 10.1126/science.abn3810.
Abstract
Kinetochores assemble onto specialized centromeric CENP-A (centromere protein A) nucleosomes (CENP-ANuc) to mediate attachments between chromosomes and the mitotic spindle. We describe cryo-electron microscopy structures of the human inner kinetochore constitutive centromere associated network (CCAN) complex bound to CENP-ANuc reconstituted onto α-satellite DNA. CCAN forms edge-on contacts with CENP-ANuc, and a linker DNA segment of the α-satellite repeat emerges from the fully wrapped end of the nucleosome to thread through the central CENP-LN channel that tightly grips the DNA. The CENP-TWSX histone-fold module further augments DNA binding and partially wraps the linker DNA in a manner reminiscent of canonical nucleosomes. Our study suggests that the topological entrapment of the linker DNA by CCAN provides a robust mechanism by which kinetochores withstand both pushing and pulling forces exerted by the mitotic spindle.

Cartoon-block schematics in six views (download the tarball)

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