TY - JOUR
T1 - The cenpB gene is not essential in mice
AU - Kapoor, Mini
AU - Montes De Oca Luna, Roberto
AU - Liu, Gen
AU - Lozano, Guillermina
AU - Cummings, Chris
AU - Mancini, Michael
AU - Ouspenski, Ilia
AU - Brinkley, B. R.
AU - May, Gregory S.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements. The authors wish to thank Cuiping Dai for expert technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, CA41424 to B.R.B., CA47296 to G.J. and the National Science Foundation MCB-9513382 to G.S.M.
PY - 1998
Y1 - 1998
N2 - Centromere protein B (CENP-B) is a centromeric DNA-binding protein that binds to α-satellite DNA at the 17 bp CENP-B box sequence. The binding of CENP-B, along with other proteins, to α-satellite DNA sequences at the centromere, is thought to package the DNA into heterochromatin subjacent to the kinetochore of mitotic chromosomes. To determine the importance of CENP-B to kinetochore assembly and function, we generated a mouse null for the cenpB gene. The deletion removed part of the promoter and the entire coding sequence except for the carboxyl-terminal 35 amino acids of the CENP-B polypeptide. Mice heterozygous or homozygous for the cenpB null mutation are viable and healthy, with no apparent defect in growth and morphology. We have established mouse embryo fibroblasts from heterozygous and homozygous cenpB null littermates. Microscopic analysis, using immunofluorescence and electron microscopy of the cultured cells, indicated that the centromere-kinetochore complex was intact and identical to control cells. Mitosis was identical in fibroblasts derived from cenpB wild-type, heterozygous and null animals. Our studies demonstrate that CENP-B is not required for the assembly of heterochromatin or the kinetochore, or for completion of mitosis.
AB - Centromere protein B (CENP-B) is a centromeric DNA-binding protein that binds to α-satellite DNA at the 17 bp CENP-B box sequence. The binding of CENP-B, along with other proteins, to α-satellite DNA sequences at the centromere, is thought to package the DNA into heterochromatin subjacent to the kinetochore of mitotic chromosomes. To determine the importance of CENP-B to kinetochore assembly and function, we generated a mouse null for the cenpB gene. The deletion removed part of the promoter and the entire coding sequence except for the carboxyl-terminal 35 amino acids of the CENP-B polypeptide. Mice heterozygous or homozygous for the cenpB null mutation are viable and healthy, with no apparent defect in growth and morphology. We have established mouse embryo fibroblasts from heterozygous and homozygous cenpB null littermates. Microscopic analysis, using immunofluorescence and electron microscopy of the cultured cells, indicated that the centromere-kinetochore complex was intact and identical to control cells. Mitosis was identical in fibroblasts derived from cenpB wild-type, heterozygous and null animals. Our studies demonstrate that CENP-B is not required for the assembly of heterochromatin or the kinetochore, or for completion of mitosis.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032446844&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0032446844&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s004120050343
DO - 10.1007/s004120050343
M3 - Article
C2 - 9933410
AN - SCOPUS:0032446844
SN - 0009-5915
VL - 107
SP - 570
EP - 576
JO - Chromosoma
JF - Chromosoma
IS - 8
ER -