The AAA-ATPase molecular chaperone Cdc48/p97 disassembles sumoylated centromeres, decondenses heterochromatin, and activates ribosomal RNA genes

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1418564111
• Publication Date: 2014-10-25T04:37:22Z
• Authors: Zsuzsanna Mérai; Nina Chumak; Marcelina García-...; Tzung-Fu Hsieh; Toshiro Nishimura; Vera K. Schoft; János Bindics; Lucyna Ślusarz; Stéphanie Arnoux; Susanne Opravil; Karl Mechtler; Daniel Zilberman; Robert L. Fischer; Hisashi Tamaru
• Keywords: chromosome dynamics; 0301 basic medicine; DNA, Plant; centromere disassembly; heterochromatin decondensation; 1.1 Normal biological development and functioning; Centromere; Arabidopsis; Cell Cycle Proteins; 580 Plants (Botany); DNA, Ribosomal; Chromosomes; Chromosomes, Plant; 03 medical and health sciences; 10126 Department of Plant and Microbial Biology; Underpinning research; Heterochromatin; Genetics; Humans; 10211 Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center; pollen tip growth; Ribosomal; 1000 Multidisciplinary; Arabidopsis Proteins; Human Genome; Sumoylation; Plant; DNA; Genetic Loci; RNA, Plant; RNA, Ribosomal; RNA; ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular Activities; Pollen; Generic health relevance; Ribosomes; rDNA activation; Cell Nucleolus; Molecular Chaperones

Significance Centromeres are the fundamental unit required for segregation of chromosomes during mitosis and meiosis, and they are defined by the centromere-specific histone H3 variant (CenH3)/centromere protein A (CENP-A). In contrast to the relatively well-known process of de novo assembly of CenH3 at centromeres, little is known of how CenH3 is actively removed, leading to centromere disassembly, an essential biological process during the life of a cell. This study describes the process of centromere disassembly, demonstrating that it occurs via an active, proteolytic mechanism, which is also linked to major changes in chromosome dynamics: chromatin decondensation and bulk rRNA gene activation.