Searching for the centromere: diversity in pathways key for cell division
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 8-Jan-2026 08:11 ET (8-Jan-2026 13:11 GMT/UTC)
Researchers at The University of Osaka used a range of cellular techniques to show that the histone protein CENP-A can be deposited into centromeres by two independent pathways. By identifying that CENP-C can substitute for Mis18C in binding to the chaperone HJURP to prompt CENP-A deposition, they showed that there is redundancy in the process of specifying the location of the centromere on chromosomes, which is essential for mitosis and meiosis.
Inducible promoters provide remarkable utility when sustained transgene expression compromises plant development or agronomic performance. In this study, four different plant heat shock protein (HSP) promoters were characterized in the vegetative tissues of stably transformed sugarcane to evaluate their efficacy and spatial expression profiles when directing the expression of a uidA reporter gene. This study produced new quantitative knowledge on the temporal and spatial expression of HSP promoters in sugarcane, expanding the promoter toolbox for crop biotechnology to support gene function studies and biotechnology applications, including precision gene editing and complex metabolic engineering.