Centromere identity is determined by the formation of a specialized chromatin structure containing the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CENP-A. The precise molecular mechanism(s) accounting for the specific deposition of CENP-A at centromeres are still poorly understood. Centromeric deposition of CENP-A, which is independent of DNA replication, might involve specific chromatin assembly complexes and/or specific interactions with kinetochore components. However, transiently expressed CENP-A incorporates throughout chromatin indicating that CENP-A nucleosomes can also be promiscuously deposited during DNA replication. Therefore, additional mechanisms must exist to prevent deposition of CENP-A nucleosomes during replication and/or to remove them afterwards. Here, using transient expression experiments performed in Drosophila Kc cells, we show that proteasome-mediated degradation restricts localization of Drosophila CENP-A (CID) to centromeres by eliminating mislocalized CID as well as by regulating available CID levels. Regulating available CID levels appears essential to ensure centromeric deposition of transiently expressed CID as, when expression is increased in the presence of proteasome inhibitors, newly synthesized CID mislocalizes. Mislocalization of CID affects cell cycle progression as a high percentage of cells showing mislocalized CID are reactive against αPSer10H3 antibodies, enter mitosis at a very low frequency and show strong segregation defects. However, cells showing reduced amounts of mislocalized CID show normal cell cycle progression.

Centromere identity and function is determined by the specific localization of CenH3 (reviewed in [1-7]). Several mechanisms regulate centromeric CenH3 localization, including proteasome-mediated degradation that, both in budding yeast and Drosophila, regulates CenH3 levels and prevents promiscuous misincorporation throughout chromatin [8, 9]. CenH3(CENP-A) proteolysis has also been reported in senescent human cells [10] or upon infection with herpes simplex virus 1 [11]. Little is known, however, about the actual mechanisms that regulate CenH3 proteolysis. Recent work in budding yeast identified Psh1 as an E3-ubiquitin ligase that mediates degradation of CenH3(Cse4p) [12, 13], but E3-ligases regulating CenH3 stability in metazoans are unknown. Here, we report that the F box protein partner of paired (Ppa), which is a variable subunit of the main E3-ligase SCF [14-17], mediates CenH3(CID) stability in Drosophila. Our results show that Ppa depletion results in increased CenH3(CID) levels. Ppa physically interacts with CenH3(CID) through the CATD(CID) that, in the fly, mediates Ppa-dependent CenH3(CID) stability. Altogether, these results strongly suggest that, in Drosophila, SCF(Ppa) regulates CenH3(CID) proteolysis. Interestingly, most known SCF complexes are inactive when, at mitosis, de novo CenH3(CID) deposition takes place at centromeres, suggesting that, in Drosophila, CenH3(CID) deposition and proteolysis are synchronized events.

The centromere is a specialised chromosomal structure that regulates faithful chromosome segregation during cell division, as it dictates the site of assembly of the kinetochore, a critical structure that mediates binding of chromosomes to the spindle, monitors bipolar attachment and pulls chromosomes to the poles during anaphase. Identified more than a century ago as the primary constriction of condensed metaphase chromosomes, the centromere remained elusive to molecular characterisation for many years owed to its unusual enrichment in highly repetitive satellite DNA sequences, except in budding yeast. In the last decade, our understanding of centromere structure, organisation and function has increased tremendously. Nowadays, we know that centromere identity is determined epigenetically by the formation of a unique type of chromatin, which is characterised by the presence of the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CenH3, originally called CENP-A, which replaces canonical histone H3 at centromeres. CenH3-chromatin constitutes the physical and functional foundation for kinetochore assembly. This review explores recent studies addressing the structural and functional characterisation of CenH3-chromatin, its assembly and propagation during mitosis, and its contribution to kinetochore assembly.

Barrier-to-Autointegration Factor (BAF) is a conserved nuclear envelope (NE) component that binds chromatin and helps its anchoring to the NE. Cycles of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation control BAF function. Entering mitosis, phosphorylation releases BAF from chromatin and facilitates NE-disassembly. At mitotic exit, PP2A-mediated dephosphorylation restores chromatin binding and nucleates NE-reassembly. Here, we show that in Drosophila a small fraction of BAF (cenBAF) associates with centromeres. We also find that PP4 phosphatase, which is recruited to centromeres by CENP-C, prevents phosphorylation and release of cenBAF during mitosis. cenBAF is necessary for proper centromere assembly and accurate chromosome segregation, being critical for mitosis progression. Disrupting cenBAF localization prevents PP2A inactivation in mitosis compromising global BAF phosphorylation, which in turn leads to its persistent association with chromatin, delays anaphase onset and causes NE defects. These results suggest that, together with PP4 and CENP-C, cenBAF forms a centromere-based mechanism that controls chromosome segregation and mitosis progression.