The Drosophila Yeti gene (CG40218) was originally identified by recessive lethal mutation and subsequently mapped to the deep pericentromeric heterochromatin of chromosome 2. Functional studies have shown that Yeti encodes a 241 amino acid protein called YETI belonging to the evolutionarily conserved family of Bucentaur (BCNT) proteins and exhibiting a widespread distribution in animals and plants. Later studies have demonstrated that YETI protein: (i) is able to bind both subunits of the microtubule-based motor kinesin-I; (ii) is required for proper chromosome organization in both mitosis and meiosis divisions; and more recently (iii) is a new subunit of dTip60 chromatin remodeling complex. To date, other functions of YETI counterparts in chicken (CENtromere Protein 29, CENP-29), mouse (Cranio Protein 27, CP27), zebrafish and human (CranioFacial Development Protein 1, CFDP1) have been reported in literature, but the fully understanding of the multifaceted molecular function of this protein family remains still unclear. In this review we comprehensively highlight recent work and provide a more extensive hypothesis suggesting a broader range of YETI protein functions in different cellular processes.

Chromatin organization is developmentally regulated by epigenetic changes mediated by histone-modifying enzymes and chromatin remodeling complexes. In Drosophila melanogaster, the Tip60 chromatin remodeling complex (dTip60) play roles in chromatin regulation, which are shared by evolutionarily-related complexes identified in animal and plants. Recently, it was found that most subunits previously assigned to the dTip60 complex are shared by two related complexes, DOM-A.C and DOM-B.C, defined by DOM-A and DOM-B isoforms, respectively. In this work, we combined classical genetics, cell biology, and reverse genetics approaches to further investigate the biological roles played during Drosophila melanogaster development by a number of subunits originally assigned to the dTip60 complex.