The centromere: a crucial point of vulnerability during cell division

Health

Centromeres are specific regions on each chromosome essential for faithful cell division. A team at the Institut Curie and the CNRS led by Dr Daniele Fachinetti have just identified mechanisms involved in maintaining centromere stability that until now, have been little explored. Published in Molecular Cell on February 14, 2024, these results open numerous avenues of research into centromere instability that will have positive impacts in targeting certain pathologies such as cancer.

Les chromosomes (en gris) avec des cassures au niveau des centromères (en rouge) suite à des altérations des dynamiques de réplication de l’ADN.
Chromosomes (in gray) with centromere breaks (in red) due to altered as a result of altered DNA replication dynamics.
©Annapaola Angrisani, Institut Curie, CNRS UMR 144 / Sorbonne Université
Bibliography

Specialized replication mechanisms maintain genome stability at human centromeres. Andrea Scelfo, Annapaola Angrisani (…) Therese Wilhelm and Daniele Fachinetti. Molecular Cell, 14 February 2024.
DOI : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2024.01.018

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