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Centromeric histone H3 protein: from basic study to plant breeding applications

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Abstract

Centromere is the defining unit of a chromosome where kinetochore complex assembles and facilitates chromosome segregation. Centromeres contain unique repetitive sequences and are enriched with transposons and retrotransposons. Although how centromere is determined is still not clearly understood, binding of a key protein, namely, the Centromeric Histone H3 (CENH3) to centromeric repetitive DNA sequences has been found to be critical for the specification of centromere. Hence, centromeres are said to be epigenetically specified by CENH3. Despite considerable variation in size and sequence, CENH3 protein shows significant conservation of structure and function. CENH3 disruption or overexpression shows severe defects in spindle fiber attachment and ultimately leads to embryo lethality. Basic studies on complementation of CENH3 in Arabidopsis thaliana have led to the development of a novel method of haploid production through selective elimination of one set of parental chromosomes in the zygote. These findings have also shed new light on selective loss of chromosomes in interspecific crosses of Hordeum vulgare × H. bulbosum. Here, we briefly review unique features of CENH3 and discuss the new plant breeding opportunities that have emerged from the study of CENH3.

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Abbreviations

CATD:

CENP-A targeting domain

CID:

Centromere identifier

CPAR-1:

Centromeric protein A related 1

CSE4:

Chromosome segregation 4

HCP3:

Holocentric protein 3

HFD:

Histone fold domain

HTR12:

Histone three related 12

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Anshul Watts, Vajinder Kumar & Shripad Ramachandra Bhat

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  1. Anshul Watts
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  2. Vajinder Kumar
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  3. Shripad Ramachandra Bhat
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Correspondence to Shripad Ramachandra Bhat.

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Conflict of interest

AW and VK received Research Fellowship from ICAR/IARI, New Delhi, India. SRB has received grant from the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India for pursuing work on CENH3.

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Watts, A., Kumar, V. & Bhat, S.R. Centromeric histone H3 protein: from basic study to plant breeding applications. J. Plant Biochem. Biotechnol. 25, 339–348 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13562-016-0368-4

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