Identification of mutations that decrease the stability of a fragment of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome III lacking efficient replicators.

Eukaryotic chromosomes are duplicated during S phase and transmitted to progeny during mitosis with high fidelity. Chromosome duplication is controlled at the level of replication initiation, which occurs at cis-acting replicator sequences that are spaced at intervals of approximately 40 kb along the chromosomes of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Surprisingly, we found that derivatives of yeast chromosome III that lack known replicators were replicated and segregated properly in at least 96% of cell divisions.

DNA elements modulating the KARS12 chromosomal replicator in Kluyveromyces lactis.

Eukaryotic chromosomal DNA replication is initiated by a highly conserved set of proteins that interact with cis-acting elements on chromosomes called replicators. Despite the conservation of replication initiation proteins, replicator sequences show little similarity from species to species in the small number of organisms that have been examined. Examination of replicators in other species is likely to reveal common features of replicators.

Identification of the sequences required for chromosomal replicator function in Kluyveromyces lactis.

The analysis of replication intermediates of a Kluyveromyces lactis chromosomal autonomous replicating sequence (ARS), KARS101, has shown that it is active as a chromosomal replicator. KARS101 contains a 50 bp sequence conserved in two other K. lactis ARS elements.