Prolyl isomerization of the CENP-A N-terminus regulates centromeric integrity in fission yeast.

Centromeric identity and chromosome segregation are determined by the precise centromeric targeting of CENP-A, the centromere-specific histone H3 variant. The significance of the amino-terminal domain (NTD) of CENP-A in this process remains unclear. Here, we assessed the functional significance of each residue within the NTD of CENP-A from Schizosaccharomyces pombe (SpCENP-A) and identified a proline-rich 'GRANT' (Genomic stability-Regulating site within CENP-A N-Terminus) motif that is important for CENP-A function.

Two fission yeast high mobility group box proteins in the maintenance of genomic integrity following doxorubicin insult.

Drug resistance is a challenge in chemotherapy, and, to date, there has been little resolution as to how it is induced. We previously isolated a host of doxorubicin resistance (DXR) genes in fission yeast and here we investigate the regulation of this resistance through two high mobility group (HMG) motif-containing DXR proteins, Nht1 and Hap2. The concurrent deletion of nht1 and hap2 did not confer cumulative sensitivity to doxorubicin, indicating that these factors cooperate closely in similar epistatic groups.