Study finds protein 'cement' that stabilizes the crossroad of chromosomes
Thursday, May 7, 2015 - 13:00
in Biology & Nature
Cell division is the basis of life and requires that each daughter cell receive the proper complement of chromosomes. In most organisms, this process is mediated at the familiar constricted intersection of X-shaped chromosomes. This area, called the centromere, is where special proteins gather and attach to pull daughter cells apart during cell division. The structure and biology of the centromere is of considerable scientific interest because problems with it can lead to abnormalities in the chromosomes of daughter cells, which are the basis of such disorders as Down syndrome.