Post-translational histone modifications regulate epigenetic switching between different chromatin states. Distinct histone modifications, such as acetylation, methylation and phosphorylation, define ...

If I asked you, dear reader, to come up with a shortlist of the most monumental scientific achievements of the last century, chances are the Human Genome Project (HGP) would appear somewhere on that ...

Human artificial chromosomes (HACs) could be useful tools for both understanding how mammalian chromosomes function and creating synthetic biological systems, but for the last 20 years, they have been ...

In the cell, chromosomal DNA is wrapped around protein complexes in a structure often described as “beads on a string” (Figure 1). Each bead—called a nucleosome—contains roughly 140 base-pairs (bp) of ...

The centromere of chromosomes plays a crucial role in cell division. Using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, an international team of researchers has investigated how two crucial proteins -- KNL2 ...

The genetic material inside cells is organized into structures called chromosomes. The centromere is essential for the correct division of the chromosomes via interaction with spindle microtubules ...

Female reproductive health is affected by a number of disorders that can seriously impact quality of life. The X chromosome’s involvement in meiotic drive mechanisms could be a key factor in ...

Centromeres are required for faithful segregation of chromosomes in cell division. It is not clear what kind of sequences act as functional centromeres and how centromere sequences are organized in ...