Kansas City, Mo. (June 15, 2007) – Jennifer Gerton, Ph.D., Assistant Investigator, and Raymond Camahort, Predoctoral Researcher, are the last and first authors respectively on a paper that characterizes a novel component of the machinery required for the movement of chromosomes into new cells.

     The paper, “Scm3 is essential to recruit the histone H3 variant Cse4 to centromeres and to maintain a functional kinetochore,” was posted to the web site of Molecular Cell today, and will appear in the June 22 print issue of the journal.

     In order for any cell to replicate, it must make a copy of its genetic material and then distribute it into the newly formed cells. The accurate division of chromosomes is essential for the survival of all living organisms. In eukaryotes, this division event requires many components, including a specialized DNA sequence called the centromere.

      The centromeric chromatin specifies where the kinetochore will form. The kinetochore is a protein structure that assembles on the centromere and is required for the movement of chromosomes into new cells. Using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system, the Gerton Lab has identified a novel component of this machinery, Scm3. Scm3 is essential for the formation and maintenance of both the centromeric chromatin and the kinetochore, and it is required for the accurate transmission of chromosomes.

     “The protein factor we identified helps us better understand how budding yeast kinetochore proteins find and recognize the relatively small centromeric DNA sequence in the context of the entire genome,” said Mr. Camahort. “Finding the centromere is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack.”

     “Many aspects of this process and the proteins that promote it have been conserved from yeast to humans,” said Dr. Gerton. “Studying centromere specification in budding yeast should afford us insights into the mechanism in human cells.”

      The Gerton Lab plans to continue work with the budding yeast model to develop the first deep and comprehensive molecular understanding of how centromeric chromatin is formed and how the kinetochore is built each time a cell divides.

     “Mistakes in chromosome division in humans are associated with many cancers, as well as developmental disorders such as Down Syndrome,” said Robb Krumlauf, Ph.D., Scientific Director. “Understanding chromosome distribution and the process of centromere specification will provide valuable insight into a number of diseases.”

     Additional contributing authors from the Stowers Institute include Bing Li, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate in Workman Lab; Laurence Florens, Ph.D., Managing Director of Proteomics; Selene Swanson, Ph.D., Research Specialist II; and Michael Washburn, Ph.D., Director of Proteomics.

About the Stowers Institute
     Housed in a 600,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility on a 10-acre campus in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research conducts basic research on fundamental processes of cellular life. Through its commitment to collaborative research and the use of cutting-edge technology, the Institute seeks more effective means of preventing and curing disease. The Institute was founded by Jim and Virginia Stowers, two cancer survivors who have created combined endowments of $2 billion in support of basic research of the highest quality.