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Summary: Centromeres form the site of chromosome attachment to microtubules during mitosis. Identity of these loci is maintained epigenetically by nucleosomes containing the histone H3 variant CENP-A. Propagation of CENP-A chromatin is uncoupled from DNA replication initiating only during mitotic exit. We now demonstrate that inhibition of Cdk1 and Cdk2 activities is sufficient to trigger CENP-A assembly throughout the cell cycle in a manner dependent on the canonical CENP-A assembly machinery. We further show that the key CENP-A assembly factor Mis18BP1HsKNL2 is phosphorylated in a cell cycle-dependent manner that controls its centromere localization during mitotic exit. These results strongly support a model in which the CENP-A assembly machinery is poised for activation throughout the cell cycle but kept in an inactive noncentromeric state by Cdk activity during S, G2, and M phases. Alleviation of this inhibition in G1 phase ensures tight coupling between DNA replication, cell division, and subsequent centromere maturation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Centromeres are specialized chromosomal domains that direct kinetochore assembly during mitosis. CENP-A (centromere protein A), a histone H3-variant present exclusively in centromeric nucleosomes, is thought to function as an epigenetic mark that specifies centromere identity. Here we identify the essential centromere protein CENP-N as the first protein to selectively bind CENP-A nucleosomes but not H3 nucleosomes. CENP-N bound CENP-A nucleosomes in a DNA sequence-independent manner, but did not bind soluble CENP-A–H4 tetramers. Mutations in CENP-N that reduced its affinity for CENP-A nucleosomes caused defects in CENP-N localization and had dominant effects on the recruitment of CENP-H, CENP-I and CENP-K to centromeres. Depletion of CENP-N using siRNA (short interfering RNA) led to similar centromere assembly defects and resulted in reduced assembly of nascent CENP-A into centromeric chromatin. These data suggest that CENP-N interprets the information encoded within CENP-A nucleosomes and recruits other proteins to centromeric chromatin that are required for centromere function and propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]