Abstract

Every eukaryotic chromosome has a centromere (a locus responsible for poleward movement at mitosis and meiosis) and while the function is highly conserved, the form and structure of the underlying DNA sequence can vary dramatically between species.

The ‘centromere paradox’ is that despite this conserved function, many essential centromeric proteins, the chromosomal location or DNA sequence have been reported to be able to evolve rapidly, with incompatibilities between centromeric components thought to be one mechanism of establishing reproductive isolation of emerging species. In addition, this rapid evolution occurs despite the fact the centromeric region are highly suppressed for crossover events in many species.

Recent advances in long read DNA sequencing provide an opportunity to map and understand the structure of centromeres for the first time. This talk will present work from our ongoing project to utilise Nanopore sequencing to map across the Arabidopsis thaliana centromeres, investigate the genetic and epigenetic landscape of these regions and to identify factors affecting centromeric recombination and evolution.

Contact reception@plantsci.cam.ac.uk for a Zoom link prior to a talk if you are not on our mailing list. Due to having to go onine, we are restricting the talks to University of Cambridge and alumni to keep them as informal as possible.