Accurate segregation of genetic information during cell division relies on a multiprotein complex called the kinetochore, whose formation requires specialized centromeric chromatin. Two papers in this issue of Nature Cell Biology identify a multitude of new vertebrate kinetochore proteins that provide insight into the link between centromeric chromatin and the kinetochore, and suggest a functional relationship between centromeres and nucleoli during interphase.
- Barbara Mellone
- Sylvia Erhardt
- Gary H. Karpen