A FUNCTIONAL NEO-CENTROMERE FORMED THROUGH ACTIVATION OF A LATENT HUMAN CENTROMERE AND CONSISTING OF NON-ALPHA-SATELLITE DNA

We recently described a human marker chromosome containing a functiona l neo-centromere that binds anticentromere antibodies, but is devoid o f centromeric alpha-satellite repeats and derived from a hitherto non- centromeric: region of chromosome 10q25. Chromosome walking using clon ed single-copy DNA from this region enabled us to identify the antibod y-binding domain of this centromere. Extensive restriction mapping ind icates that this domain has an identical genomic organization to the c orresponding normal chromosomal region, suggesting a mechanism for the origin of this centromere through the activation of a latent centrome re that exists within 10q25.