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Analysis of institutional authors

Villasante ACorresponding AuthorAbad JAuthor
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The birth of the centromere

Publicated to:CELL CYCLE. 6 (23): 2872-2876 - 2007-12-01 6(23), DOI: 10.4161/cc.6.23.5047

Authors: Villasante A; Méndez-Lago M; Abad J; De Garcíni E

Affiliations

Univ Autonoma Madrid, Ctr Biol Mol Severo Ochoa, E-28049 Madrid, Spain - Author
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid - Author

Abstract

The centromere is the region of the eukaryotic chromosome that determines kinetochore formation and sister chromatid cohesion. Centromeres interact with spindle microtubules to ensure chromatid segregation during mitosis and homologous chromosome segregation during meiosis I. In recent years, the overall organization of centromeres in several eukaryotic species has been described, yet the mechanisms of centromere definition remain elusive. Understanding the evolutionary origin of the centromere may well elucidate aspects of its function. With such intention, we hypothesize that centromeres were derived from telomeres during the evolution of the eukaryotic chromosome. We propose that the proto-eukaryotic cell could not have evolved a nucleus without concurrently evolving a new tubulin-based cytoskeleton, the microtubules and a specific chromosomal region that enabled the chromosome-microtubule interaction, the centromere. The repetitive nature of the subtelomeric regions that gave rise to the centromeres forced the concerted evolution of the centromeres. Although this implies the absence of a conserved primary sequence, a conserved centromere-specific structural motif could still exist and determine where in the chromosome the centromere is to be formed. To support the "centromeres-from-telomeres" hypothesis, we discuss several situations, in meiosis and mitosis, where telomeric regions took over centromeric roles. The recently discovered phenomenon of centromere repositioning is also discussed because it has revealed new insights into how neocentromeres evolve.

Keywords
CentromereConcerted evolutionMicrotubulesNeocentromereTelomere

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal CELL CYCLE due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2007, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Medicine (Miscellaneous). Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2025-05-23:

  • WoS: 14
  • Scopus: 14
  • Europe PMC: 7
  • OpenCitations: 12
Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-05-23:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 32 (PlumX).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Villasante Atienza, Alfredo) and Last Author (De Garcíni E).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Villasante Atienza, Alfredo.