Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25242031›Full record

ArticleCurrent biology : CB2014

Centromere strength provides the cell biological basis for meiotic drive and karyotype evolution in mice.

Lukáš Chmátal, Sofia I Gabriel, George P Mitsainas, Jessica Martínez-Vargas, Jacint Ventura, Jeremy B Searle, Richard M Schultz, Michael A Lampson

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Current biology : CB, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 162 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
162citing papers in PubMed
31.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

162 citing papers in PubMed, 270 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Cross-species incompatibilities offer new insights into the functional consequences of satellite DNA evolution.Chromosome research : an international journal on the molecular, supramolecular and evolutionary aspects of chromosome biology · 2026
    Review
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  6. Review
  7. A Vertebrate Toxin-Antidote System That Sabotages Mouse Embryogenesis.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  8. Review
  9. The evolutionary genomics of meiotic drive.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026
    Article
  10. Oocyte Kinetochores at the Nexus of Meiotic Drive and Segregation Fidelity.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026
    Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Centromere regulation in the germline and early embryo.Current opinion in genetics & development · 2025
    Review
  16. Centromeres drive and take a break.Chromosome research : an international journal on the molecular, supramolecular and evolutionary aspects of chromosome biology · 2025
    Review
  17. Article
  18. CENP-A and centromere evolution in equids.Chromosome research : an international journal on the molecular, supramolecular and evolutionary aspects of chromosome biology · 2025
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Pioneers of chromosome elimination.Frontiers in epigenetics and epigenomics · 2025
    Article

102 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.

Lukáš ChmátalDepartment of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Sofia I GabrielCentre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Rua Ernesto Vasconcelos, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal.
George P MitsainasSection of Animal Biology, Department of Biology, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece.
Jessica Martínez-VargasDepartament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain.
Jacint VenturaDepartament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain.
Jeremy B SearleDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, E139 Corson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Richard M SchultzDepartment of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. Electronic address: rschultz@sas.upenn.edu.
Michael A LampsonDepartment of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. Electronic address: lampson@sas.upenn.edu.
South University · USUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona · ESCornell University · USUniversity of Lisbon · PTUniversity of Patras · GR

Funding

Cell biology of meiotic drive in mammalsR01GM107086 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI LAMPSON, MICHAEL · 2013 to 2016
$1.2M
NIGMS NIH HHS GM107086NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM107086
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mammalian karyotypes (number and structure of chromosomes) can vary dramatically over short evolutionary time frames. There are examples of massive karyotype conversion, from mostly telocentric (centromere terminal) to mostly metacentric (centromere internal), in 10(2)-10(5) years. These changes typically reflect rapid fixation of Robertsonian (Rb) fusions, a common chromosomal rearrangement that joins two telocentric chromosomes at their centromeres to create one metacentric. Fixation of Rb fusions can be explained by meiotic drive: biased chromosome segregation during female meiosis in violation of Mendel's first law. However, there is no mechanistic explanation of why fusions would preferentially segregate to the egg in some populations, leading to fixation and karyotype change, while other populations preferentially eliminate the fusions and maintain a telocentric karyotype. Here we show, using both laboratory models and wild mice, that differences in centromere strength predict the direction of drive. Stronger centromeres, manifested by increased kinetochore protein levels and altered interactions with spindle microtubules, are preferentially retained in the egg. We find that fusions preferentially segregate to the polar body in laboratory mouse strains when the fusion centromeres are weaker than those of telocentrics. Conversely, fusion centromeres are stronger relative to telocentrics in natural house mouse populations that have changed karyotype by accumulating metacentric fusions. Our findings suggest that natural variation in centromere strength explains how the direction of drive can switch between populations. They also provide a cell biological basis of centromere drive and karyotype evolution.

Indexed as

Evolution, MolecularKaryotypeMeiosisAnimalsCentromereChromosome AberrationsChromosome SegregationEuropeFemaleMice

Identifiers

PMID25242031
PMCPMC4189972
OpenAlexW2114025873

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.