Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42414543›Full record

ArticleCommunications biology2026

Unconventional centromere architectures in Tapirus indicus reveal hotspots for satellite-free centromere formation in Perissodactyla.

Marialaura Biundo, Francesca M Piras, Edoardo Rapisarda, Oliver A Ryder, Solomon G Nergadze, Elena Giulotto, Eleonora Cappelletti

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Article in Communications biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Marialaura Biundo *Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5975-8369
Francesca M Piras *Unit of Anatomic Pathology, IRCCS San Matteo Hospital Foundation, Pavia, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7418-3976
Edoardo RapisardaDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2992-2956
Oliver A RyderConservation Science Wildlife Health, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2427-763X
Solomon G NergadzeDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8121-0189
Elena GiulottoDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4705-2049
Eleonora CappellettiDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy. eleonora.cappelletti@unipv.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0004-2193

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Centromeres, the chromosomal loci responsible for segregation during cell division, play a key role in genome evolution and speciation. While centromere function is highly conserved and epigenetically defined by CENP-A, the underlying DNA sequences are among the most rapidly evolving. Although mammalian centromeres are typically associated with satellite DNA, we previously showed that equids carry numerous satellite-free centromeres. Here, we investigate centromere and karyotype evolution in Tapirus indicus, a non-equid perissodactyl with exceptional karyotypic plasticity. Through CENP-A ChIP-seq analysis on the same individual for which a near-gapless diploid genome assembly generated by the Vertebrate Genome Project was available, we identify 23 canonical satellite-based centromeres, two completely satellite-free centromeres, and one centromere with a very low content of satellite tracts. The unconventional centromeres arose through centromere repositioning, thereby redefining the evolutionary prevalence of satellite-free centromeres across mammals. Comparative genomic analysis uncovers evolutionary hotspots for satellite-free centromere formation across Perissodactyla. Finally, analysis of CENP-B binding shows that T. indicus displays uncoupling between CENP-A and CENP-B, a feature previously observed only in equids. These findings reveal that high centromere plasticity is not unique to equids and support a broader model in which centromere plasticity and CENP-B uncoupling contribute to karyotype evolution in mammals.

Indexed as

CentromereDNA, SatelliteAnimalsCentromere Protein ACentromere Protein BEvolution, MolecularKaryotypeCentromere Protein ACentromere Protein BDNA, Satellite

Identifiers

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Registered trials

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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.