An atlas of eukaryotic centromere architecture reveals recurrent evolutionary dynamics
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Centromeres evolved at the root of eukaryotes to segregate chromosomes during cell division 1–4 . Despite their ancient origin, centromeric DNA sequences evolve rapidly and adopt diverse architectures, including point centromeres, satellite arrays, transposon clusters, and holocentrics 2,5–12 . To analyse centromere evolution at a broad scale, we characterised architectures across 325 diverse Darwin Tree of Life genome assemblies 13 . Centromere architecture is evolutionarily labile, and similar configurations arise independently across divergent lineages. In plants and animals, we modelled centromere evolution as a recurrent cycle, in which satellite- and transposon-based architectures interconvert, with independent origins of holocentricity. We curated >23 million satellite repeats comprising 263 families from 165 species. Despite sequence divergence between satellite families, higher order repeats are prevalent, indicating constraint on repeat architecture rather than primary sequence. Satellite arrays are heavily invaded by diverse transposon families, consistent with convergent adaptation to the centromeric niche. In 89 species, transposons themselves constitute the primary centromere structure. We observed centrophilic transposons forming tandem arrays, suggesting mechanisms for satellite regeneration. Our sample includes five independent origins of holocentricity in plants and animals, which vary in association with periodic satellite arrays. We propose that genetic instability, centrophilic transposition, and transmission distortion promote recurrent centromere architectural interconversions during evolution.
Authors: Piotr Włodzimierz, Estela Perez-Roman, Jacob Gonzalez Isa, Michael Hong, Meng Zhang, Ludmila Oliveira, Katharine Jenike, Robin Burns, Pio Sierra, Matthias Heuberger, Chenxi Zhou, Sagarika Koppera, Mia Becker, Nicola Gorringe, Petr Novak, Yennifer Mata-Sucre, Giulio Formenti, Felipe Karam Teixeira, Ines Anna Drinnenberg, Ioannis Kontoyiannis, Kamil Jaron, Marcela Uilano-Silva, André Marques, Jiří Macas, Mark Blaxter, Richard Durbin, Alexandros Bousios, Ian R. Henderson
Institutions: University of Cambridge, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, University of Sussex, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, Rockefeller University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Sorbonne Université, Institut Curie, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Nord University
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214079450