Microtubule dynamics decoded by the epigenetic state of centromeric chromatin

Cell division with accurate chromosome segregation is fundamental to cell survival of all organisms. The precise molecular mechanisms that ensure accurate chromosome segregation are still being discovered using a variety of experimental systems and approaches. Microtubule attachment to the kinetochore is a prerequisite for mitotic progression, failure of which activates the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). The dynamic tension generated by interaction of the centromere, kinetochore and microtubules is a key regulator of the SAC. Here, in the context of current literature we discuss our recent observation in fission yeast that epigenetic alterations in centromeric and pericentromeric chromatin can compensate for altered dynamics of kinetochore–microtubule attachment to permit escape from mitotic arrest. A role for the spatial configuration of the centromere to influence the finely tuned regulators of mitotic progression opens up new avenues for research.