The N-terminal Tail of C. elegans CENP-A Interacts with KNL-2 and is Essential for Centromeric Chromatin Assembly

Centromeres are epigenetically defined by the presence of the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CENP-A. A specialized loading machinery, including the histone chaperone HJURP/Scm3, participates in CENP-A nucleosome assembly. However, Scm3/HJURP is missing from multiple lineages, including nematodes, which rely on a CENP-A-dependent centromere. Here, we show that the extended N-terminal tail of C. elegans CENP-A contains a predicted structured region that is essential for centromeric chromatin assembly. Removal of this region of the CENP-A N-Tail prevents loading, resulting in failure of kinetochore assembly and defective chromosome condensation. By contrast, the N-Tail mutant CENP-A localizes normally in the presence of endogenous CENP-A. The portion of the N-Tail containing the predicted structured region binds to KNL-2, a conserved SANTA and Myb domain-containing protein (referred to as M18BP1 in vertebrates), that is specifically involved in CENP-A chromatin assembly. This direct interaction is conserved in the related nematode C. briggsae, despite divergence of the N-Tail and KNL-2 primary sequences. Thus, the extended N-Tail of CENP-A is essential for CENP-A chromatin assembly in C. elegans and partially substitutes for the function of Scm3/HJURP, in that it mediates an interaction of the specialized histone fold of CENP-A with KNL-2. These results highlight an evolutionary variation on centromeric chromatin assembly in the absence of a dedicated CENP-A-specific chaperone/targeting factor of the Scm3/HJURP family.