Ines Drinnenberg: Wings of Change: Evolution of centromere and genome organisation in Lepidoptera

Chromatin is essential for many processes that ensure the proper functioning of eukaryotic cells. It shapes both linear and three-dimensional genome organization and specifies chromosomal regions such as centromeres, which are required for accurate chromosome segregation. Chromatin-associated factors further organize genomes in 3D to facilitate chromosome transmission during mitosis and regulate gene expression. However, chromatin composition varies substantially across eukaryotes, and how these differences influence genome organization remains poorly understood. In our lab, we address these questions using Lepidoptera as a model system. We investigate the organization and regulation of holocentric centromeres, which extend across large chromosomal domains and are specified in the absence of CENP-A, the histone variant that defines centromere identity in many other eukaryotes. In parallel, we study the formation, function, and evolution of 3D genome organization in Lepidoptera, with a particular focus on a novel type of chromatin compartment that we recently identified in the silkmoth Bombyx mori.