Centromere Protein

**Semantic type:** Amino Acid, Peptide, or Protein

**Definition:** A protein that is a component of the kinetochore, a dynamic multiprotein molecular machine that assembles at the centromere of chromosomes. The kinetochore has two protein layers. Proteins in the inner kinetochore are involved in the formation of the specialized chromatin found in the centromere and persist throughout the cell cycle. Proteins in the outer kinetochore are only assembled in mitosis and meiosis, during which they bind to microtubules, mediate chromosome anchoring, control spindle formation, serve to verify the spindle checkpoint and drive chromosome segregation.

**Synonyms:** - CENP - CENTROMERE - Centromeric Protein