Isolation and characterization of the centromere from chromosome V (CEN5) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We have cloned a functional centromeric DNA sequence from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using the 2 mu chromosome-loss mapping technique and meiotic tetrad analysis, we have identified this DNA sequence as the centromere of chromosome V (CEN5). The CEN5 sequence has been localized on an 1,100-base-pair BamHI-BglII restriction fragment. Plasmids containing CEN5 and an autonomously replicating sequence are mitotically stable in S. cerevisiae and segregate in a Mendelian fashion during meiosis.