Thursday, February 19, 2026 2/19/2026

Investigating the role of DNA structure in centromere specification

Award Number: F31GM153153
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2027

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Investigating the role of DNA structure in centromere specification - PROJECT SUMMARY Centromeres are chromosomal loci that bind to meiotic or mitotic spindles to facilitate chromosome segregation and faithful inheritance of genetic information. Errors arising during chromosome segregation can be detrimental to the cell and cause aneuploidies. The location of the centromere is well maintained; however, how centromeric DNA encodes the centromere position is not well understood. Centromeric DNA is defined by the presence of unique centromeric nucleosomes that act as a molecular loading dock for other protein complexes involved in chromosome segregation. Centromeric nucleosomes contain a histone H3 variant, centromere protein A (CENP- A). All human centromeres contain repetitive DNA elements known as alpha satellites; however, alpha satellite sequences vary within a chromosome and between chromosomes. Despite the lack of conserved sequences, the identity of the centromere is highly maintained. In rare cases, centromeres can form outside of their native locus, causing the formation of a stable centromere elsewhere in the genome. The formation of ectopic centromeres, also called neocentromeres, is often associated with chromosomal rearrangements that are found in developmental disorders and cancers. Patient-derived neocentromeres exhibit a non-random distribution in the genome, indicating a targeting mechanism to these sites; however, conserved features of the DNA or chromatin at these sites and at the endogenous centromere have not been discovered yet. This raises interesting questions about how centromeric DNA is encoded. I hypothesize that the CENP-A nucleosomes that define the location of the centromere are targeted to unique DNA structures. To address the existing gap in knowledge, this proposal will use a genomic-based approach to investigate DNA structures and centromere specification. Understanding the requirements for centromere formation that is necessary for chromosome separation can be applied to the development of gene therapies and will provide valuable insights into genomic instability that contributes to disease. This work will allow us to address longstanding questions in the field about how the localization of centromeres is determined in humans, and through this we will better understand how unique DNA structures contribute to cellular function and disease.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $49,538 )
2026	2026	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	3	1/23/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$49,538
														Subtotal = $49,538

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $48,974 )
2025	2025	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	2	1/17/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$48,974
2025	2024	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	12/13/2024	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $48,974

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $48,974 )
2024	2024	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	002	1	6/11/2024	NEW	$1,280
2024	2024	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	1	12/18/2023	NEW	$0
2024	2024	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	12/18/2023	NEW	$47,694
														Subtotal = $48,974

Grand Total All Awards = $147,486

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Investigating the role of DNA structure in centromere specification

Award Number: F31GM153153

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2027

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer