HJURP binds CENP-A via a highly conserved N-terminal domain and mediates its deposition at centromeres.

The human histone H3 variant, CENP-A, replaces the conventional histone H3 in centromeric chromatin and, together with centromere-specific DNA-binding factors, directs the assembly of the kinetochore. We purified the prenucelosomal e-CENP-A complex. We found that HJURP, a member of the complex, was required for cell cycle specific targeting of CENP-A to centromeres. HJURP facilitated efficient deposition of CENP-A/H4 tetramers to naked DNA in vitro. Bacterially expressed HJURP binds at a stoichiometric ratio to the CENP-A/H4 tetramer but not to the H3/H4 tetramer. The binding occurred through a conserved HJURP short N-terminal domain, termed CBD. The novel characteristic identified in vertebrates that we named TLTY box of CBD, was essential for formation of the HJURP-CENP-A/H4 complex. Our data identified HJURP as a vertebrate CENP-A chaperone and dissected its mode of interactions with CENP-A.