CENP-C_C is a C-terminal family of fungal and eukaryote proteins necessary for centromere formation. CENP-C is the inner-kinetochore centromere (CEN) binding protein. In the budding-yeast, Mif2, the yeast homologue, binds in the CDEIII region of the centromere, and has been shown to recruit a substantial subset of all inner and outer kinetochore proteins [1]. Mif2 adopts a cupin fold and is extremely similar both in polypeptide chain conformation and in dimer geometry to the dimerisation domain of a bacterial transcription factor [1]. The Mif2 dimer appears to be part of an enhanceosome-like structure that nucleates kinetochore assembly in budding yeast [1]. This C-terminal domain is the region via which CENP-C localises to centromeres throughout the cell cycle 2,3].

1: Structural and Functional Dissection of Mif2p, a Conserved DNA-binding Kinetochore Protein. Cohen RL, Espelin CW, De Wulf P, Sorger PK, Harrison SC, Simons KT; Mol Biol Cell. 2008; [Epub ahead of print] PMID:18701705

2: The C-terminal domain of CENP-C displays multiple and critical functions for mammalian centromere formation. Trazzi S, Perini G, Bernardoni R, Zoli M, Reese JC, Musacchio A, Della Valle G; PLoS One. 2009;4:e5832. PMID:19503796

3: CENP-C is a structural platform for kinetochore assembly. Przewloka MR, Venkei Z, Bolanos-Garcia VM, Debski J, Dadlez M, Glover DM; Curr Biol. 2011;21:399-405. PMID:21353555