This now makes Arabidopsis the leading candidate for thorough sequencing of the entire genome in a higher organism. The Arabidopsis Genome Project hopes to complete sequencing of the first full plant genome by the end of 2000. The sequences of chromosomes 2 and 4 were published in Nature on December 16.
Centromeres are pivotal structures near the center of each chromosome.
They are essential for cell division because they form the point of attachment for spindles, the fibers that separate DNA strands into equal piles before cell division. The DNA near the centromeres is highly condensed, packed and coiled so tightly that it can thwart many types of anaysis. Unfortunately, tetrads are not stable in most multi-cellular organisms. This has prevented the precise mapping of centromere boundaries. Other attemps to sequence centromeres have been thwarted by the highly repetitive properties of these regions.