Abstract: It is intended to provide an artificial mammalian chromosome which is stably held in mammalian cells and allows efficient expression of a target gene carried thereby. Namely, a first cyclic vector containing a mammalian centromere sequence and a selection marker gene and a second cyclic vector containing a functional sequence are transferred into mammalian host cells. Then transformed cells are selected by using the above-described selection marker gene and cells holding an artificial mammalian chromosome are selected from among the transformed cells thus selected. Thus, it is possible to construct an artificial mammalian chromosome which has a mammalian replication origin, the mammalian centromere sequence and the functional sequence, is in a cyclic form, can be replicated in mammalian cells, extrachromosomally held in the host cells and transferred to daughter cells in cell division.

Abstract: It is intended to provide an artificial mammalian chromosome which is stably held in mammalian cells and allows efficient expression of a target gene carried thereby. Namely, a first cyclic vector containing a mammalian centromere sequence and a selection marker gene and a second cyclic vector containing a functional sequence are transferred into mammalian host cells. Then transformed cells are selected by using the above-described selection marker gene and cells holding an artificial mammalian chromosome are selected from among the transformed cells thus selected. Thus, it is possible to construct an artificial mammalian chromosome which has a mammalian replication origin, the mammalian centromere sequence and the functional sequence, is in a cyclic form, can be replicated in mammalian cells, extrachromosomally held in the host cells and transferred to daughter cells in cell division.

Abstract: It is intended to provide antibodies, in particular, monoclonal antibodies against, as antigens, peptides comprising N-terminal ? amino acid sequences of a protein CENP-A expressed in centromeres in chromosome and a process for producing the same. Antibodies against partial-length peptides of the CENP-A protein expressed in centromeres in chromosome (preferably a peptide having the amino acid sequence of 3- to 19-positions of the CENP-A protein, a peptide having the amino acid sequence of 27- to 40-positions thereof or a peptide having the amino acid sequence of 126- to 140-positions thereof); and a process for producing the same. A method of solubilizing a centromere chromatin while sustaining its completeness by treating with 0.3 M NaCl and MNase. A method of using an anti-CENP-A antibody which comprises chemically bonding the antibody to a support and isolating and purifying the same by the immunoprecipitation method.

Abstract: A mammalian chromosome is produced according to the method comprising the steps of introducing a DNA construct comprising a mammalian telomere and a centromere into a mammalian cell, wherein the centromere has a DNA sequence containing a plurality of copies of the CENP-B box sequence consisting of: 5′-NTTCGNNNNANNCGGGN-3′, wherein N is any one of A, T, C and G.

Abstract: A mammalian chromosome is produced according to the method comprising the steps of introducing a DNA construct comprising a mammalian telomere and a centromere into a mammalian cell, wherein the centromere has a DNA sequence containing a plurality of copies of the CENP-B box sequence consisting of: 5′-NTTCGNNNNANNCGGGN-3′, wherein N is any one of A, T, C and G.

Abstract: A mammalian chromosome is produced according to the method comprising the steps of: introducing a DNA construct comprising a mammalian telomere and a centromere into a mammalian cell, wherein the centromere has a DNA sequence containing a plurality of copies of the CENP-B box sequence consisting of: 5′-NTTCGNNNNANNCGGGN-3′, wherein N is any one of A, T, C and G.