A centromere is the chromosome region where a kinetochore assembles.[ref]
The Process of Meiosis. Biology 2e by Mary Ann Clark and others; §11.1, Prometaphase I, kinetochore proteins at centromeres
Following DNA replication, both sister chromatids have their own copied centromere regions; the counting convention groups the attached sisters as one replicated chromosome. Cohesin maintains sister association: a centromere is not an extra DNA bridge joining two separate DNA molecules.[ref]Cell Division. Biology 2e by Mary Ann Clark and others; §10.1, Eukaryotic Chromosomal Structure and Compaction, final paragraph, centromeric region and cohesin
Propagation or re-establishment of a functional centromeric chromatin state across divisions without specification by a unique DNA sequence alone. Inheritance of chromosome function and invariance of the precise occupied base pairs are different claims.
A functional centromere established at a location different from the ancestral centromere. Its formation can demonstrate that particular repeat arrays are not obligatory for centromeric function.
A kinetochore is a protein assembly at a centromere that attaches a chromosome to microtubules of the spindle apparatus. Each replicated chromosome has sister kinetochores; their attachment and subsequent separation help distribute the copied material. A kinetochore is therefore the attachment machinery, while the centromere is its chromosome site.[ref]
The Process of Meiosis. Biology 2e by Mary Ann Clark and others; §11.1, Prometaphase I and Prometaphase II
The kinetochore ablation experiment tests this mechanical role directly. Counting kinetochores as independent chromosomes before sister separation would confuse duplicated attachment machinery with ploidy.
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