The COMA complex is required for positioning Ipl1 activity proximal to Cse4 nucleosomes in budding yeast
Kinetochores are macromolecular protein complexes assembled on centromeric chromatin that ensure accurate chromosome segregation by linking DNA to spindle microtubules and integrating safeguard mechanisms. A kinetochore-associated pool of Ipl1Aurora B kinase, a subunit of the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC), was previously implicated in feedback control mechanisms. To study the kinetochore subunit connectivity built on budding yeast point centromeres and its CPC interactions we performed crosslink-guided in vitro reconstitution. The Ame1/Okp1CENP-U/Q heterodimer, forming the COMA complex with Ctf19/Mcm21CENP-P/O, selectively bound Cse4CENP-A nucleosomes through the Cse4 N-terminus and thereby establishes a direct link to the outer kinetochore MTW1 complex. The Sli15/Ipl1INCENP/Aurora B core-CPC interacted with COMA through the Ctf19 C-terminus, and artificial tethering of Sli15 to Ame1/Okp1 rescued synthetic lethality upon Ctf19/Mcm21 deletion in a Sli15 centromere-targeting deficient mutant. This study reveals characteristics of the inner kinetochore architecture assembled at point centromeres and the relevance of its Sli15/Ipl1 interaction for CPC function.