The terms ‘centromere’ and ‘kinetochore’ were originally coined to describe the region(s) of each chromosome with which the spindle microtubules become associated (Rieger et al. 1976). In recent years, the term ‘centromere’ has largely come to be used by morphologists to describe the primary constriction of mitotic chromosomes. The term ‘kinetochore’ has been used to refer to the circular plaque structure that rests on the surface of the centromeric chromatin and into which microtubules are inserted (Jokelainen, 1967; Brinkley and Stubblefield, 1966). This commentary is concerned with development of a rationale for assignment of newly identified antigens to specific centromere domains and, in particular, to the kinetochore domain.

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