Drosophila Dalmatian combines sororin and shugoshin roles in establishment and protection of cohesion

Sister chromatid cohesion is crucial to ensure chromosome bi‐orientation and equal chromosome segregation. Cohesin removal via mitotic kinases and Wapl has to be prevented in pericentromeric regions in order to protect cohesion until metaphase, but the mechanisms of mitotic cohesion protection remain elusive in Drosophila. Here, we show that dalmatian (Dmt), an ortholog of the vertebrate cohesin‐associated protein sororin, is required for protection of mitotic cohesion in flies. Dmt is essential for cohesion establishment during interphase and is enriched on pericentromeric heterochromatin. Dmt is recruited through direct association with heterochromatin protein‐1 (HP1), and this interaction is required for cohesion. During mitosis, Dmt interdependently recruits protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) to pericentromeric regions, and PP2A binding is required for Dmt to protect cohesion. Intriguingly, Dmt is sufficient to protect cohesion upon heterologous expression in human cells. Our findings of a hybrid system, in which Dmt exerts both sororin‐like establishment functions and shugoshin‐like heterochromatin‐based protection roles, provide clues to the evolutionary modulation of eukaryotic cohesion regulation systems.