The molecular mechanism of how centromere-specific histone H3 variants are specifically localized to centromeres is not well understood.
The Mis18 complex is responsible for the centromere recruitment of the CENP-ACnp1/H4:Scm3sp complex.
Mis16, a component of the Mis18 complex in fission yeast, recognizes the helix 1 of histone H4.
Mis16 also recognizes the C-terminal region of Scm3sp independently.
Dual recognition of Mis16 through histone H4 and Scm3sp provides the specificity toward CENP-ACnp1.