Centromeric CDEIII region binding protein; nucleates kinetochore assembly; required for the structural integrity of elongating spindles; copurifies with subunits of the MIND complex and centromeric nucleosome components (Cse4p and histones H2A, H2B, and H4); phosphorylated by Ipl1p; orthologous to human centromere constitutive-associated network (CCAN) subunit CENP-C and fission yeast cnp3; localizes to the kinetochore