DNA loop extrusion is a method used to analyze how DNA is compacted into the nucleus whilst bringing regulatory elements close to protein coding genes. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the genetic ...

It is one of the mysteries in biology: how does a cell neatly distribute its replicated DNA between two daughter cells? Scientists are split into two camps: the first argues that condensing works like ...

As it squeezes down the chromatin fiber, the cohesin protein complex extrudes a growing loop of DNA -- a bit like the quick-lacing system of trail-running shoes. But what is powering the movement of ...

How does a meter-long strand of DNA fit inside a cell without forming a tangled mess? This accomplishment comes courtesy of structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) proteins, which orchestrate the ...

Because I find it hard to relate to something as small as the structure of the human genome, I like to imagine it scaled up a millionfold. At this size, each DNA molecule—a chromosome—is as wide as a ...

The paper M. Ganji et al., “Real-time imaging of DNA loop extrusion by condensin,” Science, doi:10.1126/science.aar7831, 2018. How does a human cell neatly pack ...

To separate replicated sister chromatids during mitosis, eukaryotes and prokaryotes have structural maintenance of chromosome (SMC) condensin complexes that were recently shown to organize chromosomes ...