Artist’s representation of how the condensin complex (yellow) creates DNA loops (blue) to form X-shaped chromosomes during cell division. (Image: illustratoren.de / TobiasWuestefeld)
Artist's representation of how the condensin complex ( yellow ) creates DNA loops ( blue ) to form X-shaped chromosomes during cell division. (Image: illustratoren.de / TobiasWuestefeld) - Researchers from Heidelberg and Würzburg have uncovered the inner workings of the molecular machinery that shapes chromosomes during cell division. Our cells perform a marvel of engineering when it comes to packing information into small spaces. Every time a cell divides, it bundles up an amazing 4 metres of DNA into 46 tiny packages, each of which is only several millionths of a metre in length. Researchers from EMBL Heidelberg and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have now discovered how a family of DNA motor proteins succeeds in packaging loosely arranged strands of DNA into compact individual chromosomes during cell division. Condensin forms loops of DNA. The researchers studied condensin, a protein complex critical to the process of chromosome formation.
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