A histone modification that alters the nucleosome structure occurs in mitosis and promotes chromosome packaging and the timely removal of condensin I and cohesion, to achieve chromosome segregation.
Contrary to the generally accepted model, condensin maintains proper gene expression by promoting the accurate segregation of chromosomes and the partitioning of the RNA-exosome throughout mitosis, instead of directly regulating transcription.
Condensin I maintains chromosome organization throughout metaphase by preventing erroneous topoisomerase II-dependent sister chromatid re-entanglements.
The condensin I subunit Cap-G is expressed in post-mitotic neurons and its removal, especially from less mature neurons, results in gene expression changes, reduced survival and behavioural defects in Drosophila.
Reconstitution of DNA loop extrusion in cellular contexts using Xenopus egg extracts shows that condensin extrudes DNA loops non-symmetrically in metaphase, whereas cohesin extrudes DNA loops symmetrically in interphase.
The Smc–ScpAB complex-a prokaryotic ancestor of cohesin, condensin and Smc5/6-loads onto the bacterial chromosome by employing ATP hydrolysis to capture DNA fibers within its tripartite ring.
A combination of structural, biochemical, single-molecule and in vivo methods are used to show how ParB locally condenses the bacterial chromosome near the origin and earmarks this region for segregation.
C. elegans equalizes the expression of X-chromosome genes between the sexes by reducing the recruitment of RNA polymerase II to promoters of X-linked genes in hermaphrodites, using a chromosome-restructuring complex called condensin.
