Mitotic chromatin compaction tethers extrachromosomal DNA to chromosomes and prevents their mis-segregation into micronuclei.

ABSTRACT: Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) is linked to aggressive cancer growth, treatment resistance, and shorter survival across a wide variety of cancers. ecDNA promotes intratumoral genetic heterogeneity, enhanced oncogene expression, and accelerated tumor evolution, driving tumor pathogenesis. ecDNA lacks centromeres and segregates to daughter cell nuclei during mitosis by tethering to chromosomes. However, the mechanisms involved in this tethering are incompletely understood. Here, I present evidence that ecDNA tethering to chromosomes is coupled with chromatin compaction during mitotic chromosome formation, which acts to generally increase chromatin-chromatin interaction. Using a cancer cell line model, I show that decompacting mitotic chromatin under hypotonic conditions and by increasing histo

SUBMITTER: Yang LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12857182 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature