Pericentric chromatin is organized into an intramolecular loop in mitosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cohesin proteins link sister chromatids and provide the basis for tension between bioriented sister chomatids in mitosis. Cohesin is concentrated at the centromere region of the chromosome despite the fact that sister centromeres can be separated by 800 nm in vivo. The function of cohesin at sites of separated DNA is unknown.

Results

We provide evidence that the kinetochore promotes the organization of pericentric chromatin into a cruciform in mitosis such that centromere-flanking DNA adopts an intramolecular loop, whereas sister-chromatid arms are paired intermolecularly. Visualization of cohesin subunits by fluorescence microscopy revealed a cylindrical structure that encircles the central spindle and spans the distance between sister kinetochores. Kinetochore a

SUBMITTER: Yeh E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2238682 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature