Condensin targets and reduces unwound DNA structures associated with transcription in mitotic chromosome condensation.

ABSTRACT: Chromosome condensation is a hallmark of mitosis in eukaryotes and is a prerequisite for faithful segregation of genetic material to daughter cells. Here we show that condensin, which is essential for assembling condensed chromosomes, helps to preclude the detrimental effects of gene transcription on mitotic condensation. ChIP-seq profiling reveals that the fission yeast condensin preferentially binds to active protein-coding genes in a transcription-dependent manner during mitosis. Pharmacological and genetic attenuation of transcription largely rescue bulk chromosome segregation defects observed in condensin mutants. We also demonstrate that condensin is associated with and reduces unwound DNA segments generated by transcription, providing a direct link between an in vitro activity of co

SUBMITTER: Sutani T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4525155 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature