Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Sep;24(9):633-650.
doi: 10.1038/s41580-023-00609-8. Epub 2023 May 25.

Genome control by SMC complexes

Claire Hoencamp  1 , Benjamin D Rowland  2
Affiliations
Review

Genome control by SMC complexes

Claire Hoencamp et al. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Many cellular processes require large-scale rearrangements of chromatin structure. Structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) protein complexes are molecular machines that can provide structure to chromatin. These complexes can connect DNA elements in cis, walk along DNA, build and processively enlarge DNA loops and connect DNA molecules in trans to hold together the sister chromatids. These DNA-shaping abilities place SMC complexes at the heart of many DNA-based processes, including chromosome segregation in mitosis, transcription control and DNA replication, repair and recombination. In this Review, we discuss the latest insights into how SMC complexes such as cohesin, condensin and the SMC5-SMC6 complex shape DNA to direct these fundamental chromosomal processes. We also consider how SMC complexes, by building chromatin loops, can counteract the natural tendency of alike chromatin regions to cluster. SMC complexes thus control nuclear organization by participating in a molecular tug of war that determines the architecture of our genome.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Chuang, P. T., Albertson, D. G. & Meyer, B. J. DPY-27: a chromosome condensation protein homolog that regulates C. elegans dosage compensation through association with the X chromosome. Cell 79, 459–474 (1994). - PubMed - DOI
    1. Niki, H., Jaffe, A., Imamura, R., Ogura, T. & Hiraga, S. The new gene mukB codes for a 177 kD protein with coiled-coil domains involved in chromosome partitioning of E. coli. EMBO J. 10, 183–193 (1991). - PubMed - PMC - DOI
    1. Guacci, V., Koshland, D. & Strunnikov, A. A direct link between sister chromatid cohesion and chromosome condensation revealed through the analysis of MCD1 in S. cerevisiae. Cell 91, 47–57 (1997). - PubMed - PMC - DOI
    1. Hirano, T. & Mitchison, T. J. A heterodimeric coiled-coil protein required for mitotic chromosome condensation in vitro. Cell 79, 449–458 (1994). - PubMed - DOI
    1. Michaelis, C., Ciosk, R. & Nasmyth, K. Cohesins: chromosomal proteins that prevent premature separation of sister chromatids. Cell 91, 35–45 (1997). - PubMed - DOI

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources