The SMC family: from chromosome condensation to dosage compensation.
Recent genetic analyses in yeasts and biochemical studies in vertebrate cells have led to the discovery of a family of putative ATPases that play a fundamental role in chromosome condensation and segregation in mitosis. One of the members was also found to be involved in dosage compensation in Caenorhabditis elegans, providing a new link between global regulation of gene expression and chromosome structure. This unique family of proteins may control higher-order chromosome dynamics by regulated self-assembly or mechanochemical activity.
Hirano
T
T
Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0450, USA.
Mitchison
T J
TJ
Swedlow
J R
JR
D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000378:metabolism; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008938:Mitosis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae; D014981:Xenopus
D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases