title: A close look at wiggly chromosomes.
abstract: In a recent issue of Cell, Fisher et al. (2013) use high-resolution time-lapse imaging to peer into bacterial genome (nucleoid) structure. The nucleoid, an elastic filament confined via an internal network, undergoes periodic fluctuations critical in relieving tension. Programmed tethers and their release highlight a primordial mechanical cycle for chromosome segregation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280, USA. kbloom@email.unc.edu
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bloom
mesh_terms: D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics*