Dense packaging of genomic DNA is crucial for organismal survival, as DNA length always far exceeds the dimensions of the cells that contain it. Organisms, therefore, use sophisticated machineries to ...

Scientists from the Kavli Institute of Delft University of Technology and the IMP Vienna Biocenter have discovered a new property of the molecular motors that shape our chromosomes. While six years ...

Trying to segregate disorganized chromosomes is a feat akin to unpacking tangled Christmas lights. But through largely unknown processes, proteins called condensins help organize DNA during cell ...

Histone-based chromatin is widely present in the Archaea and predates the origin of eukaryotes from an archaeal ancestor 1,2. Histone fold proteins have also been identified in bacteria 3 and ...

Chromosomes are a highly condensed form of DNA and are crucial for cell division. During mitosis, chromosomes ensure that genetic material is equally divided among the daughter cells. Interestingly, ...

A research team have discovered a mechanism of flowering plant sperm compaction and gathered clues as to why it is required. Sperm cells have compact bundles of DNA, yet exactly how and why sperm cell ...

Sperm cells have compact bundles of DNA, yet exactly how and why sperm cell nuclei are condensed in flowering plants has been a mystery, until now. A research team from the John Innes Centre have ...