Premium
The SMC proteins and the coming of age of the chromosome scaffold hypothesis
Author(s) -
Saitoh Noriko,
Goldberg Iiya,
Earnshaw William C.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.950170905
Subject(s) - premature chromosome condensation , mitosis , chromosome , chromosome segregation , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , scaffold protein , scaffold , dna , genetics , signal transduction , gene , medicine , biomedical engineering
Abstract The mechanism of chromosome condensation is one of the classic mysteries of mitosis. A number of years ago, it was suggested that nonhistone proteins of the chromosome scaffold fraction might help chromosomes to condense, possibly by constructing a framework for the condensed structure. Recent results have shown that topoisomerase II and the SMC proteins, two abundant members of the scaffold fraction, are required for chromosome condensation and segregation during mitosis. Topoisomerase II is a well‐characterized enzyme. In contrast, nothing is yet known about the function of the SMC proteins. We summarize evidence suggesting that these proteins may be enzymes whose activity is somehow involved in the establishment and maintenance of mitotic chromosome morphology.