Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America.
PLoS Genet. 2012;8(8):e1002873. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002873. Epub 2012 Aug 30.
The eukaryotic nucleus is both spatially and functionally partitioned. This organization contributes to the maintenance, expression, and transmission of genetic information. Though our ability to probe the physical structure of the genome within the nucleus has improved substantially in recent years, relatively little is known about the factors that regulate its organization or the mechanisms through which specific organizational states are achieved. Here, we show that Drosophila melanogaster Condensin II induces axial compaction of interphase chromosomes, globally disrupts interchromosomal interactions, and promotes the dispersal of peri-centric heterochromatin. These Condensin II activities compartmentalize the nucleus into discrete chromosome territories and indicate commonalities in the mechanisms that regulate the spatial structure of the genome during mitosis and interphase.
真核细胞核在空间和功能上是分隔的。这种组织有助于遗传信息的维持、表达和传递。尽管近年来我们探测核内基因组物理结构的能力有了显著提高，但对于调节其组织的因素或实现特定组织状态的机制知之甚少。在这里，我们表明果蝇 Condensin II 诱导了有丝分裂期染色体的轴向压缩，全局破坏了染色体间的相互作用，并促进了周边异染色质的分散。这些 Condensin II 的活性将细胞核分隔成离散的染色体区域，并表明在有丝分裂和有丝分裂期间调节基因组空间结构的机制具有共同性。
