Here’s how cells rapidly stuff two meters of DNA into microscopic capsules
Two proteins form loops and a spiral helix that facilitate speedy packing

PACK IT UP Before dividing, a cell bundles each of its chromosomes (gray and colored strings in this simulation of a single chromosome) into a tightly-packed, orderly cylinder. A protein that creates a central, spiral scaffold (red links) is partly responsible for the efficient packing, a new study finds.
A. Goloborodko and J. Gibcus, with input from K. Samejima, B. Earnshaw, L. Mirny and J. Dekker
This article is only available to Science News subscribers.
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives.
