Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • NEWS AND VIEWS

A phase transition for chromosome transmission when cells divide

An analysis of chromosomes during mitotic cell division reveals that DNA and associated histone proteins condense through a process called phase transition, which helps them to resist the pushing forces involved in mitosis.
  1. Kazuhiro Maeshima

    1. Kazuhiro Maeshima is in the Genome Dynamics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan, and in the Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI, Shizuoka.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

The faithful transmission of matching copies of DNA from a dividing mother cell to its two daughters requires the DNA to be tightly compacted. This process is fundamental to the mitotic cell divisions needed for an organism’s development and maintenance, but the underlying physical principles of chromosome compaction remain unclear. Writing in Nature, Schneider et al.1 provide evidence that a key aspect of accurate chromosome transmission is condensation into a more solid-like state through a process called phase transition.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 609, 35-36 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01925-3

References

  1. Schneider, M. W. G. et al. Nature 609, 183–190 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Maeshima, K., Iida, S. & Tamura, S. Cold Spring Harb. Perspect. Biol. 13, a040675 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Hirano, T. Cell 164, 847–857 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Rieder, C. L. & Salmon, E. D. J. Cell Biol. 124, 223–233 (1994).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Houlard, M. et al. Nature Cell Biol. 17, 771–781 (2015).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Samejima, K. et al. J. Cell Sci. 131, jcs210187 (2018).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Zhiteneva, A. et al. Open Biol. 7, 170076 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Gibson, B. A. et al. Cell 179, 470–484 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Hyman, A. A., Weber, C. A. & Jülicher, F. Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 30, 39–58 (2014).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Ashwin, S. S., Nozaki, T., Maeshima, K. & Sasai, M. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 19939–19944 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Iida, S. et al. Sci. Adv. 8, eabn5626 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Kakui, Y., Rabinowitz, A., Barry, D. J. & Uhlmann, F. Nature Genet. 49, 1553–1557 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Davidson, I. F. & Peters, J.-M. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 22, 445–464 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Gerguri, T. et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 49, 1294–1312 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Kinoshita, K. et al. J. Cell Biol. 221, e202109016 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links