Dynamic molecular linkers of the genome: the first decade of SMC proteins

Structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) proteins are chromosomal ATPases, highly conserved from bacteria to humans, that play fundamental roles in many aspects of higher-order chromosome organization and dynamics. In eukaryotes, SMC1 and SMC3 act as the core of the cohesin complexes that mediate...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inGenes & development Vol. 19; no. 11; pp. 1269 - 1287
Main Authors Losada, Ana, Hirano, Tatsuya
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.06.2005
Subjects
Animals
Cell Cycle Proteins - genetics
Cell Cycle Proteins - physiology
Genome
Humans
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) proteins are chromosomal ATPases, highly conserved from bacteria to humans, that play fundamental roles in many aspects of higher-order chromosome organization and dynamics. In eukaryotes, SMC1 and SMC3 act as the core of the cohesin complexes that mediate sister chromatid cohesion, whereas SMC2 and SMC4 function as the core of the condensin complexes that are essential for chromosome assembly and segregation. Another complex containing SMC5 and SMC6 is implicated in DNA repair and checkpoint responses. The SMC complexes form unique ring- or V-shaped structures with long coiled-coil arms, and function as ATP-modulated, dynamic molecular linkers of the genome. Recent studies shed new light on the mechanistic action of these SMC machines and also expanded the repertoire of their diverse cellular functions. Dissecting this class of chromosomal ATPases is likely to be central to our understanding of the structural basis of genome organization, stability, and evolution.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 23
ObjectType-Feature-3
ObjectType-Review-1
ISSN:0890-9369
1549-5477
DOI:10.1101/gad.1320505