Condensin Complex Chemically Motors Along DNA


Science has known For more than a century that DNA in the cell is comparable to a plate of spaghetti — a jumble of intermingled strands.

When cells divide, they have to pack two metres of DNA into tidy little packages — chromosomes. This packing is induced by proteins called condensin, but scientists are split regarding the actual mechanism.

One argument holds that the protein works like a hook, randomly grasping somewhere in the jumble of DNA and tying it all together. Another holds that the ring-shaped protein pulls the DNA inward to create a loop.

In a new study, researchers from TU Delft, Heidelberg and Columbia University give the loop-extrusion argument a significant boost, demonstrating that condensin does, indeed, have the putative motor function required for this dynamic.

The Condensin Loop Theory

As early as 1882, the renowned biologist Walter Flemming recorded the process of condensation of DNA. Looking through a microscope, he saw how a cell neatly organised the bundles of DNA and subsequently divided them into two new cells.


“There are different schools on this question within the field of cell biology. In recent years, the hypothesis that condensin extrudes loops has been winning ground, supported by computer simulations. The idea is that that the ring-shaped condensin grabs the DNA and pulls it through its ring in a loop-like fashion.

This is only possible if the protein has motor activity. One problem with this loop extrusion model was that up until now, a motor function of this kind had not been detected. In addition, too much energy would be required to pull the loops through the ring, far more than the fuel usage that was observed for condensin,”


Motor Function

In their article, the researchers show for the first time that condensin does have a motor function. They positioned DNA molecules that were stretched on a surface and added condensin proteins, each fitted with a light-emitting quantum dot to enable observation.

Jorine Eeftens, graduate student at Delft and one of the first authors, said:

“We observed how condensin does, indeed, translocate along the DNA. This only happened if fuel was present, in this case the molecule ATP – the petrol that powers all processes in a cell. The results also show that condensin takes extremely large steps on the DNA, and therefore needs significantly less ATP than previously thought.”


Condensin is therefore able to move a piece of DNA in relation to another, which corresponds with the idea of loop formation.

“The exact underlying mechanism is still open to discussion. But this discovery is certainly an enormous boost to the loop extrusion camp. We have also shown that the amount of energy used is a lot less than previously thought,”

says Cees Dekker.

The research represents a significant step in the fundamental understanding of cells, but it is also relevant for medical research. Problems with the protein family to which condensin belongs, the SMC proteins, are related to hereditary conditions such as Cornelia de Lange Syndrome.


Tsuyoshi Terakawa, Shveta Bisht, Jorine M. Eeftens, Cees Dekker, Christian H. Haering, Eric C. Greene
The condensin complex is a mechanochemical motor that translocates along DNA
Science 07 Sep 2017: eaan6516 DOI: 10.1126/science.aan6516

Image: Tremani/Cees Dekker Lab TU Delft