Could condensin scaffold the mitotic chromosome?
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Updated: Aug 25, 2026

A Cell Free Assay to Study Chromatin Decondensation at the End of Mitosis
Published on: December 19, 2015
Paula A Coelho1, Joana Queiroz-Machado, Claudio E Sunkel
1Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
Abstract:
One of the most remarkable and yet poorly understood events during the cell cycle is how dispersed chromatin fragments are transformed into chromosomes every time cells undergo mitosis. It has been postulated that mitotic chromosomes might contain an axial scaffold that is involved in condensation but its molecules and structure have remained elusive. Recent data suggests that the condensin complex might indeed be an essential part of the scaffold that provides a platform for other proteins to localize and promote different aspects of chromosome condensation.
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