Decoding Mitotic Chromosome Assembly: Three Rules Governing Condensin-Cohesin Engagement

Mitotic chromosome formation depends on coordinated SMC complex activities, yet how condensin engages cohesin during this process remains unclear. Samejima et al. combined synchronized mitotic entry, auxin-inducible degrons, high-resolution Hi-C, live-cell imaging, quantitative proteomics, and polymer simulations to dissect condensin I, condensin II, and cohesin interplay in vertebrate cells. They showed that condensins actively displace extrusive cohesin to dismantle interphase chromatin and build nested mitotic loops. Condensin II generates large, helical loops, and condensin I forms finer loops, together yielding the canonical rodlike mitotic chromosome. Cohesin, while preserving sister-chromatid cohesion, relocates to loop tips without blocking condensin. The study also reports the first in vivo measurements of condensin loop-extrusion speed. This work establishes a mechanistic, quantitative framework for mitotic chromosome architecture and offers predictive models for future genome-organization- and SMC-related pathology studies.