How do SMC complexes load onto DNA to get ready for loop extrusion?

@roisnehamelinf.bsky.social & co discovered that Wadjet, an SMC complex involved in bacterial DNA immunity, performs some impressive molecular gymnastics 🤸‍♂️🤸‍♂️🤸‍♂️.

Check out the new paper: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

The figure was made by @falconierivisuals.bsky.social, so credit for that goes to her

We also discovered 4 previously uncharacterised proteins, which we named centromeric subunits 1-4 (CS module), surprisingly repurposed from the outer kinetochore Dam1/DASH complex. It will be very interesting to see how many other species contain this CS module

Holocentric kinetochore assembles into a self-contained, head-to-head dimers that entrap and loop DNA, creating a point-centromere-like architecture, suggesting that kinetochores might assemble into such foundational "unit modules" to drive diverse centromere architectures across species

Happy to share our latest work on the structure and assembly of holocentric kinetochores! Huge thanks to Ines for a very fruitful collaboration, Claudio for all the support, and congratulations to Christine and all co-authors!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...