In a dividing cell, chromosome pairs are pulled apart thanks to attachment sites called centromeres. Yeast genomes reveal key steps in how centromeres have evolved. In a dividing cell, chromosome pairs are pulled apart thanks to attachment sites called centromeres. Yeast genomes reveal key steps in how centromeres have evolved.

Chromosome Research -

Structural maintenance of chromosome (SMC) complexes organize and segregate DNA via loop extrusion, but the mechanism of the initial DNA loading was unclear. In this issue of Molecular Cell, Roisné-Ha...

State-of-the-art mass spectrometer to be installed at the University’s Advanced Proteomics Facility (APF)

Single-cell long-read RNA sequencing enables the high-fidelity mapping of single-cell expression data from highly sequence-similar transposable elements to unique genomic loci by correcting errors fro...

Research in the DNA replication field is progressing at a remarkable rate. Technological innovations in biochemical reconstitution, structural biology, proteomics and DNA sequencing are helping to rap...

Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes proteins are essential DNA-folding motors that facilitate critical cellular functions, including chromosome segregation and DNA repair. Wadjet systems are prokaryotic SMC complexes specialized in cellular immunity against plasmids. Type I Wadjet systems restrict plasmids via a DNA extrusion-cleavage reaction. Two other Wadjet types (II and III) have also been identified, however, their molecular characteristics are unclear. Here, we reconstituted a representative type II Wadjet system from Neobacillus vireti. We show that this system shares substrate selection and cleavage properties with type I but exhibits distinctive structural features, including a long elbow-distal coiled coil, a channel-less hinge, and a tandem KITE subunit. These features help identify the common and distinguishing architectural elements in the family of Wadjet systems and raise intriguing questions about the evolution of prokaryotic SMC complexes. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

With great sadness, we announce the loss of Professor Béla Novák.

The University of Cologne is one of the oldest and largest universities in Germany. With its six Faculties covering a broad spectrum of disciplines and its i...

New research unveils the important role of cell division timing mechanisms in the formation of cancer

In eukaryotes, DNA-associated protein complexes coevolve with genomic sequences to orchestrate chromatin folding. We investigate the relationship between DNA sequence and the spontaneous loading and a...

Roughly 6,000 readers answered our poll, with many declaring that Bluesky was nicer, kinder and less antagonistic to science than X.

Spatial restriction of Aurora B to centromeres during prometaphase and metaphase enables it to phosphorylate proteins necessary for spindle assembly checkpoint signalling and biorientation of chromoso...

Abstract. Dictyostelium discoideum is a unicellular slime mold, developing into a multicellular fruiting body upon starvation. Development is accompanied b

Multisubunit protein complexes are central to many cellular processes, and studying their activities and structures in vitro requires reconstitution via recombinant expression and purification. Obtain...