Chromosomediscovered in the late 1800s, is a molecule DNA contains the genetic material of an organism.
All chromosomes, without exception, pass through or end in an X shape before the cells of an organism divide. But it’s always been a mystery how they got the shape of an X.
While Biology students around the world are learning that chromosomes get their shape during cell division, the exact reason behind their X shape is unknown.
It has been found that the so-called protein shugosin locks the chromosome into an X shape. Shugosin is defined as an evolutionarily conserved protein with a specific function to ensure the stability of the individual chromosome during cell division.
This life-defining breakthrough, with clear potential to be added to Biology textbooks worldwide, comes in a study led by Professor Daniel Panne, from the University of Leicester, and Dr Benjamin Rowland, from the Netherlands Cancer Institute.
This research is published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
Dr Rowland was reported as saying, “A chromosome is actually made up of two long identical strands of DNA that are initially connected along their entire length.”
“A collection of cohesin molecules in the form of a ring holding the two threads together. When a cell is about to divide, the cohesin ring opens and the DNA arms are released,” he added.
The researchers found that the protein, also known as SGO1, locks onto the cohesin ring that gives chromosomes the X shape.
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Professor Panne was quoted by Sky News as saying, “It is very exciting to finally understand at the molecular and atomic level how the iconic X chromosome forms during cell division are produced.”
“This has not only intrigued scientists for generations, but is critical to our understanding of how these processes can go wrong in disease,” he concluded.
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