bioRxiv | The condensin complex is a mechanochemical motor
that translocates along DNA
Abstract: Condensin plays crucial roles in chromosome organization and compaction, but the
mechanistic basis for its functions remains obscure. Here, we use single-molecule imaging to
demonstrate that Saccharomyces cerevisiae condensin is a molecular motor capable of ATP
hydrolysis-dependent translocation along double-stranded DNA. Condensin’s translocation
activity is rapid and highly processive, with individual complexes traveling an average distance
of ≥10 kilobases at a velocity of ~60 base pairs per second. Our results suggest that condensin
may take steps comparable in length to its ~50-nanometer coiled-coil subunits, suggestive of a
translocation mechanism that is distinct from any reported DNA motor protein. The finding that
condensin is a mechanochemical motor has important implications for understanding the
mechanisms of chromosome organization and condensation.
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