Women’s contribution in understanding how topoisomerases, supercoiling, and transcription control genome organization

Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

Molecular Biosciences

Laura Martin¹  Maria Pia Cosma²  Maria Victoria Neguembor³ 

[1] Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain;Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain;ICREA, Barcelona, Spain;Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China;Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain;Lead Contact, Guangzhou, China;Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain;Technical Contact, Guangzhou, China;

关键词: genome organization;    supercoiling;    topoisomerases;    transcription;    women;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmolb.2023.1155825

 received in 2023-01-31, accepted in 2023-03-15,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

One of the biggest paradoxes in biology is that human genome is roughly 2 m long, while the nucleus containing it is almost one million times smaller. To fit into the nucleus, DNA twists, bends and folds into several hierarchical levels of compaction. Still, DNA has to maintain a high degree of accessibility to be readily replicated and transcribed by proteins. How compaction and accessibility co-exist functionally in human cells is still a matter of debate. Here, we discuss how the torsional stress of the DNA helix acts as a buffer, regulating both chromatin compaction and accessibility. We will focus on chromatin supercoiling and on the emerging role of topoisomerases as pivotal regulators of genome organization. We will mainly highlight the major breakthrough studies led by women, with the intention of celebrating the work of this group that remains a minority within the scientific community.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Martin, Neguembor and Cosma.