Cohesin architecture and clustering on vivo

Cohesin helps mediate sister chromatid cohesion, chromosome condensation, DNA repair, and transcription regulation. We exploited proximity-dependent labeling to define the in vivo interactions of cohesin domains with DNA or with other cohesin domains that lie within the same or in different cohesin complexes. Our results suggest that both cohesin's head and hinge domains are proximal to DNA, and cohesin structure is dynamic with differential folding of its coiled coil regions to generate butterfly confirmations. This method also reveals that cohesins form ordered clusters on and off DNA. The levels of cohesin clusters and their distribution on chromosomes are cell cycle-regulated. Cohesin clustering is likely necessary for cohesion maintenance because clustering and maintenance uniquely require the same subset of cohesin domains and the auxiliary cohesin factor Pds5p. These conclusions provide important new mechanistic and biological insights into the architecture of the cohesin complex, cohesin-cohesin interactions, and cohesin's tethering and loop-extruding activities.

Automated summary

Cohesin plays a crucial role in genome maintenance, with its head and hinge domains found to be proximal to DNA. The study revealed that cohesin forms ordered clusters on and off DNA, which are cell cycle-regulated and important for cohesion maintenance, uniquely requiring specific subsets of cohesin domains and the auxiliary cohesin factor Pds5p. These findings shed light on the mechanistic and biological aspects of cohesin complex architecture and interactions, as well as its tethering and loop-extruding activities.