Cohesin: a global player in chromosome biology with local ties to gene regulation

Cohesin complexes hold sister chromatids together, which is essential for proper chromosome segregation during cell division and for post-replicative DNA repair. Recent studies suggest that, in addition to this global role in chromosome biology, cohesin is recruited to specific chromosomal locations by CTCF, and perhaps by other sequence-specific DNA binding factors. Once in position, cohesin controls chromosome conformation at the local level. Could this be key to understanding cohesin's role in gene expression?