Scientists Map a Complicated Ballet Performed in Our Cells

August 8, 2018 • by Esther Robards-Forbes
Artist rendering of how DNA is condensed into a chomosome

This figure demonstrates the organization process of a chromosome. Chromosome Droplets are formed during this process and act as a basic packaging unit of the chromosome. Their structures are maintained by the glassiness of the chromosome. In this image, the red and blue are repressive and active loci, respectively. Image credit: The University of Texas at Austin.


Figure showing loci

This image shows both the 1) coherent motion and 2) heterogenous dynamics of loci. The main figure shows the displacement field of chromosome loci. The length and color of each arrow indicates the magnitude and direction of loci’s movements. It shows the coherent motion of different regions inside the chromosome. Two small figures show the typical trajectories taken by fast and slow loci whose mobility can be very different. These two small figures show the heterogeneity of individual loci’s dynamics. Image credit: The University of Texas at Austin.

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