Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-30-2026
Abstract
We discuss the origins of three models for the structure of chromosomes in multicellular animals: CTCF/cohesin loop extrusion, compartments, and boundary–boundary pairing. We then review what is known about the properties of TAD (topologically associating domains) boundary elements in flies, and how these properties are deployed in generating TADs and controlling the utilization of genetic information. We discuss another class of elements that function by physically pairing with each other and their special roles in regulating gene activity. We show that TADs are organized into large TAD neighborhoods and that neighborhoods are a common structural feature in multicellular animals. We discuss possible models for the structure of the main chromosomal axis and the underlying mechanisms for homolog/sister chromosome pairing.
Recommended Citation
Ke, Wenfan; Fujioka, Miki; Jaynes, James B.; and Schedl, Paul, "Mechanisms Underpinning Chromosome Structure in Metazoans" (2026). Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers. Paper 306.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/bmpfp/306
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
PubMed ID
42384731
Language
English
Comments
This article is the author's final published version in Molecular Biology of the Cell, Volume 37, Issue 8, August 2026], Article number re7.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E25-11-0538. Copyright © 2026 Ke et al.