Here’s how cells rapidly stuff two meters of DNA into microscopic capsules
Two proteins form loops and a spiral helix that facilitate speedy packing
![simulation of bundled chromosomes](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/012518_LH_chromosome_folding_main_REV.jpg?fit=860%2C460&ssl=1)
PACK IT UP Before dividing, a cell bundles each of its chromosomes (gray and colored strings in this simulation of a single chromosome) into a tightly-packed, orderly cylinder. A protein that creates a central, spiral scaffold (red links) is partly responsible for the efficient packing, a new study finds.
A. Goloborodko and J. Gibcus, with input from K. Samejima, B. Earnshaw, L. Mirny and J. Dekker