Chromosome folding encodes mechanisms of cohesion maintenance

Time-dependent changes in sister chromatid folding encode distinct mechanisms of cohesion maintenance, enabling inference of cohesin turnover, motion, and encounter rules from folding signatures.

• Why it matters: Cohesin linkages must persist for many hours, yet SORORIN binds transiently and loop-extruding cohesins’ influence on sister-linking cohesins is unclear.
• What they did: The study integrates biochemical kinetics with polymer modeling to infer cohesin turnover, motion, and encounter rules from folding signatures, including effects of repeated transient SORORIN sequestration and WAPL depletion.
• The result: Repeated transient SORORIN sequestration provides long-lasting protection while quantitatively modulating maintenance, and WAPL depletion reveals additional mechanisms such as pushing of sister-linking cohesins and diffusion of loop-extruding cohesins.

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