Transcription-dependent positioning of Structural Maintenance of Chromosome complexes across the genome: RNA-Seq

The Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complexes regulate the chromosome structures essential for proper genome regulation and cell viability. In mammals, the coordinated actions of the SMC complexes condensin I, condensin II and cohesin regulate dynamic chromosome structures throughout the cell cycle, but it is not clear how these complexes are positioned across the genome. We report here that condensin I, condensin II and cohesin occupy active euchromatic regions of the embryonic stem cell genome, but not heterochromatic regions. Like cohesin, we find that condensin II is deposited at active genes by the SMC loading factor Nipbl. The recruitment of Condensin II to active genes is dependent on their transcriptional activation. Subsequent transcriptional elongation by RNA polymerase II distributes condensin II across gene bodies. During mitosis, condensin I occupies the same set of active genes occupied by condensin II during interphase. Thus, SMC complexes are positioned in the genome by transcription-dependent processes, indicating that condensin-dependent condensation mechanisms are preferentially utilized in euchromatic regions.