Mitotic chromosome condensation contributes to the homeostatic control of gene expression regulation

In a collaborative paper in published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Yves Barral with Jorrit Enserink and the Pierre Chymkowitch group in Norway show that the effects on transcription of chromosome condensation during mitosis is not just a passive phenomenon, but has strong biological significance: It resets the transcriptome to protect cells from uncontrolled transcriptional drift during the following interphase. Thereby, it contributes to the homeostatic control of gene expression regulation.