After replication of genomic DNA during the S phase, 2 chromatids hold together longitudinally. When cells enter mitosis, the paired sister chromatids start to condense and then segregate into individual chromatids except for the centromeric region. Upon attachment of microtubules to the kinetochore, subsequent pulling of the 2 sister chromatids by the spindles towards opposite poles results in 2 completely separated chromatids. Besides more than 100 kinds of kinetochore proteins, several key proteins such as cohesin, separase, shugoshin, and condensin contribute to chromatid cohesion and segregation. Among these proteins, condensin, a protein complex composed of 5 subunits discovered 2 decades ago, has been extensively studied in terms of the maintenance of chromosome morphology as its major function. Recent studies on condensin uncovered its role in chromatid cohesion and segregation, which will be reviewed in this article.
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