Packaging wonders of nature – how proteins create loops in our DNA

Have you ever pulled a loop out of entangled cables, resulting in even more knots? A true safeguard in our body, the protein Smc5/6, can do this without creating an inextricable mess. It helps to store our meter-long DNA free of knots in the tiny nuclei of our cells and to maintain the integrity of our genes by forming DNA loops. If Smc5/6 makes a mistake, our genetic material can be damaged. Such defects can lead to rare hereditary diseases, developmental disorders or cancer. Understanding how Smc5/6 functions helps us to identify new target points for medical therapies.