Cell Cycle: Chromosomal Organization

In interphase nuclei chromosomes are organized as distinct nuclear structures, called chromosome territories (CTs). If CTs and chromosomal subregions are organized in a cell type-specific or species-specific manner and if these structures show specific positional changes during the cell cycle then there may be a functionally significant relationship between higher-order chromatin arrangements and nuclear functions, for example cell cycle- and cell type-specific differences in gene expression. Keywords: chromosome topology; interphase movement of chromatin; cell cycle; nuclear architecture; chromosome subregions