{"id":10909,"date":"2017-10-05T18:12:45","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T16:12:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.embl.de\/?p=10909"},"modified":"2024-03-22T11:35:17","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T10:35:17","slug":"looping-loops-chromosomes-form","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/","title":{"rendered":"Looping the loops: how chromosomes form"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The nucleus of a human cell is less than one hundredth of a millimetre across but the DNA inside it, if stretched out, would be around two metres long. To fit into such a small space, the DNA has to be carefully coiled and packaged with various proteins. During cell division, the DNA molecules \u2013 in paired copies \u2013 are compacted still further, giving rise to the chunky X-shaped structures that are probably the most familiar manifestation of our chromosomes. How this compaction process happens is mysterious, but one important player is a ring-shaped protein complex called condensin. Two recent studies involving EMBL researchers have revealed important features of the condensin complex and its role in shaping chromosomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cScientists realised about twenty years ago that condensin is a key organiser of chromosome structure,\u201d says EMBL group leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.de\/research\/units\/cbb\/haering\/index.html\">Christian Haering<\/a>, \u201cbut exactly how it works, nobody knows.\u201d To play a role in organising DNA, condensin must have some way of grabbing hold of the DNA molecule. But, curiously, condensin doesn\u2019t have any of the typical structures seen in other DNA-binding proteins. Haering\u2019s group has now solved this puzzle by using X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of a central part of the condensin complex, both in the presence and in the absence of DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Safety belt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The structure of DNA is like a spiral ladder. The rungs of the ladder are formed by the bases \u2013 the As, Cs, Gs, and Ts of the genetic sequence \u2013 and the uprights are formed by two chains of sugars and phosphates known as the sugar\u2013phosphate backbone. The Haering group\u2019s study, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell\/fulltext\/S0092-8674(17)31057-7\">published in <em>Cell<\/em><\/a>, reveals a groove in the condensin complex that accommodates the DNA helix and makes contact exclusively with the sugar\u2013phosphate backbone, not with the bases. This explains how condensin can bind to any part of the DNA, unlike other proteins that only bind to a specific sequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In spite of this, the complex still binds to DNA quite weakly. \u201cEven with the DNA sitting inside this groove, it can easily escape again,\u201d says Haering. A closer look showed that one of the proteins that makes up the condensin complex \u2013 called kleisin \u2013 encircles the DNA to keep it in place. \u201cIt creates a sort of safety belt, keeping the DNA buckled inside this groove,\u201d Haering explains. \u201cThis is completely new \u2013 there\u2019s no known protein that interacts with DNA in a similar manner.\u201d When they modified the safety belt to prevent it from closing, they found that condensin does not associate with chromosomes any more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Loop extrusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One idea for how chromosomes could be compacted is known as the loop extrusion model. In this model, ring-shaped protein molecules interact with DNA, each one pulling a loop of DNA through its centre. It\u2019s a little like taking a long thread and pulling loops of it through a backing material to make a carpet: very quickly the thread is packed into a much shorter space as it forms a series of loops rather than a long string. The problem is that no one has been able to show how any of the proteins that bind to DNA could form these loops. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen how condensin holds DNA in this safety belt and how in principle the DNA could pass through the condensin ring to form a loop,\u201d says Haering. \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t explain how the loop could then be made larger and larger, as required by the loop extrusion model.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-10952 size-medium vf-u-width__30\"><figure class=\"vf-figure  | vf-figure--align vf-figure--align-inline-start  \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/loop_extrusion1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" class=\"vf-figure__image\" src=\"https:\/\/news.embl.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/loop_extrusion1-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"In the loop extrusion model, a ring-shaped protein (red) pulls a loop of DNA (grey) through its centre. With many such proteins forming loops along its length, the DNA strand is compacted into a much shorter space. IMAGE: EMBL\/Haering Group\" class=\"wp-image-10952\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/loop_extrusion1-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/loop_extrusion1.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"vf-figure__caption\">In the loop extrusion model, a ring-shaped protein (red) pulls a loop of DNA (grey) through its centre. With many such proteins forming loops along its length, the DNA strand is compacted into a much shorter space. IMAGE: Haering group\/EMBL<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Important evidence in support of this model has come from a second study, <a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1126\/science.aan6516\">published in <em>Science<\/em><\/a> \u2013 a collaboration between Haering\u2019s group and researchers at Columbia University in New York and the Kavli Insitute of Nanoscience Delft in the Netherlands. Together, they carried out a series of experiments in which they visualised the movements of condensin on long strands of stretched DNA. The condensin complexes travelled along the DNA strand over distances of several thousand DNA bases. \u201cSimilar protein complexes have been seen moving along DNA before,\u201d says Haering, \u201cbut only passively sliding, not using energy to create this motor-like movement.\u201d When the researchers added a second fluorescently labelled DNA molecule, they found that condensin was able to take this DNA molecule and move it in relation to the first. \u201cWe can imagine that condensin holds on to one side of a DNA loop and feeds the other side of the loop through the condensin ring, making the loop bigger,\u201d Haering explains. \u201cFor the first time, we have experimental evidence showing how the loop extrusion idea could work in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Major steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Previous experiments had suggested that condensin could not be the driving force behind loop extrusion, since its rate of energy consumption is too low. However, this conundrum can be solved if condensin is able to move in large steps along the DNA molecule. Figuring out exactly how condensin moves is therefore the next part of the puzzle. The condensin complex has two long protein units \u2013 called SMC2 and SMC4 \u2013 that might act like \u2018legs,\u2019 allowing condensin to walk along strands of DNA \u2013 each leg gripping the DNA strand in turn while the other leg moves forward. Another possibility is that the SMC units might stretch out to grab a section of DNA, then pull it in with a sort of scrunching motion, before reaching out for the next section. \u201cThese are plausible mechanisms to explain what we see in our experiments, but so far we\u2019ve never seen any motor protein that can move with such large steps,\u201d explains Haering. \u201cIt\u2019s very unconventional \u2013 but that\u2019s why trying to make sense of it is so fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EMBL researchers and collaborators unravel how chromosomes form<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":10924,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17591],"tags":[65,64,536,535,29,537,422,43],"embl_taxonomy":[],"class_list":["post-10909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-science-technology","tag-biophysics","tag-cell-biology","tag-chromatin","tag-chromosome","tag-crystallography","tag-dna","tag-haering","tag-heidelberg"],"acf":{"article_intro":"<p>EMBL researchers and collaborators take important steps in unravelling chromosome formation<\/p>\n","related_links":[{"link_description":"Haering Group","link_url":"http:\/\/www.embl.de\/research\/units\/cbb\/haering\/index.html"}],"article_sources":[{"source_description":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell\/fulltext\/S0092-8674(17)31057-7\">Kschonsak M <em>et al<\/em>. <em>Cell<\/em>, published online 5 October 2017. DOI: 10.1016\/j.cell.2017.09.008<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1126\/science.aan6516\">Terakawa T, Bisht S, Eeftens JM <em>et al<\/em>. <em>Science<\/em>, published online 7 September 2017. DOI: 10.1126\/science.aan6516<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","source_link_url":""}],"vf_locked":false,"featured":false,"color":"#007B53","show_featured_image":false,"source_article":false,"in_this_article":false,"press_contact":"None"},"embl_taxonomy_terms":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Looping the loops: how chromosomes form | EMBL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"EMBL researchers and collaborators take important steps in unravelling chromosome formation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Looping the loops: how chromosomes form | EMBL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"EMBL researchers and collaborators take important steps in unravelling chromosome formation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EMBL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embl.org\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-05T16:12:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-22T10:35:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"425\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Edward Dadswell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@embl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@embl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Edward Dadswell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Edward Dadswell\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d09d98139462e79513cfc92f6bcfaba7\"},\"headline\":\"Looping the loops: how chromosomes form\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-05T16:12:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-22T10:35:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/\"},\"wordCount\":986,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"biophysics\",\"cell biology\",\"chromatin\",\"chromosome\",\"crystallography\",\"dna\",\"haering\",\"heidelberg\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Science\",\"Science &amp; Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/\",\"name\":\"Looping the loops: how chromosomes form | EMBL\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-05T16:12:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-22T10:35:17+00:00\",\"description\":\"EMBL researchers and collaborators take important steps in unravelling chromosome formation\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg\",\"width\":620,\"height\":425,\"caption\":\"The condensin complex has a groove (right-hand side) that holds one part of a DNA strand, while another part of the strand is fed through the main condensin ring (left). IMAGE: Tremani and Cees Dekker lab TU Delft\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"European Molecular Biology Laboratory News\",\"description\":\"News from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"EMBL News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"European Molecular Biology Laboratory\",\"alternateName\":\"EMBL\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/EMBL_logo_colour-1-300x144-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/EMBL_logo_colour-1-300x144-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":144,\"caption\":\"European Molecular Biology Laboratory\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embl.org\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/embl\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embl_org\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/15813\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/emblmedia\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d09d98139462e79513cfc92f6bcfaba7\",\"name\":\"Edward Dadswell\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b858206ab9d6a8637fb63e3e4bcff622892825a1901cdc87c17b24634506991f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b858206ab9d6a8637fb63e3e4bcff622892825a1901cdc87c17b24634506991f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Edward Dadswell\"},\"description\":\"Edward Dadswell has master\u2019s degrees in physics and creative writing, and an endless fascination with biology. Having smashed all three together at high energy, he formerly led the content team at EMBL.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/author\/edward-dadswell-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Looping the loops: how chromosomes form | EMBL","description":"EMBL researchers and collaborators take important steps in unravelling chromosome formation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Looping the loops: how chromosomes form | EMBL","og_description":"EMBL researchers and collaborators take important steps in unravelling chromosome formation","og_url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/","og_site_name":"EMBL","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embl.org\/","article_published_time":"2017-10-05T16:12:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-03-22T10:35:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":620,"height":425,"url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Edward Dadswell","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@embl","twitter_site":"@embl","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Edward Dadswell","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/"},"author":{"name":"Edward Dadswell","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d09d98139462e79513cfc92f6bcfaba7"},"headline":"Looping the loops: how chromosomes form","datePublished":"2017-10-05T16:12:45+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-22T10:35:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/"},"wordCount":986,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg","keywords":["biophysics","cell biology","chromatin","chromosome","crystallography","dna","haering","heidelberg"],"articleSection":["Science","Science &amp; Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/","name":"Looping the loops: how chromosomes form | EMBL","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg","datePublished":"2017-10-05T16:12:45+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-22T10:35:17+00:00","description":"EMBL researchers and collaborators take important steps in unravelling chromosome formation","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/looping-loops-chromosomes-form\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg","width":620,"height":425,"caption":"The condensin complex has a groove (right-hand side) that holds one part of a DNA strand, while another part of the strand is fed through the main condensin ring (left). IMAGE: Tremani and Cees Dekker lab TU Delft"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/","name":"European Molecular Biology Laboratory News","description":"News from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization"},"alternateName":"EMBL News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization","name":"European Molecular Biology Laboratory","alternateName":"EMBL","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/EMBL_logo_colour-1-300x144-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/EMBL_logo_colour-1-300x144-1.png","width":300,"height":144,"caption":"European Molecular Biology Laboratory"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embl.org\/","https:\/\/x.com\/embl","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embl_org\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/15813\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/emblmedia\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d09d98139462e79513cfc92f6bcfaba7","name":"Edward Dadswell","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b858206ab9d6a8637fb63e3e4bcff622892825a1901cdc87c17b24634506991f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b858206ab9d6a8637fb63e3e4bcff622892825a1901cdc87c17b24634506991f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Edward Dadswell"},"description":"Edward Dadswell has master\u2019s degrees in physics and creative writing, and an endless fascination with biology. Having smashed all three together at high energy, he formerly led the content team at EMBL.","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/author\/edward-dadswell-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"}]}},"field_target_display":"embl","field_article_language":{"value":"english","label":"English"},"fimg_url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg","featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1710-Terekawa_ib.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10909"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40600,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10909\/revisions\/40600"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10909"},{"taxonomy":"embl_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/embl_taxonomy?post=10909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}