Rad21: Proteins and Enzymes

The cohesin complex plays an important role in tethering sister chromatids during the prophase through anaphase stages of mitosis, making certain that genomic information is replicated accurately. As the cellular division process continues, separase destroys the cohesin complex by means of cleavaging its Scc1 subunit (Mcd1/Scc1/hRad21), allowing the chromatids to separate and divide with the cell. During apoptosis the C-terminal portion of hRad21 is cleaved and translocated to the cytoplasm. This cleavage and translocation may act as a nuclear signal that promotes and accelerates subsequent events of apoptosis (2).