Mechanistic analyses based on improved imaging techniques have begun to explore the biological implications of chromatin movement within the nucleus. Studies in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes have shed light on what regulates the mobility of DNA over long distances. Interestingly, in eukaryotes, genomic loci increase their movement in response to double-strand break induction. Break mobility, in turn, correlates with the efficiency of repair by homologous recombination. We review here the source and regulation of DNA mobility and discuss how it can both contribute to and jeopardize genome stability.
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