Abstract
From the dynamic interphase genome to compacted mitotic chromosomes, DNA is organized by the conserved SMC complexes cohesin and condensin. The picture is emerging that these complexes structure the genome through a shared basic principle that involves the formation and processive enlargement of chromatin loops. This appears to be an asymmetric process, in which the complex anchors at the base of a loop and then enlarges the loop in a one-sided manner. We discuss the latest insights into how ATPase-driven conformational changes within these complexes may enlarge loops, and consider how asymmetric DNA reeling can bring together genomic elements in a symmetric manner.