At regular intervals, a double-stranded DNA molecule winds twice around "spools" of proteins called histones. In a micrograph, these DNA-histone spools look like beads on a string (Figure 9.3d). Each "bead is a nucleosome, the smallest unit of structural organization in eukaryotic chromosomes (Figure 9.3e) When a duplicated chromosome condenses, its sister chromatids constrict where they attach to one another. This constricted region is called the centromere (Figure 9.3a). The location of a centromere differs for each type of chromosome. During nuclear division, a kinetochore forms at the centromere. Kinetochores are binding sites for microtubules that attach to chromatids. What is the point of all this structural organization? It allows a huge amount of DNA to pack into a little nucleus. For example, the DNA from one of your body cells would stretch out to about 2 meters (6.5 feet)! That is a lot of DNA to pack into a nucleus that is typically less than 10 micrometers in diameter. The packing also serves a regulatory purpose. As you will see in Chapter 15, enzymes cannot access DNA that is tightly coiled.