Abstract
Chromatin function in vivo is intimately connected with changes in its structure: a prime example is occlusion or exposure of regulatory sequences via repositioning of nucleosomes. Cell extracts used in concert with single-DNA micromanipulation can control and monitor these dynamics under in vivo-like conditions. We analyze a theory of the assembly-disassembly dynamics of chromatin fiber in such experiments, including effects of lateral nucleosome diffusion (''sliding'') and sequence positioning. Experimental data determine the force-dependent on- and off-rates as well as the nucleosome sliding diffusion rate. The resulting theory simply explains the very different nucleosome displacement kinetics observed in constant-force and constant-pulling velocity experiments. We also show that few-piconewton tensions comparable to those generated by polymerases and helicases drastically affect nucleosome positions in a sequence-dependent manner and that there is a long-lived structural "memory" of force-driven nucleosome rearrangement events.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 13649-13654 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Volume | 104 |
Issue number | 34 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 21 2007 |
Keywords
- Chromatin assembly
- Chromatin disassembly
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General