Roles of histone chaperone Nap1 and histone acetylation in regulating phase-separation of nucleosome arrays.

ABSTRACT: Chromatin condensation is dynamically regulated throughout the cell cycle and plays key roles in modulating gene accessibility. The DNA-histone dynamics in the nucleosome are central to the regulation mechanisms of chromatin condensation, which remain poorly understood. Employing fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, optical super-resolution imaging, and microrheology with optical tweezers, we investigated the roles of various parameters in regulating phase-separation of 12-mer nucleosome arrays. Here, we show that histone H4 tail lysine residues are the main drivers of liquid-liquid phase separation of nucleosome arrays. We also show that the condensed liquid-like droplets comprise a mobile fraction and a relatively immobile structural scaffold. Histone chaperone Nap1 and histone H3

SUBMITTER: Gao J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12661029 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature