Evidence that localized variation in primate sequence divergence arises from an influence of nucleosome placement on DNA repair.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the origins of localized substitution rate heterogeneity has important implications for identifying functional genomic sequences. Outside of gene regions, the origins of rate heterogeneity remain unclear. Experimental studies establish that chromatin compaction affects rates of both DNA lesion formation and repair. A functional association between chromatin status and 5-methyl-cytosine also exists. These suggest that both the total rate and the type of substitution will be affected by chromatin status. Regular positioning of nucleosomes, the building block of chromatin, further predicts that substitution rate and type should vary spatially in an oscillating manner. We addressed chromatin's influence on substitution rate and type in primates. Matched numbers of sites were samp

SUBMITTER: Ying H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2822288 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature