Exploring the conformational space of chromatin fibers and their stability by numerical dynamic phase diagrams.

ABSTRACT: The three-dimensional structure of chromatin affects DNA accessibility and is therefore a key regulator of gene expression. However, the path of the DNA between consecutive nucleosomes, and the resulting chromatin fiber organization remain controversial. The conformational space available for the folding of the nucleosome chain has been analytically described by phase diagrams with a two-angle model, which describes the chain trajectory by a DNA entry-exit angle at the nucleosome and a torsion angle between consecutive nucleosomes. Here, a novel type of numerical phase diagrams is introduced that relates the geometric phase space to the energy associated with a given chromatin conformation. The resulting phase diagrams revealed differences in the energy landscape that reflect the probabili

SUBMITTER: Stehr R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2849090 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature