The activity of the histone chaperone yeast Asf1 in the assembly and disassembly of histone H3/H4-DNA complexes.

ABSTRACT: The deposition of the histones H3/H4 onto DNA to give the tetrasome intermediate and the displacement of H3/H4 from DNA are thought to be the first and the last steps in nucleosome assembly and disassembly, respectively. Anti-silencing function 1 (Asf1) is a chaperone of the H3/H4 dimer that functions in both of these processes. However, little is known about the thermodynamics of chaperone-histone interactions or the direct role of Asf1 in the formation or disassembly of histone-DNA complexes. Here, we show that Saccharomyces cerevisiae Asf1 shields H3/H4 from unfavorable DNA interactions and aids the formation of favorable histone-DNA interactions through the formation of disomes. However, Asf1 was unable to disengage histones from DNA for tetrasomes formed with H3/H4 and strong nucleoso

SUBMITTER: Donham DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3141235 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature