Regulation of chromatin folding by conformational variations of nucleosome linker DNA.

ABSTRACT: Linker DNA conformational variability has been proposed to direct nucleosome array folding into more or less compact chromatin fibers but direct experimental evidence for such models are lacking. Here, we tested this hypothesis by designing nucleosome arrays with A-tracts at specific locations in the nucleosome linkers to induce inward (AT-IN) and outward (AT-OUT) bending of the linker DNA. Using electron microscopy and analytical centrifugation techniques, we observed spontaneous folding of AT-IN nucleosome arrays into highly compact structures, comparable to those induced by linker histone H1. In contrast, AT-OUT nucleosome arrays formed less compact structures with decreased nucleosome interactions similar to wild-type nucleosome arrays. Adding linker histone H1 further increased compac

SUBMITTER: Buckwalter JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5766201 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature