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Hypothesis: Intermediate filament and related proteins: Potential activators of nucleosomes during transcription initiation and elongation?
Author(s) -
Traub Peter,
Shoeman Robert L.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.950160510
Subject(s) - nucleosome , histone , coiled coil , microbiology and biotechnology , biophysics , dna , protein filament , transcription (linguistics) , dna binding protein , intermediate filament , chemistry , elongation , biology , transcription factor , biochemistry , cytoskeleton , gene , materials science , linguistics , philosophy , ultimate tensile strength , cell , metallurgy
Intermediate filament (IF) protein tetramers contain two DNA‐ and core‐histone‐binding motifs in rotational symmetry in one and the same structural entity. We propose that IF protein oligomers might displace histone octamers from nucleosomes in the process of transcription initiation and elongation, to deposit them transiently on their α‐helical coiled‐coil domains. We further propose that structurally related proteins of the karyoskeleton, constructed from an α‐helical domain capable of coiled‐coil formation and a basic DNA‐binding region adjacent to it, may be similarly involved in nucleosome activation. These proteins would function as auxiliary factors that disrupt nucleosomal structure to permit transcription and other DNA‐dependent processes to proceed expiditiously.