Premium
Unlocking nucleosome dynamics with histone post‐translational modifications
Author(s) -
Poirier Michael Guy
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.318.2
Over 30 histone post‐translational modifications (PTMs) are buried within the nucleosome core and many of these PTMs play essential roles in RNA transcription, DNA replication and DNA repair. I will discuss studies of 6 PTMs located within the DNA‐histone interface of the nucleosome. We find that the location of the PTM within the nucleosome DNA‐histone interface is important for how the PTM influences nucleosome dynamics. PTMs in the DNA entry‐exit region appear to influence nucleosomal DNA unwrapping without altering nucleosome stability while PTMs in the dyad symmetry axis influence nucleosome mobility and disassembly without altering DNA unwrapping. Furthermore, these modifications influence chromatin remodeling and can even switch a remodeling reaction from nucleosome sliding to disassembly. Our studies suggest that PTMs in the DNA‐histone interface function to controllably unlock different forms of nucleosome dynamics.