Related Experiment Videos
Facts about FACT and transcript elongation through chromatin.
Rimma Belotserkovskaya1, Danny Reinberg
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Division of Nucleic Acids Enzymology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
|June 16, 2004
Summary
FACT and Spt6 proteins help RNA Polymerase II (PolII) navigate chromatin during transcription. These factors destabilize and reassemble nucleosomes, ensuring efficient gene expression in vivo.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Gene Regulation
- Chromatin Dynamics
Background:
- Transcription elongation by RNA Polymerase II (PolII) is hindered by chromatin structure in vitro but efficient in vivo.
- Actively transcribed genes undergo alterations in chromatin structure.
- Numerous factors controlling transcript elongation are known, but their mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the roles and mechanisms of FACT and Spt6 in transcription elongation through chromatin.
Main Methods:
- Genetics
- Biochemistry
- Targeted proteomics
Main Results:
- FACT and Spt6 facilitate PolII passage through chromatin.
- These factors destabilize nucleosomes ahead of PolII.
- They also reassemble nucleosomes behind the transcribing PolII.
Conclusions:
- FACT and Spt6 are key players in overcoming chromatin-imposed barriers during transcription elongation.
- Their dual action of destabilization and reassembly is crucial for efficient in vivo transcription.