Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Probing The Structure And Dynamics Of Nucleosomes Using Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging
Published on: January 31, 2019
X-ray structure of the MMTV-A nucleosome core
Timothy D Frouws1, Sylwia C Duda1, Timothy J Richmond2
1Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
The conformation of DNA bound in nucleosomes depends on the DNA sequence. Questions such as how nucleosomes are positioned and how they potentially bind sequence-dependent nuclear factors require near-atomic resolution structures of the nucleosome core containing different DNA sequences; despite this, only the DNA for two similar α-satellite sequences and a sequence (601) selected in vitro have been visualized bound in the nucleosome core. Here we report the 2.6-Å resolution X-ray structure of a nucleosome core particle containing the DNA sequence of nucleosome A of the 3'-LTR of the mouse mammary tumor virus (147 bp MMTV-A). To our knowledge, this is the first nucleosome core particle structure containing a promoter sequence and crystallized from Mg(2+) ions. It reveals sequence-dependent DNA conformations not seen previously, including kinking into the DNA major groove.
Related Concept Videos
The Nucleosome Core Particle
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their primary aim is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. On the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access histone-bound DNA during...
The Nucleosome Core Particle
The paradox
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their main responsibility is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. While on the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access DNA...
The Nucleosome
In a chromosome, DNA is wound twice around a protein complex called a histone octamer core, which consists of 8 histone proteins. This...
The Nucleosome
The Nucleosome
DNA is wound twice around a protein complex called histone core, that consist of 8 histone proteins. This complex...
Nucleosome Remodeling
Nucleosome remodeling complex
Eukaryotic cells have specialized enzymes called ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling enzymes. These enzymes...

