Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Nucleosome02:33

The Nucleosome

18.9K
DNA in a human cell is almost 2m long and it is packed inside a tiny nucleus that is only a few microns in diameter. The level of compaction of DNA inside the nucleus is astonishing. It is organized into several sequentially higher levels of compaction to fit into such a tiny space. The most compact form of DNA is a chromosome that can be seen under a microscope in a dividing cell.
DNA is wound twice around a protein complex called histone core, that consist of 8 histone proteins. This complex...
18.9K
The Nucleosome02:33

The Nucleosome

5.1K
5.1K
The Nucleosome01:19

The Nucleosome

4.0K
Human DNA is almost two meters long. However, it is compressed inside a tiny nucleus measuring only a few microns in diameter. To make this degree of compaction possible, DNA is organized into several sequential levels so that it can fit into such a tiny space. The most compact form of DNA is a chromosome that can be seen under a microscope in a dividing cell.
In a chromosome, DNA is wound twice around a protein complex called a histone octamer core, which consists of 8 histone proteins. This...
4.0K
Nucleosome Remodeling02:54

Nucleosome Remodeling

11.2K
Nucleosomes are the basic units of chromatin compaction. Each nucleosome consists of the DNA bound tightly around a histone core, which makes the DNA inaccessible to DNA binding proteins such as DNA polymerase and RNA polymerase. Hence, the fundamental problem is to ensure access to DNA when appropriate, despite the compact and protective chromatin structure.
Nucleosome remodeling complex
Eukaryotic cells have specialized enzymes called ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling enzymes. These enzymes...
11.2K
The Nucleosome Core Particle02:10

The Nucleosome Core Particle

14.5K
Nucleosomes are the DNA-histone complex, where the DNA strand is wound around the histone core. The histone core is an octamer containing two copies of H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 histone proteins.
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...
14.5K
The Nucleosome Core Particle01:12

The Nucleosome Core Particle

2.4K
Nucleosomes are the DNA-histone complex, where the DNA strand is wound around the histone core. The histone core is an octamer containing two copies of H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 histone proteins.
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...
2.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Author Correction: Long-term, in toto live imaging of cardiomyocyte behaviour during mouse ventricle chamber formation at single-cell resolution.

Nature cell biology·2026
Same author

Cell-free chromatin state tracing reveals disease origin and therapy responses.

Nature·2026
Same author

A Human-specific Protein Regulated by Alternative Polyadenylation Shapes Uniqueness of Human Brain Development.

Genomics, proteomics & bioinformatics·2025
Same author

Tumors with microsatellite instability upregulate TREX1 to escape antitumor immunity.

The Journal of experimental medicine·2025
Same author

Interpretable niche-based cell‒cell communication inference using multi-view graph neural networks.

Nature computational science·2025
Same author

TACIT and CoTACIT for histone modification profiling in single cells and lineage tracing.

Nature reviews. Genetics·2025
Same journal

Chemotactic self-organization captures the dynamics of mammalian hair follicle patterning.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Tomographic imaging of superconducting order using particle-hole interference.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Inhibitory potential of autologous neutralizing antibodies sets quantitative limits on the rebound-competent HIV-1 reservoir.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Inferring epidemiological parameters under an infectious phylogeography model with visitor dynamics.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Analytical modeling for suction cup designs for skin-interfaced wearable devices.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Improving cell-free metabolism through direct integration of artificial respiratory chains.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Reconstitution of Nucleosomes with Differentially Isotope-labeled Sister Histones
09:26

Reconstitution of Nucleosomes with Differentially Isotope-labeled Sister Histones

Published on: March 26, 2017

11.6K

Human exonization through differential nucleosome occupancy.

Yumei Li1,2, Chen Li1,2, Shuxian Li1,2

  • 1Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|August 15, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Nucleosome occupancy, the way DNA is wrapped around proteins, is conserved across species and tissues. Higher nucleosome occupancy in exons may drive the evolution of new exons, supporting a "nucleosome-first" model.

Keywords:
comparative genomicsexon originationexonizationnucleosome occupancyprimate evolution

More Related Videos

Exon Skipping in Directly Reprogrammed Myotubes Obtained from Human Urine-Derived Cells
06:20

Exon Skipping in Directly Reprogrammed Myotubes Obtained from Human Urine-Derived Cells

Published on: May 7, 2020

7.5K
Assembly of Nucleosomal Arrays from Recombinant Core Histones and Nucleosome Positioning DNA
10:40

Assembly of Nucleosomal Arrays from Recombinant Core Histones and Nucleosome Positioning DNA

Published on: September 10, 2013

23.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Reconstitution of Nucleosomes with Differentially Isotope-labeled Sister Histones
09:26

Reconstitution of Nucleosomes with Differentially Isotope-labeled Sister Histones

Published on: March 26, 2017

11.6K
Exon Skipping in Directly Reprogrammed Myotubes Obtained from Human Urine-Derived Cells
06:20

Exon Skipping in Directly Reprogrammed Myotubes Obtained from Human Urine-Derived Cells

Published on: May 7, 2020

7.5K
Assembly of Nucleosomal Arrays from Recombinant Core Histones and Nucleosome Positioning DNA
10:40

Assembly of Nucleosomal Arrays from Recombinant Core Histones and Nucleosome Positioning DNA

Published on: September 10, 2013

23.1K

Area of Science:

  • Epigenetics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Nucleosomal modifications are key to epigenetic regulation.
  • The role of nucleosome occupancy in evolutionary changes is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary role of nucleosome occupancy.
  • To determine if nucleosome occupancy influences the origination of new exons.

Main Methods:

  • High-resolution nucleosome occupancy profiling in human, macaque, tree shrew, mouse, and pig tissues.
  • Genome-wide comparison of nucleosome occupancy profiles.
  • Comparative analysis of exon evolution and nucleosome binding patterns.

Main Results:

  • Conserved nucleosome occupancy profiles across species and tissues.
  • Higher nucleosome occupancy in exons compared to introns, correlated with GC content.
  • Evidence supporting nucleosome occupancy preceding exon evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Nucleosome occupancy plays a role in the origination of new exons.
  • The "nucleosome-first" model suggests nucleosome-bound sites are more likely to evolve into exons.