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Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Characterizing Histone Post-translational Modification Alterations in Yeast Neurodegenerative Proteinopathy Models
Published on: March 24, 2019
Effects of altering histone posttranslational modifications on mitotic chromosome structure and mechanics
Ronald Biggs1, Patrick Z Liu1, Andrew D Stephens1
1Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208.
Abstract:
During cell division, chromatin is compacted into mitotic chromosomes to aid faithful segregation of the genome between two daughter cells. Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of histones alter compaction of interphase chromatin, but it remains poorly understood how these modifications affect mitotic chromosome stiffness and structure. Using micropipette-based force measurements and epigenetic drugs, we probed the influence of canonical histone PTMs that dictate interphase euchromatin (acetylation) and heterochromatin (methylation) on mitotic chromosome stiffness. By measuring chromosome doubling force (the force required to double chromosome length), we find that histone methylation, but not acetylation, contributes to mitotic structure and stiffness. We discuss our findings in the context of chromatin gel modeling of the large-scale organization of mitotic chromosomes.
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