Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Heterochromatin

Heterochromatin

The extent of chromatin compaction can be studied by staining chromatin using specific DNA binding dyes. Under the microscope, the dense-compacted regions that take up more dye are called heterochromatin. Heterochromatin is further classified into two forms – constitutive heterochromatin and facultative heterochromatin.
Constitutive heterochromatin: It is a highly compact region of chromatin that is mostly concentrated in the centromere and telomere. Unlike euchromatin, the amino acid at...

Heterochromatin

Heterochromatin

Euchromatin

Euchromatin

The extent of chromatin compaction can be studied by staining chromatin using specific DNA binding dyes. Under the microscope, the dense-compacted regions take up more dye, appearing darker, while the less-compact areas take up less dye and appear lighter. Based on the compaction level, chromatins are classified into two primary forms – euchromatin and heterochromatin.
Euchromatin is the less dense region of the chromatin and stains lighter. Euchromatin contains histone H3 extensively...

Euchromatin

Euchromatin

Spreading of Chromatin Modifications

Spreading of Chromatin Modifications

The histone proteins in the nucleosomes are post-translationally modified (PTM) to increase or decrease access to DNA. The commonly observed PTMs are methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination of lysine amino acids in the histone H3 tail region. These histone modifications have specific meaning for the cell. Hence, they are called "histone code". The protein complex involved in histone modification is termed as "reader-writer" complex.
Writers
The writer...

Position-effect Variegation

Position-effect Variegation

In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Spatial organization and dynamics of genome replication: from forks to foci.

Nucleic acids research·2026

Same author

Small and Prototypic: Dimethyl Ether in Lithiumorganics─Insights from Experimental Charge Density Studies.

Inorganic chemistry·2026

Same author

Polygenic, cell-envelope adaptations drive high-frequency daptomycin resistance in <i>Staphylococcus capitis</i> NRCS-A from neonatal sepsis and NEC.

Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy·2026

Same author

Effects of a complex intervention on agitation and aggression in people living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment in shared-housing arrangements: results for a secondary outcome of the multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled DemWG study.

BMC psychiatry·2026

Same author

Heterochromatome wide analyses reveal MBD2 as a phase separation scaffold for heterochromatin compartmentalization and composition.

Nucleic acids research·2025

Same author

MeCP2-driven chromatin organization controls nuclear stiffness.

Communications biology·2025

Same journal

RETRACTED: Bakshi et al. Crocin Inhibits Angiogenesis and Metastasis in Colon Cancer via TNF-α/NF-kB/VEGF Pathways. <i>Cells</i> 2022, <i>11</i>, 1502.

Cells·2026

Same journal

Correction: Verde et al. Molecular Mechanisms of Protein Aggregation in ALS-FTD: Focus on TDP-43 and Cellular Protective Responses. <i>Cells</i> 2025, <i>14</i>, 680.

Cells·2026

Same journal

Inflammation in Cardiomyopathies: Cellular Mechanisms Across Cardiac Phenotype.

Cells·2026

Same journal

IL-4/IL-13-Driven Dysregulation of Epidermal Lipid Metabolism in Atopic Dermatitis: An Immunometabolic Link Between Type 2 Inflammation and Barrier Dysfunction.

Cells·2026

Same journal

Activity of DNA- and RNA-Guided Prokaryotic Argonautes in Human Mitochondria.

Cells·2026

Same journal

Placental Pathophysiology in Maternal Psychoactive Substance Use: Biological, Clinical, and Forensic Perspectives.

Cells·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Published on: September 20, 2018

MeCP2 and Chromatin Compartmentalization.

Annika Schmidt¹, Hui Zhang¹, M Cristina Cardoso¹

¹Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany.

|April 9, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is crucial for gene regulation and chromatin structure, and its dysfunction causes Rett syndrome. This study examines MeCP2

Keywords:

DNA methylation readers DNA modifications MeCP2 Rett syndrome heterochromatin higher order chromatin structure

More Related Videos

A Method to Study de novo Formation of Chromatin Domains

A Method to Study de novo Formation of Chromatin Domains

Published on: August 23, 2019

The ChroP Approach Combines ChIP and Mass Spectrometry to Dissect Locus-specific Proteomic Landscapes of Chromatin

The ChroP Approach Combines ChIP and Mass Spectrometry to Dissect Locus-specific Proteomic Landscapes of Chromatin

Published on: April 11, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Published on: September 20, 2018

A Method to Study de novo Formation of Chromatin Domains

A Method to Study de novo Formation of Chromatin Domains

Published on: August 23, 2019

The ChroP Approach Combines ChIP and Mass Spectrometry to Dissect Locus-specific Proteomic Landscapes of Chromatin

The ChroP Approach Combines ChIP and Mass Spectrometry to Dissect Locus-specific Proteomic Landscapes of Chromatin

Published on: April 11, 2014

Area of Science:

Epigenetics
Molecular Biology
Genetics

Background:

Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is a key epigenetic regulator.
MeCP2 dysfunction is implicated in Rett syndrome.
Understanding MeCP2's role in chromatin structure is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore MeCP2 isoforms, domains, interactions, and modifications.
To investigate MeCP2 mutations associated with Rett syndrome.
To elucidate how MeCP2 properties influence genome architecture.

Main Methods:

Bioinformatic analysis of MeCP2 structure and function.
Review of literature on MeCP2 mutations in Rett syndrome.
Analysis of MeCP2's role in chromatin organization.

Main Results:

MeCP2 exhibits diverse isoforms and functional domains.
Specific MeCP2 mutations are linked to Rett syndrome.
MeCP2 regulates chromatin compartmentalization and genome architecture.

Conclusions:

MeCP2's multifaceted nature impacts transcriptional regulation.
Rett syndrome arises from MeCP2's disrupted function.
MeCP2 is essential for maintaining higher-order genome structure.