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Nucleosome Remodeling

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 4, 2025

Author Spotlight: Efficient Nucleosome Reconstitution for Single-Molecule Techniques

Author Spotlight: Efficient Nucleosome Reconstitution for Single-Molecule Techniques

Published on: September 6, 2024

Nucleosome assembly and disassembly pathways in vitro.

Akiko Hatakeyama¹, Yuliia Shymko², Brigitte Hartmann²

¹RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan.

|July 13, 2022

Summary

Structural fluctuations of nucleosomes are key to gene regulation. Photochemical Analysis of Structural Transitions (PhAST) reveals distinct intermediate states during nucleosome assembly and disassembly, highlighting DNA sequence roles.

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Author Spotlight: Efficient Nucleosome Reconstitution for Single-Molecule Techniques

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

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Probing The Structure And Dynamics Of Nucleosomes Using Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging

Probing The Structure And Dynamics Of Nucleosomes Using Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging

Published on: January 31, 2019

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Epigenetics
Biochemistry

Background:

Nucleosome structural fluctuations regulate DNA accessibility in eukaryotes, impacting gene regulation.
Understanding these dynamics is crucial for deciphering gene expression control mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To characterize DNA structural alterations during nucleosome assembly and disassembly using PhAST.
To compare the in vitro processes of nucleosome assembly and disassembly at a base-pair resolution.
To identify intermediate states and asymmetries in DNA-histone interactions.

Main Methods:

Application of Photochemical Analysis of Structural Transitions (PhAST) to monitor DNA structural changes.
In vitro studies of nucleosome assembly and disassembly processes.
Analysis of PhAST signals to identify intermediate states and their characteristics.

Main Results:

Identification of multiple, sequential intermediate states during nucleosome assembly and disassembly.
PhAST signals reveal asymmetries in DNA/histone interactions localized to DNA extremities and near the pseudo dyad.
Differences observed in the amplitude evolution of PhAST signals between assembly and disassembly pathways.

Conclusions:

The study provides the first detailed comparison of in vitro nucleosome assembly and disassembly.
Observed asymmetries are linked to DNA sequence effects on DNA-histone binding efficiency.
Differences in assembly and disassembly pathways offer new insights into DNA sequence roles in gene regulation and chromatin structure control.