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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53

Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53

Published on: August 4, 2019

Structural basis for p53 binding to its nucleosomal target DNA sequence.

Masahiro Nishimura^1,2, Yoshimasa Takizawa¹, Kayo Nozawa^1,3

¹Laboratory of Chromatin Structure and Function, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.

|January 30, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The tumor suppressor p53 protein binds to its target DNA within nucleosomes, a crucial step for gene activation. Structural studies reveal how p53 alters DNA and chromatin structure for this binding.

Keywords:

cryo-EM nucleosome p53 pioneer transcription factor

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Last Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53

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Published on: August 4, 2019

Two- and Three-Dimensional Live Cell Imaging of DNA Damage Response Proteins

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High Sensitivity Measurement of Transcription Factor-DNA Binding Affinities by Competitive Titration Using Fluorescence Microscopy

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Published on: February 7, 2019

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Structural Biology
Epigenetics

Background:

The tumor suppressor p53 is a pioneer transcription factor.
p53 binds to nucleosomal DNA, but the mechanism is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the structural mechanism of p53 binding to nucleosomal DNA.
To understand how p53 binding affects chromatin structure and gene activation.

Main Methods:

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) of p53-nucleosome complexes.
Hydroxyl radical footprinting.

Main Results:

p53 DNA-binding domain tetramer specifically binds p53 target DNA (p53BS) near nucleosome entry/exit.
p53 binding alters DNA path and detaches it from the histone surface.
p53 C-terminal domain interacts with linker and central nucleosomal DNA.

Conclusions:

Structural insights into p53-nucleosome interaction.
Mechanism of p53-mediated chromatin remodeling for gene activation elucidated.