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Related Concept Videos

Spreading of Chromatin Modifications02:25

Spreading of Chromatin Modifications

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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...
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Histone Modification02:32

Histone Modification

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The histone proteins have a flexible N-terminal tail extending out from the nucleosome. These histone tails are often subjected to post-translational modifications such as acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination. Particular combinations of these modifications form “histone codes” that influence the chromatin folding and tissue-specific gene expression.
Acetylation
The enzyme histone acetyltransferase adds acetyl group to the histones. Another enzyme, histone...
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Heterochromatin02:38

Heterochromatin

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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...
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Euchromatin01:01

Euchromatin

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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...
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Position-effect Variegation02:32

Position-effect Variegation

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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.
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Combinatorial Gene Control02:33

Combinatorial Gene Control

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Combinatorial gene control is the synergistic action of several transcriptional factors to regulate the expression of a single gene. The absence of one or more of these factors may lead to a significant difference in the level of gene expression or repression.
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...
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Chromatin Immunoprecipitation ChIP using Drosophila tissue
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Differential Modulation of Polycomb-Associated Histone Marks by cBAF, pBAF, and gBAF Complexes.

Mary Bergwell, JinYoung Park, Jacob G Kirkland

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    Canonical BAF (cBAF) complexes uniquely remove polycomb repressive marks at the Nkx2.9 locus, activating gene transcription in mouse embryonic stem cells. This contrasts with other SWI/SNF complexes, highlighting cBAF's specific role in chromatin remodeling.

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    A Method to Study de novo Formation of Chromatin Domains
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    Area of Science:

    • Chromatin biology
    • Epigenetics
    • Gene regulation

    Background:

    • Mammalian SWI/SNF (mSWI/SNF) complexes are ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers crucial for gene transcription.
    • Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) utilize three mSWI/SNF forms: canonical BAF (cBAF), polybromo-associated BAF (pBAF), and GLTSCR-associated BAF (gBAF).
    • The Nkx2.9 gene, essential for neural differentiation, is bivalently marked in mESCs, requiring mSWI/SNF for activation.

    Approach:

    • Utilized FIRE-Cas9 technology to individually recruit cBAF, pBAF, and gBAF complexes to the Nkx2.9 locus.
    • Assessed changes in histone modifications (H3K27me3, H2AK119ub) and nucleosome occupancy upon recruitment.
    • Monitored Nkx2.9 transcriptional activation following recruitment of specific mSWI/SNF complexes.

    Key Points:

    • Canonical BAF (cBAF) demonstrated the most effective removal of polycomb repressive marks (H3K27me3 and H2AK119ub) at the Nkx2.9 locus.
    • Recruitment of cBAF led to significant transcriptional activation of Nkx2.9.
    • GLTSCR-associated BAF (gBAF) and polybromo-associated BAF (pBAF) did not significantly alter these repressive marks or induce activation.

    Conclusions:

    • Canonical BAF (cBAF) possesses a unique function in directly opposing polycomb-associated histone modifications, distinct from gBAF and pBAF.
    • Nucleosome occupancy changes alone do not fully explain the observed demethylation of repressive marks.
    • This study elucidates the specific role of cBAF in resolving polycomb-mediated repression for gene activation during neural differentiation.