title: Theory of nucleosome corkscrew sliding in the presence of synthetic DNA ligands.
abstract: Histone octamers show a heat-induced mobility along DNA. Recent theoretical studies have established two mechanisms that are qualitatively and quantitatively compatible with in vitro experiments on nucleosome sliding: octamer repositioning through one-base-pair twist defects and through ten-base-pair bulge defects. A recent experiment demonstrated that the repositioning is strongly suppressed in the presence of minor-groove binding DNA ligands. In the present study, we give a quantitative theory for nucleosome repositioning in the presence of such ligands. We show that the experimentally observed octamer mobilities are consistent with the picture of bound ligands blocking the passage of twist defects through the nucleosome. This strongly supports the model of twist defects inducing a corkscrew motion of the nucleosome as the underlying mechanism of nucleosome sliding. We provide a theoretical estimate of the nucleosomal mobility without adjustable parameters, as a function of ligand concentration, binding affinity, binding site orientation, temperature and DNA anisotropy. Having this mobility in hand, we speculate on the interaction between a nucleosome and a transcribing RNA polymerase, and suggest a novel mechanism that might account for polymerase-induced nucleosome repositioning on short DNA templates.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Zanjan 45195-159, Iran.
authors.forename: Farshid
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mohammad-Rafiee
authors.forename: Igor M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Kulić
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schiessel
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D001665:Binding Sites; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D008024:Ligands; D008954:Models, Biological; D009068:Movement; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D008024:Ligands; D009707:Nucleosomes; D004247:DNA; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases