Dynamic nucleosomes and gene transcription.
Gene transcription occurs on a nucleosomal template known as chromatin. The recruitment of the transcriptional regulators and the transcription machinery to promoter chromatin is coordinated by a genetic code on the DNA and an epigenetic code on the histone proteins. Chromatin is not a stable environment; rather, the histones, the transcription regulatory proteins and the enzymes that modify and mobilise nucleosomes are in a dynamic state. Thus, at any one time, the factors associated with a region will cooperate or compete to change the rate of inter-conversion between permissive and non-permissive chromatin states, leading to activation or repression of transcription. Here, new concepts such as dynamic nucleosomes and a dynamic histone code in gene transcription are explored.
Mellor
Jane
J
Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK. jane.mellor@bioch.ox.ac.uk
D000107:Acetylation; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019281:Dimerization; D006655:Histone Deacetylases / Q000502:physiology; D006657:Histones / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008745:Methylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D009707:Nucleosomes; D006655:Histone Deacetylases