Cryo-electron microscopy of the chromatin fiber

Boopathi R., Dimitrov S., Hamiche A., Petosa C., Bednar J.

CURRENT OPINION IN STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY, vol.64, pp.97-103, 2020 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Review
  • Volume: 64
  • Publication Date: 2020
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.sbi.2020.06.016
  • Journal Name: CURRENT OPINION IN STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, BIOSIS, Chemical Abstracts Core, EMBASE, INSPEC, MEDLINE
  • Page Numbers: pp.97-103
  • Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: No

Abstract

The three-dimensional (3D) organization of chromatin plays a crucial role in the regulation of gene expression. Chromatin conformation is strongly affected by the composition, structural features and dynamic properties of the nucleosome, which in turn determine the nature and geometry of interactions that can occur between neighboring nucleosomes. Understanding how chromatin is spatially organized above the nucleosome level is thus essential for understanding how gene regulation is achieved. Towards this end, great effort has been made to understand how an array of nucleosomes folds into a regular chromatin fiber. This review summarizes new insights into the 3D structure of the chromatin fiber that were made possible by recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy.