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.
Chromatin adopts a diversity of regular and irregular fiber structures in vitro and in vivo. However, how an array of nucleosomes folds into and switches between different fiber conformations is poorly understood. We report the 9.7 Å resolution crystal structure of a 6-nucleosome array bound to linker histone H1 determined under ionic conditions that favor incomplete chromatin condensation. The structure reveals a flat two-start helix with uniform nucleosomal stacking interfaces and a nucleosome packing density that is only half that of a twisted 30-nm fiber. Hydroxyl radical footprinting indicates that H1 binds the array in an on-dyad configuration resembling that observed for mononucleosomes. Biophysical, cryo-EM, and crosslinking data validate the crystal structure and reveal that a minor change in ionic environment shifts the conformational landscape to a more compact, twisted form. These findings provide insights into the structural plasticity of chromatin and suggest a possible assembly pathway for a 30-nm fiber.
- MeSH
- DNA chemie genetika metabolismus MeSH
- elektronová kryomikroskopie MeSH
- Escherichia coli genetika metabolismus MeSH
- exprese genu MeSH
- genetické vektory chemie metabolismus MeSH
- histony chemie genetika metabolismus MeSH
- hydroxylový radikál chemie MeSH
- interakční proteinové domény a motivy MeSH
- klonování DNA MeSH
- konformace proteinů, alfa-helix MeSH
- konformace proteinů, beta-řetězec MeSH
- krystalografie rentgenová MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- molekulární modely MeSH
- multimerizace proteinu MeSH
- nukleozomy chemie metabolismus ultrastruktura MeSH
- osmolární koncentrace MeSH
- protein 1 vytvářející nukleozómy chemie genetika metabolismus MeSH
- rekombinantní proteiny chemie genetika metabolismus MeSH
- vazba proteinů MeSH
- vazebná místa MeSH
- Xenopus laevis MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
