From nucleosome to chromosome: a dynamic organization of genetic information

• Published in: The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology 2011-04, Vol.66 (1), p.4-17
• Main Authors: Fransz, Paul, de Jong, Hans
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 30-nm chromatin fiber; Animals; arabidopsis-thaliana; Biological and medical sciences; Chromatin; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; chromatine structure; chromosome; Chromosomes; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Methylation; DNA, Plant - genetics; DNA, Plant - metabolism; DNA-binding protein; Fibers; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene regulation; Genomics; h4-k16 acetylation; heterochromatin; Heterochromatin - genetics; Heterochromatin - metabolism; histone variant h2a.z; Histones - metabolism; in-vivo; insitu hybridization; Interphase; interphase chromosomes; Molecular Conformation; nuclear architecture; nucleosome positioning; Nucleosomes; Nucleosomes - metabolism; Nucleotide sequence; nucleus; Plant biology; Plant physiology and development; Plants - genetics; regulatory regions
• ISSN: 0960-7412; 1365-313X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2011.04526.x

Summary Gene activity is controlled at different levels of chromatin organization, which involve genomic sequences, nucleosome structure, chromatin folding and chromosome arrangement. These levels are interconnected and influence each other. At the basic level nucleosomes generally occlude the DNA sequence from interacting with DNA‐binding proteins. Evidently, nucleosome positioning is a major factor in gene control and chromatin organization. Understanding the biological rules that govern the deposition and removal of the nucleosomes to and from the chromatin fiber is the key to understanding gene regulation and chromatin organization. In this review we describe and discuss the relationship between the different levels of chromatin organization in plants and animals.