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The logic of chromatin architecture and remodelling at promoters

Nature volume 461, pages 193–198 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The regulation of gene transcription involves a dynamic balance between packaging regulatory sequences into chromatin and allowing transcriptional regulators access to these sequences. Access is restricted by the nucleosomes, but these can be repositioned or ejected by enzymes known as nucleosome remodellers. In addition, the DNA sequence can impart stiffness or curvature to the DNA, thereby affecting the position of nucleosomes on the DNA, influencing particular promoter 'architectures'. Recent genome-wide studies in yeast suggest that constitutive and regulated genes have architectures that differ in terms of nucleosome position, turnover, remodelling requirements and transcriptional noise.

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Figure 1: Properties of open and covered promoters.
Figure 2: Basic functions of chromatin remodellers in nucleosome dynamics.

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Acknowledgements

I thank T. Parnell and C. Clapier for comments and assistance with figures. I am grateful for support from the US National Institutes of Health (grant GM60415) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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  1. Department of Oncological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, 84112, Utah, USA

    Bradley R. Cairns

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Reprints and permissions information is available at http://www.nature.com/reprints. The author declares no competing financial interests. Correspondence should be addressed to B.R.C. (brad.cairns@hci.utah.edu).

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Cairns, B. The logic of chromatin architecture and remodelling at promoters. Nature 461, 193–198 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08450

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