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To slide or not to slide: key role of the hexasome in chromatin remodeling revealed

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 31, pages 742–746 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Hexasomes are non-canonical nucleosomes that package DNA with six instead of eight histones. First discovered 40 years ago as a consequence of transcription, two near-atomic-resolution cryo-EM structures of the hexasome in complex with the chromatin remodeler INO80 have now started to unravel its mechanistic impact on the regulatory landscape of chromatin. Loss of one histone H2A–H2B dimer converts inactive nucleosomes into distinct and favorable substrates for ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling.

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Fig. 1: Discovery of the hexasome.
Fig. 2: Hexasome–INO80 complex reveals structural basis of nucleosome remodeling.

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Acknowledgements

I thank S. Eustermann for invaluable help with the preparation of the figures.

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  1. MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK

    Daniela Rhodes

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  1. Daniela Rhodes
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Correspondence to Daniela Rhodes.

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Rhodes, D. To slide or not to slide: key role of the hexasome in chromatin remodeling revealed. Nat Struct Mol Biol 31, 742–746 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-024-01278-7

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