Direct visualization of yeast RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and nucleosomes using atomic force microscopy allowed these authors to discover what happens to nucleosomes when they are transcribed. They identified DNA loops that could transfer a nucleosome from downstream to upstream of RNAPII and found that transcription triggers partial dissociation of the histone octamer into a hexamer. The speed of transcription influenced the proportion of histones that became hexamers remained as octamers or, alternatively, were completed removed from the DNA.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Bintu, L. et al. The elongation rate of RNA polymerase determines the fate of transcribed nucleosomes. Nature Struct. Mol. Biol. 13 Nov 2011 (doi:10.1038/nsmb.2164)
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Muers, M. Nucleosome fate influenced by RNA polymerase. Nat Rev Genet 13, 2 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3145
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3145
