A repeating chromatin unit in which DNA wraps around a histone core. Position, turnover and modification affect accessibility of the associated DNA.
Movement of histones from one DNA substrate or complex to another. In competition experiments, loss of histones from a labelled complex need not release free DNA if another DNA-binding protein remains attached.
Resistance of a histone–DNA particle to loss or rearrangement of its components under specified conditions. Competitor-induced histone transfer can reveal destabilization even while a DNA-binding protein remains attached.
Transient local unwrapping and rewrapping of nucleosomal DNA. This changes the accessibility of DNA and histone surfaces without requiring complete and irreversible loss of the histone octamer.
DNA connecting adjacent nucleosome cores. Its length and accessibility affect nucleosome-array organization.
The core histone assembly containing two copies each of H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 around which nucleosomal DNA wraps.
Mapping DNA fragments protected during controlled micrococcal-nuclease digestion. Digestion titration and fragment validation help distinguish nucleosome occupancy from sequence bias and other protected complexes.
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A nucleosome is the fundamental unit of chromatin, which is the structural material of chromosomes in eukaryotic cells. Nucleosomes play a critical role in the packaging of DNA within the nucleus and in the regulation of gene expression. Each nucleosome consists of a core of histone proteins around which DNA is wrapped.
