Molecular features of heterochromatin condensation
- Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)
Differential chromatin condensation is a hallmark of both constitutive (e.g. centromeres and telomeres) and facultative (e.g. inactive X chromosomes or Barr bodies) heterochromatin. Since the higher order organization of eukaryotic chromatin is undoubtedly a consequence of a combination of specific DNA-protein and protein-protein interactions, elucidation of the constituents of these interactions is a first step in understanding the mechanism(s) underlying the differential condensation of heterochromatin as compared to euchromatin. Initial attempts, described in this paper, to determine molecular features and molecular interactions that may be elements of differential chromatin condensation focus on centromere-restricted highly repetitive so-called satellite DNA in mouse and man. Based on these studies we hypothesize that DNA structure, but not primary sequence per se, is a fundamental aspect of heterochromatin and that a collection of nonhistone chromosomal proteins recognize this structure and/or each other to mediate differential condensation.
- OSTI ID:
- 28439
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9210475--Cond.; CNN: Grant GM23241
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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