Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2010, 11(4), 1557-1579; doi:10.3390/ijms11041557
Review

Chromatin Fiber Dynamics under Tension and Torsion

Christophe Lavelle 1,* email, Jean-Marc Victor 2  and Jordanka Zlatanova 3,* email
1 Interdisciplinary Research Institute, CNRS USR 3078, Villeneuve d\'Ascq F-59655, France 2 Laboratoire de Physique Théorique de la Matière Condensée, CNRS UMR 7600, Paris F-75005, France 3 Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 3 December 2009; in revised form: 20 February 2010 / Accepted: 19 March 2010 / Published: 12 April 2010
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Single Molecules)
PDF Full-text Download PDF Full-Text [1356 KB, uploaded 12 April 2010 14:31 CEST]
Abstract: Genetic and epigenetic information in eukaryotic cells is carried on chromosomes, basically consisting of large compact supercoiled chromatin fibers. Micromanipulations have recently led to great advances in the knowledge of the complex mechanisms underlying the regulation of DNA transaction events by nucleosome and chromatin structural changes. Indeed, magnetic and optical tweezers have allowed opportunities to handle single nucleosomal particles or nucleosomal arrays and measure their response to forces and torques, mimicking the molecular constraints imposed in vivo by various molecular motors acting on the DNA. These challenging technical approaches provide us with deeper understanding of the way chromatin dynamically packages our genome and participates in the regulation of cellular metabolism.
Keywords: DNA; nucleosome; chromatin; single molecule; magnetic tweezers; optical tweezers

Article Statistics

Click here to load and display the download statistics.

Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Lavelle, C.; Victor, J.-M.; Zlatanova, J. Chromatin Fiber Dynamics under Tension and Torsion. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2010, 11, 1557-1579.

AMA Style

Lavelle C, Victor J-M, Zlatanova J. Chromatin Fiber Dynamics under Tension and Torsion. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2010; 11(4):1557-1579.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lavelle, Christophe; Victor, Jean-Marc; Zlatanova, Jordanka. 2010. "Chromatin Fiber Dynamics under Tension and Torsion." Int. J. Mol. Sci. 11, no. 4: 1557-1579.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. EISSN 1422-0067 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert