help button home button Biophys. J.
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Schiessel, H.
Right arrow Articles by Bruinsma, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Schiessel, H.
Right arrow Articles by Bruinsma, R.

Biophys J, April 2001, p. 1940-1956, Vol. 80, No. 4

DNA Folding: Structural and Mechanical Properties of the Two-Angle Model for Chromatin

Helmut Schiessel,*dagger William M. Gelbart,dagger and Robijn Bruinsma*

 *Departments of Physics and  dagger Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095 USA

We present a theoretical analysis of the structural and mechanical properties of the 30-nm chromatin fiber. Our study is based on the two-angle model introduced by Woodcock et al. (Woodcock, C. L., S. A. Grigoryev, R. A. Horowitz, and N. Whitaker. 1993. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 90:9021-9025) that describes the chromatin fiber geometry in terms of the entry-exit angle of the nucleosomal DNA and the rotational setting of the neighboring nucleosomes with respect to each other. We analytically explore the different structures that arise from this building principle, and demonstrate that the geometry with the highest density is close to the one found in native chromatin fibers under physiological conditions. On the basis of this model we calculate mechanical properties of the fiber under stretching. We obtain expressions for the stress-strain characteristics that show good agreement with the results of recent stretching experiments (Cui, Y., and C. Bustamante. 2000. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 97:127-132) and computer simulations (Katritch, V., C. Bustamante, and W. K. Olson. 2000. J. Mol. Biol. 295:29-40), and which provide simple physical insights into correlations between the structural and elastic properties of chromatin.

Biophys J, April 2001, p. 1940-1956, Vol. 80, No. 4
© 2001 by the Biophysical Society   0006-3495/01/04/1940/17  $2.00


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Biophys. JHome page
N. Kepper, D. Foethke, R. Stehr, G. Wedemann, and K. Rippe
Nucleosome Geometry and Internucleosomal Interactions Control the Chromatin Fiber Conformation
Biophys. J., October 15, 2008; 95(8): 3692 - 3705.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Biophys. JHome page
R. Stehr, N. Kepper, K. Rippe, and G. Wedemann
The Effect of Internucleosomal Interaction on Folding of the Chromatin Fiber
Biophys. J., October 15, 2008; 95(8): 3677 - 3691.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Biophys. JHome page
P. M. Diesinger and D. W. Heermann
The Influence of the Cylindrical Shape of the Nucleosomes and H1 Defects on Properties of Chromatin
Biophys. J., June 1, 2008; 94(11): 4165 - 4172.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Nucleic Acids ResHome page
M. Engelhardt
Choreography for nucleosomes: the conformational freedom of the nucleosomal filament and its limitations
Nucleic Acids Res., August 13, 2007; 35(16): e106 - e106.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
G. Arya and T. Schlick
Role of histone tails in chromatin folding revealed by a mesoscopic oligonucleosome model
PNAS, October 31, 2006; 103(44): 16236 - 16241.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Biophys. JHome page
G. Arya, Q. Zhang, and T. Schlick
Flexible Histone Tails in a New Mesoscopic Oligonucleosome Model
Biophys. J., July 1, 2006; 91(1): 133 - 150.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2001 by the Biophysical Society.