This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mangenot, S. Articles by Rädler, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mangenot, S. Articles by Rädler, J.

Transport of Nucleosome Core Particles in Semidilute DNA Solutions

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Sektion Physik, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, D-80539 Munich, Germany

Correspondence: Address reprint requests to Joachim Rädler, E-mail: Joachim.Raedler{at}physik.uni-muenchen.de.

We studied the diffusion of native and trypsinized nucleosome core particles (NCPs), in aqueous solution and in concentrated DNA solutions (0.25–100 mg/ml) using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). The highest DNA concentrations studied mimic the DNA density inside the cell nucleus. The diffusion coefficient of freely diffusing NCPs depends on the presence or absence of histone tails and is affected by the salt concentration due to the relaxation effect of counterions. NCPs placed in a network of long DNA molecules (30–50 kbp) reveal anomalous diffusion. We demonstrate that NCPs diffusion is in agreement with known particle transport in entangled macromolecular solutions as long as the histone tails are folded onto the particles. In contrast, when these tails are unfolded, the reversible adsorption of NCPs onto the DNA network has to be taken into account. This is confirmed by the fact that removal of the tails leads to reduction of the interaction between NCPs and the DNA network. The findings suggest that histone tail bridging plays an important role in chromatin dynamics.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Bhattacharya, A. Mazumder, S. A. Miriam, and G. V. Shivashankar EGFP-Tagged Core and Linker Histones Diffuse via Distinct Mechanisms within Living Cells Biophys. J., September 15, 2006; 91(6): 2326 - 2336. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]