Click here to close Hello! We notice that you are using Internet Explorer, which is not supported by Xenbase and may cause the site to display incorrectly. We suggest using a current version of Chrome, FireFox, or Safari.
XB-ART-49829
Biophys J 2014 Feb 18;1064:875-82. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.01.005.
Show Gene links Show Anatomy links

CENP-A arrays are more condensed than canonical arrays at low ionic strength.

Geiss CP , Keramisanou D , Sekulic N , Scheffer MP , Black BE , Frangakis AS .


???displayArticle.abstract???
The centromeric histone H3 variant centromeric protein A (CENP-A), whose sequence is the least conserved among all histone variants, is responsible for specifying the location of the centromere. Here, we present a comprehensive study of CENP-A nucleosome arrays by cryo-electron tomography. We see that CENP-A arrays have different biophysical properties than canonical ones under low ionic conditions, as they are more condensed with a 20% smaller average nearest-neighbor distance and a 30% higher nucleosome density. We find that CENP-A nucleosomes have a predominantly crossed DNA entry/exit site that is narrowed on average by 8°, and they have a propensity to stack face to face. We therefore propose that CENP-A induces geometric constraints at the nucleosome DNA entry/exit site to bring neighboring nucleosomes into close proximity. This specific property of CENP-A may be responsible for generating a fundamental process that contributes to increased chromatin fiber compaction that is propagated under physiological conditions to form centromeric chromatin.

???displayArticle.pubmedLink??? 24559990
???displayArticle.pmcLink??? PMC3944588
???displayArticle.link??? Biophys J
???displayArticle.grants??? [+]

Species referenced: Xenopus laevis
Genes referenced: cenpa

References [+] :
Allshire, Epigenetic regulation of centromeric chromatin: old dogs, new tricks? 2008, Pubmed